The easiest time to travel in Australia and the Pacific is from February to April: most of its destinations are comfortable to be outside then. Below, the best places for each month, and every country’s own seasons, across 20 countries and 68 destinations.
Month by month
For each month, the best places in Australia and the Pacific for being outside, for sun at the seaside and for walking, read at midday and spread across the region. Each name opens the map there, in the middle of that month, on that rating.
- January — Being outside: Kerikeri, Albany, Batemans Bay. Sun: Yeppoon, Avarua. Walking: Wanaka, Hobart, Albany.
- February — Being outside: Kerikeri, Batemans Bay, Albany. Sun: Yeppoon, Avarua, Newcastle. Walking: Wanaka, Hobart, Port Lincoln.
- March — Being outside: Kerikeri, Batemans Bay, Busselton. Sun: Townsville, Avarua, Caloundra. Walking: Taupo, Hobart, Albany.
- April — Being outside: Sydney, Kerikeri, Mandurah. Sun: Townsville, Avarua. Walking: Napier, Bendigo, Albany.
- May — Being outside: Gold Coast, Townsville, Kerikeri. Sun: Broome, Darwin, Avarua. Walking: Echuca, Albany, Napier.
- June — Being outside: Townsville, Avarua, Nuku‘alofa. Sun: Darwin, Broome, Avarua. Walking: Alice Springs, Gold Coast, Kerikeri.
- July — Being outside: Townsville, Avarua, Nuku‘alofa. Sun: Darwin. Walking: Alice Springs, Gold Coast, Kerikeri.
- August — Being outside: Townsville, Nuku‘alofa, Avarua. Sun: Darwin, Broome. Walking: Port Macquarie, Alice Springs, Kerikeri.
- September — Being outside: Hervey Bay, Nuku‘alofa, Avarua. Sun: Broome, Darwin, Cairns. Walking: Echuca, Mandurah, Kerikeri.
- October — Being outside: Port Macquarie, Avarua, Kerikeri. Sun: Cairns, Broome. Walking: Kerikeri, Busselton, Bendigo.
- November — Being outside: Nelson Bay, Kerikeri, Avarua. Sun: Townsville, Avarua. Walking: Rotorua, Albany, Launceston.
- December — Being outside: Kerikeri, Ulladulla, Busselton. Sun: Townsville, Avarua, Caloundra. Walking: Nelson, Launceston, Albany.
Country by country
Each country’s main season, where most of its cities agree. “Varies by place” means no stretch suits most of the country at once; its own guide splits it up.
| Country | Being outside | Sun | Walking |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Samoa | rarely good | late Jun to early Aug | rarely good |
| Australia | late Feb to Apr | varies by place | late Jul to mid Nov |
| Cook Islands | Jun to mid Nov | Nov to mid Jun | rarely good |
| Federated States of Micronesia | rarely good | varies by place | rarely good |
| Fiji | varies by place | May to Dec | rarely good |
| French Polynesia | rarely good | late Apr to Dec | rarely good |
| Guam | rarely good | mid Oct to mid Jul | rarely good |
| Kiribati | rarely good | rarely good | rarely good |
| Marshall Islands | rarely good | mid Jan to mid Mar | rarely good |
| New Caledonia | May to mid Oct | mid Oct to Jan | mid Aug |
| New Zealand | Nov to early Apr | rarely good | late Feb to early Feb |
| Niue | Jun to Jul | late Sep to early Jan | rarely good |
| Northern Mariana Islands | rarely good | Nov to Jun | rarely good |
| Palau | rarely good | rarely good | rarely good |
| Papua New Guinea | varies by place | late Jul to Aug | rarely good |
| Samoa | rarely good | early Aug | rarely good |
| Solomon Islands | rarely good | rarely good | rarely good |
| Tonga | late Jul to Sep | Mar to Jun | rarely good |
| Tuvalu | rarely good | rarely good | rarely good |
| Vanuatu | varies by place | mid May to Oct | rarely good |
The best-known places
The most-visited places with a guide of their own, and each one’s main season. Each season opens the map at its peak.
Rankings for Australia and the Pacific
How this is worked out
Every figure is a decade of weather-station observations blended into one typical year, read at midday local solar time. Places are the region’s towns and cities that draw visitors, and for sun its seaside holiday places. Being outside is the Easy outdoors rating, Sun is Sunbathing and Walking is Active outdoors; a place is named for a month when it rates Good or better across the whole month.