What to pack for New Zealand in February: Weather + travel tips

Nov 19

Sunny summer days make February a prime month for visiting New Zealand — here’s what to pack.

a new zealand beach in february — *Wharariki Beach in late February, 2024. I drove all the way out here to camp by the beach and catch the sunset.*

February in New Zealand promises balmy days and sunshine, and the celebratory mood of summer continues with a string of music festivals and beach getaways.

Of course, that promise doesn’t always deliver. Sometimes it rains all over those music festivals as cyclones roll in from the Pacific and drench everything in their path.

Most of the time though, February is one of my favourite months to travel New Zealand. I usually have plans to escape Auckland city every weekend.

Temperatures in February

Here are some of the average high/low temperatures in February across the North and South Islands:

Auckland: 24° / 16° Celcius, or 75° / 60° Fahrenheit

Wellington: 21° / 14° Celcius or 70° / 57° Fahrenheit

Christchurch: 22° / 12° Celcius or 71° / 53° Fahrenheit

Queenstown: 22° / 9° Celcius or 71° / 48° Fahrenheit

February is one of the best months to visit New Zealand

A Wharariki sunset

Wharariki Beach

February is one of the best months to visit New Zealand. The weather tends to be sunny and settled across the country. While temperatures can soar to 30°C (considered a very hot temperature for New Zealand), averages typically hover around early to mid twenties.

As one of the warmest months in New Zealand, February is a good month for exploring the beaches of the North Island, as well as hikes in the South Island.

Most locals have a favourite swimming hole rivers around the country, and sports like surfing, stand-up paddle boarding, kayaking and just doing bombs off the end of jetties keep most people occupied on the weekends.

February is a great month for events, with music festivals like Splore and Shipwrecked, as well as other events like the Marlborough Food and Wine Festival.

School holidays generally wrap up in early February, so the domestic summer crowds start to tail off but the good weather continues.

What clothes to pack for New Zealand in February

If you’re visiting New Zealand in February, you can pack summer clothes with a few warmer layers. This list includes my favourite things to pack for a summer road trip around New Zealand.

These are all items of clothes and gear that I own and use — I hope it’s helpful to see what a local wears.

At least one warm layer (long pants and a cosy jumper)

*Summer mornings are often very cool — I love having a cosy jacket to throw on for sunrise missions, like this one from* *Ottway. And I’m pretty much always wearing my Lululemon Align shorts.*

The weather in New Zealand in February is rarely cold. Temperatures might dip to 10°C (50°F) overnight, but unless you’re dancing outside all night at a summer festival, or spending the night in an alpine hiking hut, this is rarely an issue.

I recommend packing at least one warm layer for February, to wear in the evenings, but most of the time you can expect the weather to be mild.

Patagonia Los Gatos Fleece
Lululemon Align Trackpants

Pack lightweight and breathable tops, t-shirts, and shorts for the warm days

Bring a couple of long-sleeved shirts for sun protection and cooler evenings.

You’ll probably want to spend a lot of time outside, so practical hiking clothes are useful. New Zealand’s dress code is usually casual, and even more so in summer.

Outdoorsy clothes with a high UPF rating (around 50) can really help protect your skin from the sun.

I recently invested in a sun hoody for hiking and I love it. It makes such a difference just having the backs of my hands covered when I’m outside all day, and I love the high neck as well (it is a source of constant frustration for me that so many women’s tops have low necks!)
RAB Women’s Momentum Shorts
Mons Royale long sleeved merino t-shirt
Lululemon Align Tank
Lululemon Align Shorts
Loose linen shirt (I have this one from Stay Wild Swim, but any shirt that offers sun protection is great)
Big, roomy cotton t-shirts (stay away from V necks or anything too loose around the neck — I just find I end up getting burnt if too much neck skin is showing)

Pack sun protection

*You might not be doing any hiking this intense, but I still recommend a sun hoody for day walks. The extra coverage is amazing. These are also the Rab Momentum Shorts, which I love for walking.*

A wide-brimmed hat or a cap will protect you from strong UV rays.

Make sure you also bring a good supply of sunscreen — you’ll need it.

My Sunshine sunscreen is my favourite eco friendly sunscreen (and I have tried many zinc sunscreens). It has high protection and won’t leave harmful chemicals behind in the sea.

Footwear

For footwear, I live in Birkenstocks all through February, but any sandals or flip flops will become your default footwear during this month.

Birkenstocks
Trail running shoes if you’re into hiking. I have been a hiking boot girl for most of my hiking life, but have recently converted to lighter trail shoes. They are much more versatile for summer and are infinitely easier for river crossings.

Swimwear (and surfwear)

Sea temperatures tend to get much colder in the South Island — I’ve been swimming off the southern coast of Fiordland in February and the water was about 14°C, while in Auckland it can be 22°C and I can go surfing without a wetsuit.

Ripcurl surf suit — I wear a surf suit like this when I’m surfing in February, because the water is warm enough in the Coromandel that I don’t need a wetsuit. But, these are also great for swimming or snorkelling if you want more sun protection in the water.
I have a Sunward Bound surf hat and I love it. I use it for surfing, as I’m out in the water for hours at a time, but you could also pack one if you just want to keep your face protected while swimming, paddleboarding, kayaking, etc. I always get compliments on mine.

You can probably get by without a rain jacket in February

February is generally one of the drier months in New Zealand, but rain is always a possibility. You could probably get by without one, but if you have the space a lightweight rain jacket is great, and it can double as a wind breaker if you go hiking.

I have the Rab Kinetic 2.0 rain jacket and love it. It’s super lightweight and comfortable to wear (the fabric is soft and very flexible) so it’s easy to stash in a bag.

Other gear

Day hiking up Gertrude Saddle, with my Fjallraven Raven 28L. Believe it or not, this photo is from December — technically summer. We walked across ice and got sunburned on the same day, which goes to show you need to be ready for anything if you do day walks in the mountains.

Summer means lots of day hikes, so a day pack can be really handy.

Fjallraven Raven 28L — this is my current day pack, which is a bit bigger than a regular day pack because my photography gear keeps expanding (I also have this photo insert to keep my photography things altogether). I also pack a warm layer, snacks, and plenty of water — extra clothes are important even in February, as the weather can turn quickly if you’re hiking in an alpine area.
Peak Design tech pouch — I use this Peak Design pouch to keep all of my cables and other tech bits and pieces together. I love it, and find it so easy to organise the number of things I seem to have accumulated (I have a laptop charger from the UK, so I need to convert that to New Zealand plugs, so many charging cables, two power banks. I’m a mess).
Drink bottle

More packing lists

If you’re interested in knowing more about the gear and things I love to take with me on adventures, I have packing lists for outdoorsy trips in New Zealand.