April weather South N.Z sounds and Dunedin

[Sallyandtex]

Hi,

Just wondering about how cold the weather will be in April Southern end of NZ and chances of missing out on the Sounds (Doubtful and Dusky.

Booking a cruise for elderly parents with a balcony and its seems this date is the only to suit.

Should i talk them into waiting until December/January?

I have been twice in Summer and only managed to get into the Sounds once and Dunedin was very chilly even then.

Also, we were looking at HAL would there be another cruiseline suitable I haven't considered (they don't want a big ship eg Ovation, and Radiance very limited with ports for they dates that suit)

[Chiliburn]

We were there Christmas 2017and then again two weeks ago ,both times it was freezing but sunny.The host they bought on board said we were lucky with the weather. I would hate to see bad weather.

April ,it starts to sour and can get rough.

[SeaDog-46]

There is no way anyone can predict the weather at the edge of the worst sea area in the world.

The Southern Ocean is totally unpredictable.  During my 44 years in the merchant navy I traversed it many times.

Southern Indian Ocean - 36 feet swells with no wind.  Across the southern Pacific Ocean Australia & around Cape Horn in June [winter] & the weather was moderate at worst. 

Even in bad weather Milford Sound is beautiful with multiple waterfalls.  Did it on Noordam in October 2017 & it was still great, although Milford was wet, later that day the sun came out while in Doubtful & Dusky Sounds.  See later same day picture passing Maasdam in Souther Ocean off NZ.

[SinbadThePorter]

30 minutes ago, Sallyandtex said:

Hi,

Just wondering about how cold the weather will be in April Southern end of NZ and chances of missing out on the Sounds (Doubtful and Dusky.

 

You would need a meteorologist to determine the relative probabilities of good weather and calm seas in April as opposed to any other time of the year. Probably the chances are very high that it will be cold and rough.

 

With southern NZ you really need as much summer as you can get. I would prefer January/February.

[Chiliburn]

At the captains seminar,someone asked what is the most challenging part of his career.

He said NZ is up there because of the weather.

At times he has to cancel ports and at times even change the direction around NZ.As he said it can be a mammoth job canceling and booking ports,shore tours,provisions.

[NSWP]

Having been on ye olde Regal Princess in September 2007, after leaving Dunedin, we got hit by a Force 12 gale with 12 metre seas off the 'Bluff' southern tip of south island.  Captain Andrew Froude said they were the worst seas he had been in, during his 30 years at sea.  I tend to agree, it was scary.   Yes the seas can play up in that area anytime.

Edited February 3, 2019 by NSWP

[Sallyandtex]

Ok not looking good for April, will say summer a must but even then could be rough, rainy and windy 😅

[portcbob]

We missed dunedin and the sounds last January in january/February so I really think it is a lottery if you make it there. It's a 50/50 shot.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Yes, it really is a lottery. Sometimes April can be gorgeous in NZ although it will be getting colder down south. And there is no way to predict what the weather will be like several months in advance. 

 

Regardless of what time of year you go there it always pays to pack layers, a good rain jacket, and a warm hat, gloves and scarf for the scenic cruising.

[Suzi66]

I've been through the Sounds on the Solstice 3 times now, mid Feb 2016, late Mar 2017 and then 10 Jan 2019.  We were lucky and were able to get in all 3 times.  In March when we got into Akaroa we were told that the ship that was supposed to go through the day before us didn't get in, nor were they able to dock in Dunedin and we had beautiful weather for both those stops.  
This January while Australia was sweltering in sub 40C weather, Southern NZ got to highs of about 17 max.  Akaroa was 15 when we visited, Wellington and Tauranga not much higher however but we did have a nice day in Picton.  I think Dunedin and Picton were our two warmest days in NZ until we got to Auckland that when we got to the low 20's.

[PurpleTraveller]

I have cruised twice to New Zealand. The first time was the first two weeks in March and we had beautiful warm and sunny days until we got to Dunedin where we were unable to get into port due to the winds. The weather turned so bad that we had to turn around and sail back up the east coast of the south island and then through the Cook Strait to cross the Tasman. We missed the Sounds and had very rough seas for four days. The second time was November 24 to December 6, 2018 and we had mild and partly cloudy days but missed the Sounds again due to a bad cold front coming over the Tasman, so had to sail north as quickly as we could to miss the expected ten metre swells. We met people on that cruise who were missing the Sounds for the third time and others who had been there many times. It can be a bit like pot luck as to whether you get into the Sounds. If I sail to New Zealand again I will try in mid December or February to avoid the school holidays and hopefully have good weather and get to the Sounds.  

 

Edited February 3, 2019 by PurpleTraveller

[erewhon]

As someone that lives in the south we know all 4 seasons can occur in 1 day. However this year so far only 1 ship has missed Dunedin and that was due to bad weather elsewhere. Having sailed extensively I know it is possible to miss ports anywhere in the world.

[NSWP]

2 hours ago, erewhon said:

As someone that lives in the south we know all 4 seasons can occur in 1 day. However this year so far only 1 ship has missed Dunedin and that was due to bad weather elsewhere. Having sailed extensively I know it is possible to miss ports anywhere in the world.

Yes, if you are going to do the NZ cruises, just do it, the weather is part of the adventure.

[portcbob]

I am now convinced that it really doesn't matter when you cruise to this destination, it's going to be touch and go if you visit the sounds. Comes down to luck on the day 

[phoenixx]

I live in NZ and I'm doing the Majestic Princess around NZ leaving Auckland 2nd March. I wouldn't do this Cruise any later in the season. Our Summer has been very late this year and it's only the last couple of weeks that we've been getting the really hot weather so fingers crossed for good March weather. The last few years our Summer has been arriving later and later.

Edited February 6, 2019 by phoenixx

[Sallyandtex]

3 hours ago, phoenixx said:

I live in NZ and I'm doing the Majestic Princess around NZ leaving Auckland 2nd March. I wouldn't do this Cruise any later in the season. Our Summer has been very late this year and it's only the last couple of weeks that we've been getting the really hot weather so fingers crossed for good March weather. The last few years our Summer has been arriving later and later.

Thanks Pheonix. Yes we have noticed the cyclone season later too.