Weather question

[rkhtex]

We are doing a land/cruise trip to Australia/New Zealand next year and I'm having a hard time figuring out what kind of weather we're going to run into. We're starting out in Cairns on February 26, then to Ayers Rock on March 1. We board the Celebrity Solstice in Sydney on March 4. We're in Melbourne on March 7, Dunedin NZ on March 11, Akaroa, Wellington, Tauranga, and end in Auckland on March 16. As far as I can tell, with the exception of Ayers Rock (during the day), the weather should be pretty mild. Yes?

[AKAMum]

I live an hour out of Melbourne and the weather here is often very changeable - we're known for having four seasons in one day so if you don't like the weather, just wait a little while...

 

March is autumn (fall) so the first two weeks of March in Melbourne are ideally sunny, dry and warm - the average maximum is 23.9°C (75F). However, the record highest temp for Melbourne in March is 41.7 (107F) and the record lowest daily maximum is 12.7 (54.8F) so what you'll end up with is really anyone's guess.

 

NZ will be similar though cooler the further south you go. Cairns is in the tropics so has a more stable temperature but March is still the wet season so will likely be hotter and more humid.

[Keith1010]

Like most places weather can change day to day or year over year.

 

Always prepare for a range of weather conditions.

 

Keith

[paul929207]

Try one of the online weather services. They have average daily highs and lows.

[MargoK]

I always advocate 'Layers'.

 

Pack so if a cold snap happens you can put on extra layers, and always pack a shower jacket or jacket of some sort. The last two trips I had a lovely warm boiled wool coat the would go over two other layers - did the trick nicely!

[cassamanda]

No. Your land trip in Australia will be warm to hot and very humid in Cairns. Night time at Ayers Rock (Ularu) will be cooler.

Sydney and Melbourne will be warm. NZ will be cooler but mild. Wellington is often foggy and windy - it was this March - and was the only place that we had to layer up.

Remember you are travelling from the Tropics at Cairns to closer to the Antarctic in Southern NZ - Like travelling from Mexico to Canada.

[cruisecountess]

DH and I were in OZ / NZ this past Feb. - March. In mid Feb. Sydney was glorious, but had just come off a long rainy spell. Melbourne, in late Feb., was unbearable, with temps of 100 degrees F. A walking tour we had arranged had to be canceled by the company, Melbourne by Foot, in order to avoid risking people's health and physical safety (I.e., deNydration). Be sure to carry water with you at all times. NZ, on the other hand, was very cool. We needed to wear fleece jackets for Milford Sound. We had a light rain in Wellington and missed Akaroa altogether due to the weather. Hurricane force winds prevented the tenders from operating. We learned the next day that some houses had their roofs blown off. Just be prepared for anything! I've never been good at dressing in layers, but I did take clothes of varying weight, a fleece jacket, and a waterproof hooded rain jacket from REI that could be worn over the fleece jacket for cold AND rainy days. Please know that we had a wonderful trip and loved all that we did and saw. Just roll with the weather changes; no use fretting over what you can't control.

Harriet

[rkhtex]

Thanks everyone! Believe it or not, that info helped a lot.

 

Looking forward to my trip!