What to wear in New Zealand: Packing for every season
Here’s what to pack for New Zealand, if you want to blend in with the locals.
I am most often seen in a Patagonia fleece and some kind of yoga leggings.
If there’s one piece of advice I can give you for packing for your New Zealand trip, it’s this: Wear layers.
Layers are the key to staying warm, cooling off, or fending off the wind, rain, sun or whatever else New Zealand decides to throw at you.
We have a saying in Auckland — if you don’t like the weather, just wait an hour.
New Zealand is famous for having four seasons in a day, so it helps to be prepared.
Beyond that, my second best advice is to pack whatever you find most comfortable. We’re a casual nation and I am most often in hiking or outdoor clothes.
I’ve put together this rundown of what to wear in New Zealand during different times of the year, so you can get a better idea of what to pack.
I’ve also shared thoughts on New Zealand’s clothing style, so you know what to pack for your New Zealand trip to blend in with the locals.
A heads up that this article includes affiliate links, which means I may make a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on those links (at no extra cost to you!). Thanks for your support.
Quick tips for your New Zealand packing list
Places like Milford Sound are cold even in summer -- a puffer jacket comes in handy all year round.
Casual, comfortable clothes are the typical attire in New Zealand. Choose practical outfits and don’t worry about looking fancy.
New Zealand weather changes often, so packing layers is key.
Sun protection is essential, so make sure you have a hat, sunglasses, long-sleeved shirt and sunscreen.
You can drink tap water everywhere in New Zealand, so make sure you pack a reusable drink bottle. Before I lost it, I loved my Dopper drink bottle!
Suggested New Zealand packing list
This packing list is based off what I typically take with me and wear on trips around New Zealand. I’m pretty outdoorsy, so a lot of what I wear is hiking gear (anyone else a Patagonia fiend?), and I don’t care that much about looking fancy in photos.
If you want to know what people typically wear in New Zealand, I’ve gone into more detail below — feel free to skip ahead.
Clothes
A couple of t shirts — try and choose shirts with high necks (no V necks) and longer sleeves, for sun coverage. I avoid tank tops because the sun is strong here and I burn easily, but that’s a personal preference.
One pair of jeans.
A nice top you can wear with your jeans. Even nice restaurants in Auckland are fine with jeans and a nice top.
One pair of denim shorts.
One pair of bike shorts. I love my Lululemon align shorts — they are comfy for hiking in, plus are cute enough to wear around town, or sleep in if you need to.
Long sleeved merino top. Having a good base layer is essential for hiking, and a long-sleeved merino can be just right for cooler evenings in the lower South Island, or up a mountain. I have a top like this one and wear it all the time.
Yoga leggings or trackpants.
A light rainjacket. Rain isn’t as common in the North Island in summer, but there’s a good chance you’ll get wet weather in the South. You can also use it as a windproof layer for extra warmth on windy days or on higher altitude hikes. I love my Rab Kinetic 2.0 because it’s so lightweight.
Sun hat. Bucket hats are very on trend in New Zealand.
A cosy fleece. You’ll want one jumper that is nice and snuggly, whether that is a good quality wool jumper or a fleece. I have a Patagonia fleece that I wear almost constantly when van lifing around New Zealand and having something soft and reliably warm is a lifesaver when you need some comfort.
Swimwear. I have a long-sleeved rash shirt as well as a one piece swimsuit, so I can stay in the water for longer without worrying about burning.
Underwear — however much you’re comfortable taking. I usually pack around five pairs and wash them in the basin with a bar of Ethique’s solid laundry detergent.
A really good jacket. Puffer jackets are great for insulation. You’ll want something really warm - I love my Mons Royale merino puffer jacket.
Swimwear (for swimming in summer and hot pools in winter)
Denim shorts and a yoga top, Purakaunui Bay in March 2024
Gear
A day pack for hikes. I use a Herschel backpack (19.5L) that I have had for years, and it’s fine for shorter hikes, but I have an eye on upgrading to the Osprey Talon 22L. Ultimately you don’t need anything fancy, just something big enough for an outer layer, water, snacks, navigation, and so on.
If you plan on travelling in a campervan, I highly recommend squishy packing cubes. These make fitting your things into tight spaces a lot easier.
A travel or beach towel. I use a Turkish cotton towel instead of a microfibre towel, as I like it better for the beach and love the soft cotton. It still dries really fast, and as an added bonus the pattern is cute. I have friends who swear by Tesalate towels though, so they can also be worth checking out.
