When to go · Franz Josef
Franz Josef in December
Great month. Inside Franz Josef's best window: Feb–Apr; also Dec–Jan for long days.
Key facts
- Verdict
- Great
- Temperature
- 20°C (68°F)68°F (20°C) / 10°C (50°F)50°F (10°C)
- average high / low
- Rain days
- 15
- Crowds
- High
- New Zealand overall
- Prices
- High
- New Zealand overall
Verdict
Inside Franz Josef's best window: Feb–Apr; also Dec–Jan for long days.
Is another month better than December?
No other month rates higher than December for Franz Josef in this guide.
Weather in December
- Franz JosefHighs around 20 °C (68 °F), lows around 10 °C (50 °F), rain on about 15 daysHighs around 68 °F (20 °C), lows around 50 °F (10 °C), rain on about 15 days
- West Coast and Fiordland, New Zealand · Franz Josef, Fox, Milford Sound, Te Anaufine
Among the wettest places on earth (Milford gets 6–7 m a year): rain makes the waterfalls, but slips close roads; sandflies all summer.
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 Franz Josef, side by side.
Verdict
Dec: Great
Jan: Great
Daytime high
Dec: 20 °C (68 °F)68 °F (20 °C)
Jan: 21 °C (70 °F)70 °F (21 °C)
Night low
Dec: 10 °C (50 °F)50 °F (10 °C)
Jan: 11 °C (52 °F)52 °F (11 °C)
Rain days
Dec: 15
Jan: 14 (better)
Crowds
Dec: High
Jan: High
Prices
Dec: High
Jan: High
Festivals listed
Dec: 1
Jan: 1
December: Inside Franz Josef's best window: Feb–Apr; also Dec–Jan for long days.
January: Inside Franz Josef's best window: Feb–Apr; also Dec–Jan for long days.
Franz Josef: figures are long-term averages from this guide, not a forecast.
What to pack
- A warm layer for the evenings
- A rain jacket or umbrella and shoes that dry fast