The best islands in December
20 of our 26 island guides rate good or better in December, eight of them excellent. The highest scores go to Oʻahu (96), Kawau Island (95) and Tiritiri Matangi (95).
No island is at its best in December; Kawau Island comes closest, 1 point below its peak. New Zealand’s islands average 86, well ahead of the tropical islands at 70.
December at a glance
- Sea temperature
- Warmest off four islands, among them the Mamanuca Islands, Bali and Savaiʻi, 29 °C. Coolest off Rakiura, 13 °C.
- Rain
- Driest: Oʻahu, 54 mm in the month. Wettest: Bali, 295 mm.
- Cyclones
- December is in the South Pacific cyclone season (November to April), and outside the central Pacific hurricane season around Hawaiʻi (June to November). Most exposed: the Yasawa Islands, 6 cyclones within 200 km in 30 seasons; then the Mamanuca Islands, 4 cyclones. Five of our 18 tropical islands have none on record.
- School holidays
- Summer holidays: 19 December 2026 to 27 January 2027. Public holidays: Christmas Day (25 December 2026) and Boxing Day (26 December 2026).
- Since November
- Biggest rise: the Chatham Islands, up 14 to 71. Biggest fall: Moʻorea, down 22 to 68. Eight islands score higher than in November, 18 lower.
Every island in December, ranked
1. Score 96 out of 100
Oʻahu
Hawaiʻi
Sea Sea 25 °C
Rain Rain 54 mm
Tropical storms: Tropical storms: none in 30 seasons
2. Score 95 out of 100
Kawau Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 19 °C
Rain Rain 74 mm
Outside the tropics
3. Score 95 out of 100
Tiritiri Matangi
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 19 °C
Rain Rain 74 mm
Outside the tropics
4. Score 94 out of 100
Maui
Hawaiʻi
Sea Sea 25 °C
Rain Rain 66 mm
Tropical storms: Tropical storms: none in 30 seasons
5. Score 94 out of 100
Aotea Great Barrier Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 19 °C
Rain Rain 77 mm
Outside the tropics
6. Score 93 out of 100
Waiheke Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 19 °C
Rain Rain 85 mm
Outside the tropics
7. Score 92 out of 100
Rangitoto Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 19 °C
Rain Rain 85 mm
Outside the tropics
8. Score 83 out of 100
Kāpiti Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 16 °C
Rain Rain 90 mm
Outside the tropics
9. Score 75 out of 100
Niue
Niue
Sea Sea 27 °C
Rain Rain 146 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 2 cyclones in 30 seasons
10. Score 74 out of 100
Rarotonga
Cook Islands
Sea Sea 26 °C
Rain Rain 193 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 1 cyclone in 30 seasons
11. Score 73 out of 100
Aitutaki
Cook Islands
Sea Sea 27 °C
Rain Rain 200 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 1 cyclone in 30 seasons
12. Score 72 out of 100
Efate
Vanuatu
Sea Sea 28 °C
Rain Rain 179 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 1 cyclone in 30 seasons
13. Score 71 out of 100
Chatham Islands
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 14 °C
Rain Rain 63 mm
Outside the tropics
14. Score 69 out of 100
Tongatapu
Tonga
Sea Sea 26 °C
Rain Rain 121 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 4 cyclones in 30 seasons
15. Score 69 out of 100
Tahiti
French Polynesia
Sea Sea 28 °C
Rain Rain 280 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: none in 30 seasons
16. Score 68 out of 100
Moʻorea
French Polynesia
Sea Sea 28 °C
Rain Rain 280 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: none in 30 seasons
17. Score 68 out of 100
Bora Bora
French Polynesia
Sea Sea 28 °C
Rain Rain 253 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 1 cyclone in 30 seasons
18. Score 67 out of 100
Vavaʻu
Tonga
Sea Sea 27 °C
Rain Rain 167 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 4 cyclones in 30 seasons
19. Score 66 out of 100
Rakiura Stewart Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 13 °C
Rain Rain 102 mm
Outside the tropics
20. Score 65 out of 100
Viti Levu
Fiji
Sea Sea 28 °C
Rain Rain 211 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 4 cyclones in 30 seasons
21. Score 64 out of 100
Mamanuca Islands
Fiji
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 211 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 4 cyclones in 30 seasons
22. Score 64 out of 100
Yasawa Islands
Fiji
Sea Sea 28 °C
Rain Rain 191 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 6 cyclones in 30 seasons
23. Score 63 out of 100
Bali
Indonesia
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 295 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: none in 30 seasons
24. Score 63 out of 100
Savaiʻi
Samoa
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 221 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 2 cyclones in 30 seasons
25. Score 62 out of 100
Upolu
Samoa
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 219 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 2 cyclones in 30 seasons
26. Score 62 out of 100
Taveuni
Fiji
Sea Sea 28 °C
Rain Rain 204 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 4 cyclones in 30 seasons
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.