Best Time to Visit Wellington

Summer: January to March

This is the easy time to be in Wellington. Days are mild and the evenings stay light and pleasant. January and February tie as the best months, both with highs of 19°C and lows of 15°C. March is nearly as good, though it gets rainier.

Walk the waterfront from Te Papa (the national museum) to Oriental Bay and you'll see locals swimming off the beach. Ride the cable car up to the Botanic Garden for harbour views. It's also the best window for the Zealandia sanctuary, a fenced forest reserve for native birds. Wind is the catch. Wellington is famously breezy, so a calm day here is a treat.

This is high season, and school holidays run through January. Book your Cook Strait ferry to the South Island early. Events in this period include the Wellington Cuba Dupa street festival, usually around late March, and the Newtown Festival in the suburb of Newtown, usually in the summer months.

Autumn and spring: April to May, October to November

These shoulder months are good for city breaks. Highs sit between 14°C and 16°C, and crowds are thinner. April is the better pick, with fewer wet days than May. November is the sunniest of the spring months, with 6.5 hours a day.

If you like walking, try the Southern Walkway or the Mount Victoria lookout. The tracks are quieter and the air is crisp. Autumn is also a good time for the city's cafés. Wellington is known for its coffee, and a flat white on Cuba Street suits a cool, grey morning.

Spring brings changeable weather. You might get sun, rain and wind in a single afternoon. That's normal here, so keep your plans loose.

Winter: June to September

Winter is the quietest season and the cheapest. It's also the wettest and greyest. June to August each see 14 rainy days, and July is the wettest at 98 mm. Highs reach just 11°C in July, the coolest month.

Still, it suits museum lovers. Te Papa, the Cuba Street cafés and the Wellington Cable Car Museum are all good on wet days. Film fans can visit Weta Workshop in Miramar, the studio behind the Lord of the Rings effects.

July brings the Wellington Jazz Festival? That's less certain, so check dates. What is well known is the Visa Wellington On a Plate food festival, usually in August, when restaurants make special menus. If you don't mind drizzle, it's a cosy time to eat your way around the city.