Best time to visit Invincible Snowfields

The climate in Invincible Snowfields through the year

When to go

No month in Invincible Snowfields reaches a good score (65 or more) with the default preferences. February comes closest with 57 out of 100. A typical February day reaches 16°C and the night falls to 4°C, with rain on about 10 days and clear sky 43 % of the time. January is a fair alternative, with scores of 51. The lowest score is in October (24), when days are cool at around 7°C.

Seasons and rain

The seasons are sharply different: a January day (16°C) is about 15 degrees warmer than a July day (1°C). Nights typically drop below freezing in April–October. Precipitation is spread evenly over the year, from 134 mm in February to 222 mm in October (about 2,160 mm in all). Snow typically lies on the ground in June–November, deepest in August (about 60 cm).

Sea and daylight

The sea stays cool all year: it peaks at 16°C in February and falls to 12°C in August. Daylight lasts from about 9 hours in June to 15.5 hours in December. Invincible Snowfields lies about 1,500 m above sea level, which makes it roughly 10 degrees cooler than the lowlands around it.

By type of trip

The best months change with what you want to do. Each of Eddigo’s trip types has its own preferred daytime temperature and its own weights for rain, humidity and sun. Invincible Snowfields scores 65 or more in these months:

• City break (15–25 °C): January–March, up to 77
• Hiking (10–22 °C): February and March, up to 71
• Cooler weather (10–20 °C): October–April, up to 88
• Skiing: snow cover and cold enough in July and August

How it compares

Of the 37 destinations Eddigo covers in New Zealand, Invincible Snowfields is the 2nd coolest over the year and the 4th wettest. It has 0 months with a good score, against 2 for a typical destination in the country. In February, when Invincible Snowfields scores 57, Treble Cone (26 km away) scores 77 and Cardrona Alpine Resort (34 km away) scores 68. In October, when Invincible Snowfields is at its lowest, Christchurch scores 64 and lies 350 km away. See where to go in February for the best destinations that month.