The main activity for April is leaf peeping. For autumn colors, you can head to the South Island where Arrowtown is considered to be the mecca for leaf peeping.

Do keep in mind, though, that because this is not a secret, you can expect the small town of Arrowtown to be very busy during autumn.

And if you are into festivals, you may want to consider attending the Arrowtown Autumn Festival.

However, Arrowtown is not the only place where you can see autumn colors. There are many other places to see fall foliage on the South Island, so you can avoid the crowds if you want to.

Because the temperatures are not as high as they are in summer and the sun not as strong, I consider April to be one of the best months to go for a hike, although I must warn you that you should keep an eye on the weather forecast to avoid getting stuck on a mountain or in a predicament that could cost you your life, since the weather can be so changeable during this time of the year.

Places to visit in April in New Zealand

The main places for autumn colors include Arrowtown, Wanaka, Alexandra, and Christchurch.

Other than the places to see fall foliage, you can go anywhere in April in New Zealand.

The only thing to keep in mind when going anywhere in April, is the weather. So plan for both good weather and bad weather days.

When the weather is good, you can pick a trail to walk either on the North Island or the South Island.

A good example is the hike up Mount Maunganui in Tauranga or the coastal track that starts at Ohope Beach near Whakatane on the North Island.

On the South Island, the strenuous hike up Mount Roy or Diamond Lake in Wanaka would be a good one to do in April, since the sun would not be as harsh as it is in summer and the temperatures are much cooler.

When the weather is bad, you can go for either a waterfall or a forest walk. Good waterfalls can be found in the Catlins on the South Island of New Zealand. You can also visit historic places or museums when rain is falling.

New Zealand weather in April

New Zealand’s weather in April is extremely unpredictable. While large amounts of snow are unlikely to fall, it does occasionally fall on the mountain tops.

However, with global weather patterns changing these days, crazy things tend to happen. For example, in 2015, New Zealand got it first large dumping of snow on April 13, which was very unusual.

The main regions affected were Southland, Central Otago, and Dunedin.

The snow reached as far North as Christchurch. Central Otago is included in the best places in New Zealand to visit to see snow, so I always make sure to drive down there and visit Hawdun Range when I visit the South Island in April.

Clear and cold nights are generally expected, especially on the South Island of New Zealand. The temperatures are on average in the mid to high teens (degrees Celsius), but this depends on where exactly in New Zealand you are holidaying. You can expect the South Island to always feel a bit chillier than the North Island at night in this regard.

The temperature extremities for the whole of New Zealand in April are -1 degree Celsius (30 degrees Fahrenheit) and 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit).

The lower extremity can be reached by places like Christchurch and Queenstown on the South Island of New Zealand at night. And the higher extremity is generally reached by places on the North Island like Napier on the East Coast.

However, places like Christchurch can still get very warm daytime temperatures despite its low nightime temperatures. And it is unlikely you will get freezing nighttime temperatures anywhere on the North Island during April.

The temperature generally remains above 5 degrees Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit).

As far as rain goes, you can expect more rain to fall in April than in March – with a few exceptions such as Queenstown and Wellington – and less rain to fall in April than in May.

The weather can be sunny and brilliant in April, but it can also be rainy with flooding possible. Needless to say, when visiting New Zealand in April, carry a variety of clothes for cold, warm, and wet weather. This includes fleece, long-sleeve shirts, T-shirts, and a rain jacket. Think about layering your clothes so that you can easily add or remove clothes as it gets colder or warmer.

The amount of daylight hours continues to decrease in April coming out of March.

In April, the sun rises between 7:35 a.m. and 8:01 a.m. at the beginning of April, and between 7:05 a.m. and 7:35 at the end of April. The sun sets between 7:15 p.m. and 7:35 p.m. at the beginning of April, and between 5:30 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. at the end of April.

So you have almost 11.5 to 12 hours of daylight at the beginning of April, which diminishes to a little more than 10 hours towards the end of April.

The times mentioned above are for Wellington and Queenstown and may vary depending on your location in New Zealand.

Photos of autumn in New Zealand in a video

This video is a collection of images that were taken in April. The photos should give you a good idea of what April is like in New Zealand in terms of the weather but also what you will be able to see.