When to go · Dunedin
Dunedin in December
Great month. Inside Dunedin's best window: Nov–Mar (long days, warmest, penguins and albatross breeding).
Key facts
- Verdict
- Great
- Temperature
- 18°C (64°F)64°F (18°C) / 10°C (50°F)50°F (10°C)
- average high / low
- Rain days
- 7
- Crowds
- High
- New Zealand overall
- Prices
- High
- New Zealand overall
Verdict
Inside Dunedin's best window: Nov–Mar (long days, warmest, penguins and albatross breeding).
Is another month better than December?
No other month rates higher than December for Dunedin in this guide.
Weather in December
- DunedinHighs around 18 °C (64 °F), lows around 10 °C (50 °F), rain on about 7 daysHighs around 64 °F (18 °C), lows around 50 °F (10 °C), rain on about 7 days
- Otago coast and far south, New Zealand · Dunedin, the Catlins, Stewart Islandfine
Cool and changeable year-round; short winter days (about 9 hours of light in June).
Festivals and holidays
Dates as our data lists them. Moving holidays (lunar and Islamic calendars, Easter) shift every year: check the date for your year before you build a trip on it.
Christmas and Boxing Day big impact
25–26 Dec · New Zealand
Shops closed on the 25th; start of the six-week summer holiday when locals take the campsites.
Crowds and prices
- Crowds · New Zealand overall
- High
- Prices · New Zealand overall
- High
New Zealand overall: Summer begins; after 20 December locals take the roads and campsites — book everything.
High-price month: see what to book ahead.
Compare two months
Weather, crowds and prices for any two months in Dunedin, side by side.
Verdict
Dec: Great
Jan: Great
Daytime high
Dec: 18 °C (64 °F)64 °F (18 °C)
Jan: 19 °C (66 °F)66 °F (19 °C)
Night low
Dec: 10 °C (50 °F)50 °F (10 °C)
Jan: 12 °C (54 °F)54 °F (12 °C)
Rain days
Dec: 7
Jan: 7
Crowds
Dec: High
Jan: High
Prices
Dec: High
Jan: High
Festivals listed
Dec: 1
Jan: 1
December: Inside Dunedin's best window: Nov–Mar (long days, warmest, penguins and albatross breeding).
January: Inside Dunedin's best window: Nov–Mar (long days, warmest, penguins and albatross breeding).
Dunedin: figures are long-term averages from this guide, not a forecast.
What to pack
- A warm layer for the evenings