New Zealand night time temperature Feb - March?

[flanagaj]

I have flights booked to cycle the north and south islands Mid Feb to mid March 2017, but am unsure how cold it can get overnight.  I cycled 1/2 of the Divide last Sept Montana/Wyoming and Colorado and it got very cold at night.  -4 celsius and a heavy frost on a number of occasions in Montana.  As a result I had to pack a very warm sleeping bag, down jacket ... to keep warm until the sun came up.  By mid afternoon it was 30c!

All of this extra gear took up space and I want to avoid taking it if the over night temps will be nowhere as cold.  None of us like carrying gear we don't use.

So if any locals can give me an indication what I can expect in the north / south islands that would be great.

Thanks

[RonK]

I cycled the top end of the South Island in Feb/Mar last year and there were only a couple of mornings when it was cool enough to ride in arm and leg warmers. But on previous tours I've had heavy rain, gales, frigid Antarctic winds, low temps and even snow at times

Bad weather can and does set in at any time of year, so I always tour NZ with gear for three seasons.

And be warned that the NZ sun really burns - even when it's low in the sky. I've had my face sunburned several times despite wearing a cycling cap and a peaked helmet. And I'm dark-skinned and don't burn easily.

I'll post links to my touring journals later.

[flanagaj]

I cycled the top end of the South Island in Feb/Mar last year and there were only a couple of mornings when it was cool enough to ride in arm and leg warmers. But on previous tours I've had heavy rain, gales, frigid Antarctic winds, low temps and even snow at times

Bad weather can and does set in at any time of year, so I always tour NZ with gear for three seasons.

And be warned that the NZ sun really burns - even when it's low in the sky. I've had my face sunburned several times despite wearing a cycling cap and a peaked helmet. And I'm dark-skinned and don't burn easily.

I'll post links to my touring journals later.

Ok.  So I should maybe look at taking the same wet weather and warm weather gear as I did for the TD and accept the weight penalty. 

 - Synthetic down jacket
 - Arm, Leg warmers, gloves and thermal head band
 - Waterproof jacket, trousers and overshoes.
 - Merino wool thermal base layer.

Given I hate the cold at the best of times that should hopefully cover off the extreme weather (within reason).

Please do post links of your journals as I always enjoying reading about other people's cycling exploits.

[RonK]

Yes, that is pretty much what I carry. Maybe you'll need it, maybe you won't. NZ weather is only slightly more predictable than the shakes. You are aware NZ is known as the Shakey Isles?

It's important to realise the west coast of NZ can be a very wet place, much like northern parts of the US west coast. Last year I had to sit out two days of torrential rain at Moana, near Greymouth. Many of the roads I wanted to ride were closed by flooding, land slips and washouts. And visibility was so poor that it was far too dangerous to venture on the road.

As you know I have also bought the TA maps, however next visit I'm planning to ride the route of the Great Southern Brevet. I tackled some of this route on my touring bike during a previous visit (as you will see in my journals), but the gravel roads were difficult with skinny touring tyres and I chickened out riding some of the more rugged sections and some of the bad weather.

I've now built a Fargo and I've managed to organise my gear to fit into bikepacking bags, so I'll revisit the route soon - hopefully in April if I can get away from work commitments.

By then I'll have ridden most of the South Island part of the TA, so I'm planning to tackle the North Island next.

Here are the promised links to my journals. They should give you idea of the delights to come. Hope you find them useful.

Chasing the Long White Cloud
Gone Fishin'
North of South

[RonK]

One other thing I forgot to warn you about - sandflies. NZ has these nasty biting insects which you'll encounter in the forested areas. You need a strong insect repellant which contains DEET to keep them away. There is a brand called Bushmans which is available with 40% DEET. Don't get it on your tent thought - it's reputed to dissolve tent fabrics.

Bites will itch unbearably after a few days and if you scratch them they are likely to become infected sores. Bring an antiseptic cream which contains an anaesthetic. I've been using Paraderm Plus but I'm sure there are similar products.

[flanagaj]

Yes, that is pretty much what I carry. Maybe you'll need it, maybe you won't. NZ weather is only slightly more predictable than the shakes. You are aware NZ is known as the Shakey Isles?

It's important to realise the west coast of NZ can be a very wet place, much like northern parts of the US west coast. Last year I had to sit out two days of torrential rain at Moana, near Greymouth. Many of the roads I wanted to ride were closed by flooding, land slips and washouts. And visibility was so poor that it was far too dangerous to venture on the road.

As you know I have also bought the TA maps, however next visit I'm planning to ride the route of the Great Southern Brevet. I tackled some of this route on my touring bike during a previous visit (as you will see in my journals), but the gravel roads were difficult with skinny touring tyres and I chickened out riding some of the more rugged sections and some of the bad weather.

I've now built a Fargo and I've managed to organise my gear to fit into bikepacking bags, so I'll revisit the route soon - hopefully in April if I can get away from work commitments.

By then I'll have ridden most of the South Island part of the TA, so I'm planning to tackle the North Island next.

Here are the promised links to my journals. They should give you idea of the delights to come. Hope you find them useful.

Chasing the Long White Cloud
Gone Fishin'
North of South

Ok thanks.   That is very useful information.  Will have a good read of the journals later today.

One other thing I forgot to warn you about - sandflies. NZ has these nasty biting insects which you'll encounter in the forested areas. You need a strong insect repellant which contains DEET to keep them away. There is a brand called Bushmans which is available with 40% DEET. Don't get it on your tent thought - it's reputed to dissolve tent fabrics.

Bites will itch unbearably after a few days and if you scratch them they are likely to become infected sores. Bring an antiseptic cream which contains an anaesthetic. I've been using Paraderm Plus but I'm sure there are similar products.

I was trying to forget about the sandflies!  Such a shame as it is the one thing I am dreading about the trip.

[black_labb]

Keep in mind that February - March is the end of summer in NZ. I was on the south island a few years ago for November (Equivalent of May in the northern Hemisphere) and had no issues with day or night temperatures but can't remember details. The tent and sleeping bag used were definitely summer gear and didn't cause any issue. Some raingear is necessary.

[Sparkyga]

Lived on the South Island for awhile and toured around quite a bit.

The heat is more of problem most of the time than the wet cold for most of the country at that time of year. That being said, I had a few cooler, wet days in Feb on the West Coast (5C, monsoon like rains). Also had a few days of just hanging out in a hostel waiting for the rain to end in Westport. I would advise a full kit of of good rain gear and decently warm sleeping bag.

North Island was generally very warm and I don't think I ever got rained on once in the 1.5 months I toured around. I loved the tracks around Taupo, Rotarua and on the Eastern Cape. Christchurch had a loads of good rides in the area too.

If your riding some of trails in NZ, be aware that a large portion of the MTB tracks are very rocky and a rough time if your on a ridged bike