What are the seasons and holidays?

Because New Zealand is in the southern hemisphere the seasons are exactly opposite to those in the UK / Europe so our summer is their winter. As in the UK there are 4 distinct seasons but how much these vary will depend on where you are. Snow is rare in some parts of New Zealand such as the Northland of the North Island but elsewhere you can expect seasonal variations similar to the UK/Europe.

The Christmas holidays fall in summer and the children usually break up 1 to 2 weeks before Christmas and return to school the end of January or the first week of February. These weeks are peak season and everywhere is busiest during this period just as they would be during July and August in the UK/Europe.

Two other national holiday days are - Anzac Day (25 April) which was originally a day of remembrance for those Australian and New Zealand Army Corp members who served and fell during the Gallipoli campaign in WWI but now typically commemorates all Australians and Kiwis who have fallen in military campaigns – Waitangi Day (6 February) which commemorates the original signing of the Waitangi Treaty between European settlers and the Maori in 1840. Both these days are fixed.