The best islands in April
22 of our 26 island guides rate good or better in April, eight of them excellent. The highest scores go to Oʻahu (94), Maui (90) and Moʻorea (87).
No island is at its best in April; Oʻahu comes closest, 5 points below its peak. The tropical islands average 76, ahead of New Zealand’s islands at 64.
April at a glance
- Sea temperature
- Warmest off 10 islands, among them Moʻorea, Tahiti and Bora Bora, 29 °C. Coolest off Rakiura, 13 °C.
- Rain
- Driest: Oʻahu, 20 mm in the month. Wettest: Efate, 265 mm.
- Cyclones
- April is in the South Pacific cyclone season (November to April), and outside the central Pacific hurricane season around Hawaiʻi (June to November). Most exposed: Efate, 5 cyclones within 200 km in 30 seasons; then Tongatapu, 5 cyclones. Six of our 18 tropical islands have none on record.
- School holidays
- Term 1 holidays: 10–26 April 2027. Public holiday: ANZAC Day (25 April 2027).
- Since March
- Biggest rise: Tongatapu, up 15 to 68. Biggest fall: Kāpiti Island, down 21 to 64. 18 islands score higher than in March, eight lower.
Every island in April, ranked
1. Score 94 out of 100
Oʻahu
Hawaiʻi
Sea Sea 25 °C
Rain Rain 20 mm
Tropical storms: Tropical storms: none in 30 seasons
2. Score 90 out of 100
Maui
Hawaiʻi
Sea Sea 25 °C
Rain Rain 33 mm
Tropical storms: Tropical storms: none in 30 seasons
3. Score 87 out of 100
Moʻorea
French Polynesia
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 103 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: none in 30 seasons
4. Score 85 out of 100
Tahiti
French Polynesia
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 103 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: none in 30 seasons
5. Score 82 out of 100
Bora Bora
French Polynesia
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 139 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 1 cyclone in 30 seasons
6. Score 82 out of 100
Bali
Indonesia
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 125 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: none in 30 seasons
7. Score 82 out of 100
Aitutaki
Cook Islands
Sea Sea 28 °C
Rain Rain 163 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: none in 30 seasons
8. Score 80 out of 100
Niue
Niue
Sea Sea 28 °C
Rain Rain 154 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 2 cyclones in 30 seasons
9. Score 77 out of 100
Vavaʻu
Tonga
Sea Sea 28 °C
Rain Rain 170 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 2 cyclones in 30 seasons
10. Score 76 out of 100
Savaiʻi
Samoa
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 158 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 1 cyclone in 30 seasons
11. Score 75 out of 100
Upolu
Samoa
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 159 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 1 cyclone in 30 seasons
12. Score 74 out of 100
Kawau Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 20 °C
Rain Rain 86 mm
Outside the tropics
13. Score 74 out of 100
Tiritiri Matangi
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 19 °C
Rain Rain 86 mm
Outside the tropics
14. Score 73 out of 100
Waiheke Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 19 °C
Rain Rain 90 mm
Outside the tropics
15. Score 73 out of 100
Rangitoto Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 19 °C
Rain Rain 90 mm
Outside the tropics
16. Score 72 out of 100
Rarotonga
Cook Islands
Sea Sea 27 °C
Rain Rain 205 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 1 cyclone in 30 seasons
17. Score 72 out of 100
Aotea Great Barrier Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 20 °C
Rain Rain 91 mm
Outside the tropics
18. Score 71 out of 100
Taveuni
Fiji
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 196 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 2 cyclones in 30 seasons
19. Score 69 out of 100
Viti Levu
Fiji
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 193 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 3 cyclones in 30 seasons
20. Score 69 out of 100
Mamanuca Islands
Fiji
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 193 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 4 cyclones in 30 seasons
21. Score 68 out of 100
Tongatapu
Tonga
Sea Sea 27 °C
Rain Rain 170 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 5 cyclones in 30 seasons
22. Score 66 out of 100
Yasawa Islands
Fiji
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 209 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 3 cyclones in 30 seasons
23. Score 64 out of 100
Kāpiti Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 17 °C
Rain Rain 64 mm
Outside the tropics
24. Score 50 out of 100
Efate
Vanuatu
Sea Sea 28 °C
Rain Rain 265 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 5 cyclones in 30 seasons
25. Score 41 out of 100
Chatham Islands
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 15 °C
Rain Rain 83 mm
Outside the tropics
26. Score 38 out of 100
Rakiura Stewart Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 13 °C
Rain Rain 80 mm
Outside the tropics
Scores: Island’s conditions score, from warmth, sea temperature, rain, sunshine and storm records. Sea: NOAA OISST,1991–2020 monthly means, measured offshore. Rain: weather-station normals (Meteostat) or NASA POWER. Storms: IBTrACS tracks within 200 km, 1991–2020. School holidays: Ministry of Education.