Seasons
New Zealand benefits from having opposite seasons to the Northern Hemisphere, which is ideal for production timelines. Our winter season runs from June - August, and our summer is December - February. The South Island is a popular location for shooting snow during the Northern Hemisphere summer, with our local crews highly experienced with filming in alpine conditions.
Climate
The South Island of New Zealand enjoys a largely temperate climate with moderate rainfall and sunlight hours. However, the inland alpine areas of the region experience colder winters, sometimes dropping as low as -10º. Like many countries, weather conditions are never guaranteed, so it's always best to be prepared for a variety of weather circumstances when filming in the region.
Below is a table indicating the average maximum and minimum temperatures and rainfall in Queenstown for each season. Note: this is indicative of Queenstown only.
Spring | Summer | Autumn | Winter | |
Temp (C) | 16º / 5º | 22º / 10º | 16º / 6º | 10º / 1º |
Temp (F) | 61º / 41º | 72º / 50º | 61º / 43º | 50º / 34º |
Rain days | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
(Table courtesy of www.tourism.org.nz)