What is the best month to cruise to Dunedin?

Otago, New Zealand

Dunedin cruise weather by month

What to expect when your ship is in Dunedin in any month: temperatures, how often it rains, wind, sea temperature and wave heights.

Februarybest month, rated 71 of 100
65°Fwarmest average high (February)
51°Fcoolest average high (July)
25%fewest rain days (June)
39%most rain days (November)

Best time to cruise to Dunedin

The best month for cruise weather in Dunedin is February, rated 71 out of 100 (Good): pleasant temperatures. December and March score nearly as well. The weakest month is October (48, Poor): rough seas and frequent gales.

How the rating works

Each month scores out of 100 from five things: the average high (30 points; 64 to 82°F is full marks), how often it rains (25), how rough the sea gets (15), how warm the water is where swimming matters (10) and storms (20: how often a tropical storm passed within 90 miles since 1980, or how often gales struck in the 20-year record, whichever is worse). A part with no data is left out and the rest scaled up. The weights are a judgment about what makes a stop pleasant, not a measurement. Crowds and fares are not included.

Weather in Dunedin by month

Average highs run from 51°F (10°C) in July to 65°F (18°C) in February. Rain falls on the fewest days in June and the most in November. Sea temperature and wave heights are for the water just off the port.

Typical conditions, 2006–2025 climate record (ECMWF). Rain days are days with at least 1 mm of rain or melted snow. These are averages, not a forecast.
Month	Rating	High / low	Rain days	Wind	Sea temp	Typical seas	Sun
January	62Fair	65 / 51°F18 / 11°C1 in 10 days: 56–73°F	37%	16 mph26 km/h	60°F15°C	4 ft (1.3 m)Moderate; rougher days up to 7 ft	10.8 hrs69% humidity
February	71Good	65 / 51°F18 / 10°C1 in 10 days: 57–74°F	34%	14 mph23 km/h	61°F16°C	4 ft (1.3 m)Moderate; rougher days up to 7 ft	10.1 hrs69% humidity
March	67Fair	63 / 49°F17 / 9°C1 in 10 days: 55–72°F	32%	14 mph23 km/h	60°F15°C	5 ft (1.4 m)Moderate; rougher days up to 7 ft	8.9 hrs70% humidity
April	62Fair	60 / 46°F15 / 8°C1 in 10 days: 53–67°F	31%	14 mph23 km/h	57°F14°C	5 ft (1.5 m)Moderate; rougher days up to 8 ft	7.5 hrs72% humidity
May	57Fair	56 / 42°F13 / 6°C1 in 10 days: 50–63°F	29%	12 mph19 km/h	54°F12°C	5 ft (1.5 m)Moderate; rougher days up to 9 ft	6.3 hrs76% humidity
June	54Poor	51 / 37°F11 / 3°C1 in 10 days: 46–56°F	25%	11 mph19 km/h	52°F11°C	5 ft (1.4 m)Moderate; rougher days up to 9 ft	5.5 hrs78% humidity
July	50Poor	51 / 36°F10 / 2°C1 in 10 days: 46–56°F	29%	12 mph19 km/h	51°F11°C	5 ft (1.5 m)Moderate; rougher days up to 9 ft	5.8 hrs76% humidity
August	64Fair	53 / 37°F12 / 3°C1 in 10 days: 47–59°F	28%	11 mph18 km/h	50°F10°C	5 ft (1.5 m)Moderate; rougher days up to 7 ft	7.3 hrs74% humidity
September	50Poor	56 / 40°F13 / 4°C1 in 10 days: 49–64°F	35%	14 mph23 km/h	51°F10°C	4 ft (1.3 m)Moderate; rougher days up to 8 ft	8.8 hrs67% humidity
October	48Poor	57 / 43°F14 / 6°C1 in 10 days: 49–66°F	37%	16 mph26 km/h	52°F11°C	5 ft (1.6 m)Moderate; rougher days up to 9 ft	10.0 hrs66% humidity
November	54Poor	60 / 46°F15 / 8°C1 in 10 days: 51–69°F	39%	15 mph25 km/h	55°F13°C	4 ft (1.3 m)Moderate; rougher days up to 7 ft	10.9 hrs67% humidity
December	71Good	63 / 50°F17 / 10°C1 in 10 days: 55–72°F	38%	15 mph25 km/h	57°F14°C	4 ft (1.3 m)Moderate; rougher days up to 6 ft	11.0 hrs69% humidity

These are averages for 2006–2025 (20 years) from ECMWF’s ERA5 climate record, adjusted to local detail with a higher-resolution ECMWF analysis and Météo-France waves, then checked against weather-station records from NOAA (GHCN-Daily). There is no suitable station near this port, so the check was between the two model sources. They agree closely here.

Check the forecast for your sailing

Upcoming cruises in Dunedin

11 ships from 9 cruise lines are scheduled here, 21 visits in total. The next 15:

Date	Ship	Stop	Sailing
Wed, Oct 212026	Celebrity EdgeCelebrity Cruises	Calls	11 nights from Sydney (New South Wales, Australia)
Sat, Oct 242026	Celebrity SolsticeCelebrity Cruises	Calls	13 nights from Auckland
Sun, Nov 12026	Celebrity EdgeCelebrity Cruises	Calls	12 nights from Sydney (New South Wales, Australia)
Sun, Nov 82026	Grand PrincessPrincess Cruises	Calls	15 nights from Sydney (New South Wales, Australia)
Fri, Nov 132026	Carnival SplendorCarnival Cruise Line	Calls	10 nights from Sydney (New South Wales, Australia)
Mon, Nov 162026	Anthem of the SeasRoyal Caribbean	Calls	9 nights from Sydney (New South Wales, Australia)
Mon, Nov 232026	Celebrity EdgeCelebrity Cruises	Calls	12 nights from Sydney (New South Wales, Australia)
Tue, Dec 12026	Viking VenusViking	Calls	30 nights from Bali (Benoa)
Fri, Dec 42026	Carnival SplendorCarnival Cruise Line	Calls	10 nights from Sydney (New South Wales, Australia)
Fri, Dec 112026	Viking VenusViking	Calls	14 nights from Auckland
Sat, Dec 122026	Silver MoonSilversea Cruises	Calls	14 nights from Sydney (New South Wales, Australia)
Sun, Dec 132026	Royal PrincessPrincess Cruises	Calls	13 nights from Sydney (New South Wales, Australia)
Wed, Dec 232026	Silver MoonSilversea Cruises	Calls	16 nights from Auckland
Thu, Dec 242026	Azamara PursuitAzamara	Calls	16 nights from Auckland
Fri, Dec 252026	Celebrity EdgeCelebrity Cruises	Calls	12 nights from Sydney (New South Wales, Australia)

Ships that visit Dunedin

Nearby cruise ports

Wave heights are significant wave height. What the numbers mean for a cruise. Sources and method are on the about page.