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Hi everyone, could you share how the winter conditions vary across Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch? Temperatures, difficulty of driving, availability of insulated homes, and anything winter-important. I come from a warm and sunny country all year round and it's difficult for me to imagine how winter is like and how to prepare for it.
I believe Winter is from June to August?
Thank you!
I suggest that for the weather, you should look at this website https://www.wunderground.com/weather/nz/auckland - I've called up the details for Auckland at the moment, but you can do searches on other places in NZ as you wish. Follow up all the tabs, and you'll find a place where you can see the details of what the weather has been like every day throughout the year, e.g. temperature, rainfall, wind strength, etc.. This is probably better to help you understand what to expect than to hear people say, 'Oh, it's cold,' or, 'It's quite warm,' which is only each person's opinion, which will be different depending on the usual conditions where they have been used to living.
As I just arrived here in Christchurch and I had been here once in late autumn and once in late winter, and considering I'm from Thailand which might have similar weather as where you're from (I read in the other thread that you're from Singapore). I can say that even in summer, if there is no sunlight it will be very cold as the weather normally goes 20-25c (winter in my country is around 25c midday and 15c in ther morning, usually 10 days in a year to have that "cold"). But under the sun it feels similar as summer in my country (35+c, even the true temp is just 25c).
Last year I went here in late winter. Luckily missed the coldest day but the weather still cold. I wore a light down jacket while I walked outside. There also 2-3 days that I had to wear long johns under my jeans to be able to walk outside. The rest of the days I was fine with a jacket and jeans. The latter days were starting of spring so not very cold.
I cannot remember much on the autumn visit back in 2015 as it was just 2-3 days and I had to go directly from my hotel to office with few chances to go outside. Only thing I remember is it was very cold and I wore lot of cold protection since it was a first time I traveled to a colder country.
If you can wait until winter, I'll update you again how I feel the winter this year. Or come see it yourself. :wink:
Winter in the north island is okay - I am from south America
We have cold and sunny days in Auckland during winter. Last winter was very nice! not too cold...
We don't take any extra caution while driving in winter, we don't have snow...
And the newer the property you rent, the less cold your house will be
Hi JandM, GeneralAK and YessicaCBO, thank you very much for your replies. Your information has been very helpful to me. I appreciate it :)
Winter in Auckland is pretty mild. Can get some clear cold days but not that cold. 5°C is the coldest I've experienced in Auckland. Can't recommend Wellington winter, I've done it, it's utterly awful. Windy, rainy, you can barely leave the house a alot of the time.
Thanks MagicPizza for sharing your experience. It is very helpful!
Not too different from Cape Town winters though (where we moved from). We're in Upper Hutt and don't have much complaints.Quote:
Originally Posted by MagicPizza
Thanks Kelerei for your contribution to this thread :)
Having lived in Christchurch and Wellington I would say that Christchurch is more bearable. It's probably very slightly colder than Wellington on average, but it's more consistent - Wellington is all over the place weather-wise.
Thank you Karoro. I am liking what I am hearing about Christchurch and it has just gone up my list :)Quote:
Originally Posted by karoro
Seven Auckland winters from Vancouver Canada. Frost on the car windscreen maybe 3 or 4 times across those years. Often down to around 5C in winter, but it's a damp cold and very chilling.
Seven... My goodness, how time flies!
Gosh! If Auckland is already like this, I cannot imagine Christchurch or any place in the South!Quote:
Originally Posted by jawnbc
The difference might just be in the 'feel' of the cold- Auckland has a lot more humidity than places in the South like Central Otago, or the Marlborough/ Tasman area. So it might be colder from a pure number, but feels less chilly still.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jsquare
That's a good point, newarrival :)
That's right. And you learn to dress, and live, for the cold/damp and how you're feeling it. People use several, thinner, layers of clothing, so they can put them on and off in response to the surrounding conditions - the sun in or out, the room you're in having been heated or not, etc.. And here is an old post from me about sleeping in an unheated house. https://www.enz.org/forum/showthread...674#post429674 And posts 42 and 44 here about taking baths. https://www.enz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=26195&page=5Quote:
Originally Posted by newarrival
But of course, best of all, have a house WITH insulation. Those hints just show that there are ways of managing.
Hi JandM, thank you for your advice. Any idea what is the price range to expect for renting a house with good insulation?Quote:
Originally Posted by JandM
And if we are unsure of how to check a house for insulation, can we trust the landlord for what he/she claims? Or is there someone we should hire to do an independent check for us?
I'll let someone who is in NZ right now answer this. We never got there to live, as INZ changed the requirements so we would never have matched them.
The price range will vary widely due to where you are looking for a place, so probably the best idea would be to have a look at Trademe real estate, search for rentals and the amount of bedrooms you're looking for, that should give you an indication. The newer the house/ apartment (in the case of Auckland or Wellington there might be apartments, depending on the location), the greater the chance of it being insulated.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jsquare
Thank you newarrival. Will take a look at Trademe. Appreciate your advice :)Quote:
Originally Posted by newarrival
Oh I am sorry. I assumed you are in NZ being the Administrator and all. Thanks for your time to stay in this forum to help despite not being in NZ :)Quote:
Originally Posted by JandM
The winters sound perfect to me; the lows of -35C every winter where I live are getting harder to handle as I get older.
I came to Christchurch last January from a tropical country. The first day I arrived I had to put on a jacket as it was 22c which is considered a winter in my country. I had to sleep with a heater turned on until around September even I live in a double glazed house. Fell unsure if I's able to live in the cold country like this. But thing changed since then, after passed one winter I feel myself a bit tougher. I went to beaches in spring which was around 15c and even got into the water every weekend last summer. I no longer wear jacket in summer and fell burning hot on some days. I also have never turned the heater on since last September even it's going into a winter next week. I know it might be another story if I moved to Canada but, in other hand, I'm surprised by the way human adapts to the climate in merely a year :laugh.