The best islands in February
13 of our 26 island guides rate good or better in February, eight of them excellent. The highest scores go to Kāpiti Island (98), Kawau Island (93) and Tiritiri Matangi (93).
February is as good as the year gets for Kāpiti Island. New Zealand’s islands average 88, well ahead of the tropical islands at 63.
February at a glance
- Sea temperature
- Warmest off 11 islands, among them Bora Bora, Moʻorea and Tahiti, 29 °C. Coolest off Rakiura, 14 °C.
- Rain
- Driest: Oʻahu, 49 mm in the month. Wettest: the Mamanuca Islands and Viti Levu, 335 mm.
- Cyclones
- February is in the South Pacific cyclone season (November to April), and outside the central Pacific hurricane season around Hawaiʻi (June to November). Most exposed: Tongatapu, 7 cyclones within 200 km in 30 seasons; then Vavaʻu, 6 cyclones. Five of our 18 tropical islands have none on record.
- School holidays
- No NZ school holidays fall in February. Public holiday: Waitangi Day (6 February 2027).
- Since January
- Biggest rise: Vavaʻu, up 6 to 55. Biggest fall: Aotea, down 4 to 92. 12 islands score higher than in January, 13 lower.
Every island in February, ranked
1. Score 98 out of 100
Kāpiti Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 18 °C
Rain Rain 55 mm
Outside the tropics
2. Score 93 out of 100
Kawau Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 21 °C
Rain Rain 66 mm
Outside the tropics
3. Score 93 out of 100
Tiritiri Matangi
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 21 °C
Rain Rain 66 mm
Outside the tropics
4. Score 92 out of 100
Oʻahu
Hawaiʻi
Sea Sea 24 °C
Rain Rain 49 mm
Tropical storms: Tropical storms: none in 30 seasons
5. Score 92 out of 100
Aotea Great Barrier Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 21 °C
Rain Rain 71 mm
Outside the tropics
6. Score 92 out of 100
Waiheke Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 21 °C
Rain Rain 71 mm
Outside the tropics
7. Score 92 out of 100
Rangitoto Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 21 °C
Rain Rain 71 mm
Outside the tropics
8. Score 89 out of 100
Maui
Hawaiʻi
Sea Sea 24 °C
Rain Rain 51 mm
Tropical storms: Tropical storms: none in 30 seasons
9. Score 75 out of 100
Chatham Islands
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 15 °C
Rain Rain 62 mm
Outside the tropics
10. Score 73 out of 100
Bora Bora
French Polynesia
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 199 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 1 cyclone in 30 seasons
11. Score 69 out of 100
Rakiura Stewart Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 14 °C
Rain Rain 86 mm
Outside the tropics
12. Score 69 out of 100
Moʻorea
French Polynesia
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 247 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: none in 30 seasons
13. Score 68 out of 100
Tahiti
French Polynesia
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 247 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: none in 30 seasons
14. Score 64 out of 100
Aitutaki
Cook Islands
Sea Sea 28 °C
Rain Rain 209 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 4 cyclones in 30 seasons
15. Score 64 out of 100
Rarotonga
Cook Islands
Sea Sea 27 °C
Rain Rain 192 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 4 cyclones in 30 seasons
16. Score 64 out of 100
Niue
Niue
Sea Sea 28 °C
Rain Rain 206 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 4 cyclones in 30 seasons
17. Score 64 out of 100
Bali
Indonesia
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 289 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: none in 30 seasons
18. Score 56 out of 100
Yasawa Islands
Fiji
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 268 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 3 cyclones in 30 seasons
19. Score 55 out of 100
Upolu
Samoa
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 247 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 4 cyclones in 30 seasons
20. Score 55 out of 100
Vavaʻu
Tonga
Sea Sea 28 °C
Rain Rain 203 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 6 cyclones in 30 seasons
21. Score 54 out of 100
Mamanuca Islands
Fiji
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 335 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 2 cyclones in 30 seasons
22. Score 53 out of 100
Savaiʻi
Samoa
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 267 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 4 cyclones in 30 seasons
23. Score 53 out of 100
Taveuni
Fiji
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 242 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 4 cyclones in 30 seasons
24. Score 53 out of 100
Tongatapu
Tonga
Sea Sea 28 °C
Rain Rain 204 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 7 cyclones in 30 seasons
25. Score 52 out of 100
Viti Levu
Fiji
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 335 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 3 cyclones in 30 seasons
26. Score 50 out of 100
Efate
Vanuatu
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 233 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 3 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.