Zinc sunscreen. You will need a lot of sun protection in New Zealand - we don’t have a lot of ozone, but we do have wildly high rates of skin cancer. Lather up with an ocean friendly zinc sunscreen - I love My Sunshine.
Insect repellent. We are plagued by mosquitoes and sandflies, so come prepared.
Tech
An adaptor. New Zealand uses Type 1 plugs, so make sure you have something to adapt all your tech.
A powerbank. If you’re going on longer hikes or just into remote areas, I recommend a powerbank. Mine saved me many times over when I was living in my van and camping in random places.
Footwear
New Zealanders are notorious for going around barefoot, but even we need to wear shoes occasionally. National favourites are gumboots - just kidding. You won’t need these unless you visit a farm.
You need to pack some jandals. They are a quintessential wardrobe item in New Zealand. You might call them flip flops or thongs, we call them jandals and we wear them all year round, sometimes with socks. You are not obliged to do the same. They are very necessary for the beach, although I have to confess - in the past two years I have betrayed my culture and wear Birkenstocks instead.
Casual shoes for around town. Think Converse or Vejas, just your standard white shoe. You’ll be able to wear these into bars and restaurants no problem.
Decent hiking boots. I can’t stress this enough if you plan on going hiking. I wore sneakers the first time I did the Abel Tasman Coast Track and lost two toenails. After investing in good boots, my feet have been very happy and hiking over rough terrain has been easier. I have a pair of Grisport boots, but any good brand will do.
And for winter:
Extra layers. Another long sleeved merino will come in handy when you need to layer up against the cold.
At least one more warm jumper.
Trackpants. I have a pair of merino Mons Royale trackpants and they are excellent for overnight hikes, and they still look sleek enough to wear around town. I also have Lululemon align trackpants that I love wearing when I travel.
A beanie.
Gloves.
A scarf.
Thick wool socks. These are great for hiking and also for keeping your feet warm on cold New Zealand evenings — if you’re visiting in winter you might find insulation isn’t one of our strong points. If you need to top up your sock supply, I highly recommend Merino Frank’s socks, including the possum fur ones! You can buy them in Queenstown and Glenorchy. They are super soft and warm.
What type of clothing do people wear in New Zealand?
Comfy yoga pants and a woollen jumper are essentials
New Zealand men often wear shorts, even in winter
As a general guideline, sporty or outdoorsy clothes are good to wear in New Zealand.
New Zealand’s dress culture is distinctly no fuss — we’re the country which has brought practical brands like Icebreaker and Allbirds to the world. We’re also a country with farming roots, so New Zealand attire is generally practical, comfortable clothing that’s good for all seasons.
The way New Zealand people dress reflects our overall lifestyle — casual and laid back. With our passion for outdoor pursuits, hiking gear and athleisure is rarely out of place (I pretty much live in Lululemon trackpants or leggings, and a Patagonia fleece).
We love outdoor gear brands. You’ll see a lot of Kathmandu jackets while in the centre of Auckland city, and Macpac, North Face and Patagonia are generally considered the height of fashion.
Where I come from — a dairy farm on the Coromandel Peninsula — you’re likely to see people wearing iconic clothes like Swandris and gumboots.
We rarely dress up, unless you work in an office or are heading out for a fancy lunch on Ponsonby Road in Auckland.
This is great news for visitors, as you can keep your packing list to a minimum, with lots of practical, multi-functional clothing. You can wear the same clothes on a hike, and out to dinner.
I spent all of March and most of April 2024 road tripping around both the North and South Islands, and the clothing items I wore the most were comfy yoga pants, a cosy fleece, a long-sleeved merino t-shirt, and my Birkenstocks.
I had one pair of jeans and a couple of nice(ish) tops, which came out when I went to dinner in places like Christchurch, Queenstown, and Wellington.
Here are some common clothing items in New Zealand:
‘Stubbies’ are men’s shorts. They’re basically short rugby shorts, and they are beloved by menfolk across both islands. Men wear stubbies in both summer and winter.
Outside of larger cities, you’ll see people heading to the pub in stubbies and gumboots, which are our version of wellington boots.
Jandals (slang for flip flops or thongs) are another popular clothing item that are classed as dressed up when compared to the norm of bare feet.
Black puffer jackets from either Kathmandu or Macpac (two outdoor adventure clothing stores that started in New Zealand) are typical on colder days.
My best advice — pack for comfort. You’re unlikely to wear heels, and other than Auckland and Wellington, you probably won’t need smart dresses or shirts.
One smart casual outfit will be enough for a trip of around two weeks.
Smart casual in New Zealand can mean jeans and a collared shirt or t-shirt for men, and a dress or jeans and a nice top for women.
