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December is the first month of summer and regulars will not promise you one: the range they quote is enormous, the phrase they use is four seasons in a day, and the settled weather is generally held to start at the end of January rather than here. What they do promise about this city is wind, and our column agrees at 28.8 kph as a monthly average - it is the wind, not the temperature, that people remember. Days reach 20.3C but read as 19C for that reason, and nights hold 13.3C. Rain is 82.1mm across 12.4 days, so a proper rain jacket rather than a token one. Book early: from mid-December the country is full. The record: humidity 81 percent, 11.7 hours of sun, a 17.1C sea and AQI 25.

Forum posters consistently describe Nelson as one of the milder, better-weather picks on New Zealand's South Island during July, the country's coldest month overall, alongside nearby Marlborough Sounds. Posters cite typical July conditions of clear blue skies and sunny days with crisp, sometimes frosty mornings, contrasting favorably with the near-constant wet weather that persists year-round on the West Coast and in Fiordland. Posters recommend caution on frosty, slick roads before 10am or after dark given the season's regular overnight freezes. Posters generally rate July as cold but among the more reliably pleasant winter destinations on the South Island for Nelson specifically, good planning around icy mornings the main preparation needed.

Nelson sits at the top of the South Island, which the forum notes regularly records New Zealand's highest sunshine hours — the north of the country takes the rain instead. January averages 23°C with the sea at 22 and remarkably clean air. The warning that comes with all that sun is specific: UV tops 10 and 11 here in January and February, so sunblock is not optional. January is also peak holiday season — school holidays, plus Nelson's own regional anniversary weekend late in the month — and regulars point out that February typically brings longer settled spells with less wind and rain. Even hot days cool off in the evening; bring a layer.