Wanaka in Fall
In fall (March, April and May), Wanaka sees average daytime highs around 12°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 288 mm of precipitation over about 33 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 3rd-wettest season.
Over the season highs ease from about 16°C in early March to 6°C by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.
Fall is Wanaka's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Wanaka's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 12°C
- 2nd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 4°C
- Precipitation
- 288 mm
- 33 wet days
- Avg wind
- 6 km/h
- Travel score
- 3.1
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Mar · Apr · May
Temperature in Wanaka in Fall
Over the season highs ease from about 16°C in early March to 6°C by late May.
A typical fall day in Wanaka reaches about 12°C and drops to 4°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is March, the coolest May.
How fall really feels in Wanaka
Once humidity and wind are folded in, fall brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 13 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in fall is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Wanaka weather by month
How the three fall months (March, April and May) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17° / 9° | 113 | 11.2 | 0.1 | 15 | 5.4 |
| Feb | 18° / 9° | 81 | 9.3 | 0.1 | 13.9 | 5.6 |
| Mar | 15° / 7° | 96 | 10.5 | 0.1 | 12.4 | 4.6 |
| Apr | 12° / 4° | 89 | 10.2 | 0.5 | 10.8 | 3.2 |
| May | 8° / 2° | 104 | 12.7 | 2.2 | 9.4 | 1.4 |
| Jun | 4° / -1° | 85 | 10.6 | 4.3 | 8.7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 3° / -3° | 79 | 9.7 | 5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 5° / -1° | 78 | 10.6 | 4.6 | 10.1 | 0.2 |
| Sep | 8° / 1° | 110 | 12.8 | 3.9 | 11.7 | 1.3 |
| Oct | 11° / 2° | 118 | 14 | 2.7 | 13.3 | 2.4 |
| Nov | 13° / 5° | 116 | 13.4 | 1.2 | 14.6 | 3.4 |
| Dec | 16° / 7° | 124 | 14.1 | 0.3 | 15.3 | 4.4 |
Cloud cover in Fall
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time across fall.
Chance of precipitation in Fall
Wanaka gets around 288 mm of rain and snow over 33 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Fall
Most of fall feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Fall
Winds average 6 km/h across fall.
Sunrise & sunset in Fall
Daylight runs from about 13 h 12 min in early March to 8 h 54 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Fall
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 2.8 kWh/m².
Is fall a good time to visit Wanaka?
Our two travel scores rate fall for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
fall is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Wanaka.
What to pack for Wanaka in Fall
From fall's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In fall, Wanaka sees daytime highs around 12°C and nights near 4°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 33 days see rain.
UV index in Wanaka in Fall
Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Wanaka peaks around January 15 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 16 at about 1 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 11 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Level | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Low | Low | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | Extreme |
| Feb | 9 | Very high |
| Mar | 6 | High |
| Apr | 3 | Moderate |
| May | 2 | Low |
| Jun | 1 | Low |
| Jul | 2 | Low |
| Aug | 2 | Moderate |
| Sep | 5 | Moderate |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 8 | Very high |
| Dec | 10 | Very high |
Where is Wanaka?
Wanaka sits at 44.7°S, 169.2°E, 0 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Queenstown, 53 km away.
Topography around Wanaka
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Wanaka.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Wanaka has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 258 m around an average of 325 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,573 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,837 m.
The land around Wanaka is covered by grassland (49%) and trees (23%) within 3 km, grassland (64%) within 16 km, and grassland (68%) and trees (20%) within 80 km.
New Zealand travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 1
- Exercise Normal Precautions
- Power plugs
- Type I
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 86% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $49,591
- 2025
- Happiness
- 7.0 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 100%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 1.5
- per 100k, 2022
- Road deaths
- 9.6
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Wanaka (-44.7°, 169.15°, elevation 0 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.