Up here in the Bay of Islands we are fortunate to be placed in a subtropical climate, this means we experience much warmer temperatures all year around when compared with most of the the rest of New Zealand. The average temperature in the summer is a sunny 26°C (or 75°F) where as in winter the average is around 17°C during the day – we’ll stick with the sunshine rather than the Queenstown chills any day! These pleasantly warm and dry temperatures have given Northland the kiwi nickname as the ‘Winterless North’ – this is great news as it means you can visit any time of year to pop along for your horse ride!
If you are planning your trip to New Zealand in advance and wondering what the best time of year to visit is weather wise – we’ve compiled a little table for you below of our rides and how they change with the seasons – while we will ride in all weather conditions that are safe to do so we always recommend that you dress for the season (which more often than not means bring lots of sun-cream!)
| Spring | Temperature:
High/Low 19°C/10°C |
Spring is actually one of our guides favorite times of the year for horse riding. Spring in New Zealand runs from September to November with an average temperature of around 19 degrees this makes it the perfect temperature for exploring – and also for watching the wildlife become more active too. As you head through the Waitangi Forest on our Forest and Hillside trek you will notice fresh flower blooms, and with limited to sporadic rainfall it’s quite easy to plan for a ride in the dry. The great thing about joining us in the spring months is that you will beat the summer rush – so lovely weather coupled with smaller group sizes make it the ideal time to pay us a visit. | Best Ride: Forest & Hillside Trek |
| Summer | Temperature:
High/Low 29°C/19°C |
The Bay of Islands Summer often needs to introduction – it’s heavenly. We experience very limited rainfall and high average temperatures frequently over 26 degrees throughout December to the end of February. This is our busiest season and we definitely recommend booking in advance. Summer is the time for swimming – and by far our most recommended for the summer climate is our Ride the Waves experience where you can take the horses for a swim in the Pacific ocean where the waters will be a pleasant 18+ degrees. | Best Ride: Ride the Waves |
| Autumn/Fall | Temperature:
High/Low 23°C/10°C |
Autumn or Fall in the Bay of Islands can be a little mixed but the weather often stays pleasant well into after Easter (or until the end of April). The average temperature in autumn is still a pleasant 22 degrees meaning we can often continue to offer our ride the waves experience through march and if we are lucky into the end of April. The great thing about riding at this time of year is the summer rush is over – so it’s a much more relaxed time of year to visit and enjoy the stunning views of our Bayview Scenic ride as well. | Best Ride: Ride the Waves |
| Winter | Temperature:
High/Low 17°C/8°C |
Being known as the ‘Winterless North’ – winter probably isn’t as bad as you are expecting. The average temperature is still around 15 degrees during the day – the only change can be a little more wind and rain being blown in from the north west coast. Winter is a very peaceful time in the Bay of Islands, and often a great time to relax and recuperate – and our horses enjoy a bit of a holiday rotation too after working hard through the year. Winter is still a great time to visit and we often see a large number of people opting for our one hour Bayview ride – especially during the school holidays or making the most of a long weekend away. | Best Ride: Scenic Bay View Trek |
Once you’ve decided on when you are visiting the next important challenge is trying to figure out what the weather will be like on the day so that you can make the most of your ride. In order to help you with this we’ve created a list of a few of our recommended forecasts that seem to be the most accurate more often than not. It’s worth noting, that our location is alongside the coast, and beside a large hill – so we are often fortunate that the weather will pass by over-head into Paihia and Russell which is great because if it is raining there it probably isn’t raining where we are – if you are unsure you can always give us a call!
Windy: This has to be one our of personal favorite forecasts that we find the the most accurate about the same days weather in the Bay of Islands. The great this about this that it will also give you information about wind speed and tidal flows as well which is great information to have for our ride the waves experience. They only words of caution we would give is that the weather in New Zealand is very changeable, especially in Northland as we are just a small split of land, so try to check the forecast in the morning or give us a call before your horse ride, just because it said rain a few days ago doesn’t mean it will be on the day!
The Weather Network: This is our old reliable guide. A forecast that more often than not seems to have the right idea about the weather so be sure to take a look at this one when you are planning your activities in the Bay of Islands.
We hope you have found our weather guide helpful and now the last step if you haven’t already is to book in your horse riding experience!