When to go · Queenstown
Queenstown in December
Great month. Inside Queenstown's best window: Dec–Apr for hiking and lake days; Jul–Aug for skiing; Mar–Apr and Oct–Nov for fewer crowds.
Key facts
- Verdict
- Great
- Temperature
- 22°C72°F / 10°C50°F
- average high / low
- Rain days
- 8
- Crowds
- High
- New Zealand overall
- Prices
- High
- New Zealand overall
Verdict
Inside Queenstown's best window: Dec–Apr for hiking and lake days; Jul–Aug for skiing; Mar–Apr and Oct–Nov for fewer crowds.
Weather in December
- QueenstownHighs around 22 °C, lows around 10 °C, rain on about 8 daysHighs around 72 °F, lows around 50 °F, rain on about 8 days
- Southern Alps and lakes, New Zealand · Queenstown, Wānaka, Aoraki/Mount Cook, Tekapobest weather
Hot dry summers, clear cold winters with ski fields Jun–Sep; chains needed on passes; autumn colour in April.
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