When to go · Milford Sound
Milford Sound in December
Great month. Inside Milford Sound's best window: Nov–Apr (long days, road open); rain year-round.
Key facts
- Verdict
- Great
- Temperature
- 19°C65°F / 10°C49°F
- average high / low
- Rain days
- 18
- Crowds
- High
- New Zealand overall
- Prices
- High
- New Zealand overall
Verdict
Inside Milford Sound's best window: Nov–Apr (long days, road open); rain year-round.
Weather in December
- Milford SoundHighs around 18.5 °C, lows around 9.7 °C, rain on about 18 daysHighs around 65 °F, lows around 49 °F, rain on about 18 days
- West Coast and Fiordland, New Zealand · Franz Josef, Fox, Milford Sound, Te Anaufine
Among the wettest places on earth (Milford gets 6–7 m a year): rain makes the waterfalls, but slips close roads; sandflies all summer.
Festivals and holidays
Dates as our data lists them. Moving holidays (lunar and Islamic calendars, Easter) shift every year: check the date for your year before you build a trip on it.
Christmas and Boxing Day big impact
25–26 Dec · New Zealand
Shops closed on the 25th; start of the six-week summer holiday when locals take the campsites.
Crowds and prices
- Crowds · New Zealand overall
- High
- Prices · New Zealand overall
- High
New Zealand overall: Summer begins; after 20 December locals take the roads and campsites — book everything.
High-price month: see what to book ahead.
What to pack
- A warm layer for the evenings
- A rain jacket or umbrella and shoes that dry fast