You can go to restaurants in jeans (or whatever you want, really — very rarely will anyone police you).
This goes for pretty much everywhere, so don’t worry if you want to go out for a fine dining meal in Queenstown and you don’t have formal attire with you.
I regularly walk around central Auckland in yoga pants and Birkenstocks. You can also wear track pants in public and no one will look at you strangely (I promise).
I had a friend who moved from London to Auckland and she couldn’t believe how casual the dress standard is.
Here’s a video my colleagues at Tourism New Zealand made back when I was still working there, poking fun at the different clothing style in New Zealand cities:
What to wear in New Zealand in summer
Summer in New Zealand isn’t usually wildly hot. Temperatures can hit around 30°C (86°F), but as we have a largely coastal temperate climate, cool sea breezes means summer isn’t sweltering.
With this in mind, in summer — usually from December to early April — I find I’m comfortable during the day in shorts and a t-shirt.
However, even in the North Island, summer evenings can be cool. You’ll want at least one warm jumper or jacket, and one pair of jeans/trousers to keep you warm in the evening.
Wear layers that you can easily take off and put on again, like a denim jacket or a large shirt.
Casual sandals like Tevas or Birkenstocks are perfect for travelling around New Zealand. In summer you’ll probably be exploring beach destinations, so it’s handy to be able to kick these off at a moments notice.
If you plan on hiking, though, bring good boots — and make sure they’re clean otherwise biosecurity officers will clean them for you as you come across the border.
Even on hot days, I try to avoid wearing tank tops or just swimwear, as the sun is ferocious. It’s very easy to burn in New Zealand, so cover up from the sun and make sure you wear a hat and sunscreen, especially on long sight seeing days.
A light, long-sleeved linen or cotton shirt is a good idea for keeping the sun at bay.
So is a raincoat — you never know when it’s going to rain in New Zealand.
It’s especially important to have warm and wet weather gear if you plan on hiking to higher altitudes, as our mountains can be cold at the top and have changeable weather, even in summer.
What to wear in New Zealand in winter
What I wear hiking the Heaphy Track in winter
Winter in New Zealand technically lasts from June to August, but May and September can be cold months as well.
The North Island tends to be a little warmer than the South Island, but has higher rainfall. The South Island has more dry days, with lower temperatures overall.
My advice for packing for New Zealand in winter is to choose layers.
Base layers with merino are awesome. They are multi-functional, working well to keep you warm on hikes, and you can wear them under your regular clothes for warmth while travelling as well.
If you don’t have any, you can always shop for merino base layers when you arrive in New Zealand. They make a great souvenir as well as a practical clothing item.
You’ll find outdoor stores in most towns in New Zealand — I like Macpac and Mons Royale for merino clothing.
You can also find merino base layers in many second hand shops (op shops) in New Zealand.
A warm fleece is also gold — I have a luscious fluffy one from Patagonia that I bought from an outdoor store in Wellington before catching the car ferry to the South Island. It was a panic purchase, but it became my favourite thing to wear as I travelled around the South Island in April.
You’ll need a waterproof layer, especially if you’re spending time in the North Island.
In the South Island, you will probably want a thicker down jacket or parka to keep you insulated while you’re outside. I use a merino filled ‘down’ jacket from Mons Royale and it keeps me warm in the South Island — Mons is a brand from Wanaka, so they know all about stay warm in cold weather.
If you’re visiting in winter, you’ll need all of the above plus a few extras. In the North Island, winter isn’t too cold so as long as you have layers and a good rain jacket, you won’t need that much more stuff.
In the South Island, you’ll need to be prepared for much colder temperatures.
What you don't need to pack for New Zealand
Obviously this depends on whether you have favourite items you want to bring with you, but you can leave a lot of toiletries behind.
You can buy most familiar brands at any supermarket in New Zealand, and you can get higher end things from Mecca, Farmers, or pharmacies.
I typically buy body wash, shampoo and conditioner in places when I arrive to save space. Alternatively, I pack solid shampoo bars — but I admit I am low maintenance on this front.
You can also buy basic medications like thrush cream, antihistamines, and basic first aid at pharmacies. Painkillers, like paracetamol and ibuprofen, are available in supermarkets.
I always pack a small supply, but you don’t need to go too overboard — you will be able to find a pharmacy in most town centres.
Thanks for reading this far! I hope this came in handy for planning your New Zealand travels.
Here’s a pic from a walk on the West Coast of the South Island — make sure you remember your swimwear so you can jump into rivers like this one.
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