The best islands in January
15 of our 26 island guides rate good or better in January, eight of them excellent. The highest scores go to Kāpiti Island (96), Aotea Great Barrier Island (96) and Kawau Island (96).
January is as good as the year gets for Aotea Great Barrier Island and Kawau Island, and for Tiritiri Matangi, Rangitoto Island and three more. New Zealand’s islands average 91, well ahead of the tropical islands at 61.
January at a glance
- Sea temperature
- Warmest off eight islands, among them Bora Bora, Bali and the Mamanuca Islands, 29 °C. Coolest off Rakiura, 14 °C.
- Rain
- Driest: Oʻahu, 48 mm in the month. Wettest: Bali, 396 mm.
- Cyclones
- January 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, 10 cyclones within 200 km in 30 seasons; then Vavaʻu, 7 cyclones. Three of our 18 tropical islands have none on record.
- School holidays
- Summer holidays: 19 December 2026 to 27 January 2027. Public holidays: New Year’s Day (1 January 2027) and Day after New Year’s Day (2 January 2027).
- Since December
- Biggest rise: Kāpiti Island, up 13 to 96. Biggest fall: Efate, down 21 to 51. 10 islands score higher than in December, 14 lower.
Every island in January, ranked
1. Score 96 out of 100
Kāpiti Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 17 °C
Rain Rain 62 mm
Outside the tropics
2. Score 96 out of 100
Aotea Great Barrier Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 20 °C
Rain Rain 69 mm
Outside the tropics
3. Score 96 out of 100
Kawau Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 20 °C
Rain Rain 70 mm
Outside the tropics
4. Score 96 out of 100
Tiritiri Matangi
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 20 °C
Rain Rain 70 mm
Outside the tropics
5. Score 96 out of 100
Rangitoto Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 20 °C
Rain Rain 71 mm
Outside the tropics
6. Score 96 out of 100
Waiheke Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 20 °C
Rain Rain 71 mm
Outside the tropics
7. Score 93 out of 100
Oʻahu
Hawaiʻi
Sea Sea 25 °C
Rain Rain 48 mm
Tropical storms: Tropical storms: none in 30 seasons
8. Score 92 out of 100
Maui
Hawaiʻi
Sea Sea 25 °C
Rain Rain 61 mm
Tropical storms: Tropical storms: none in 30 seasons
9. Score 78 out of 100
Chatham Islands
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 15 °C
Rain Rain 62 mm
Outside the tropics
10. Score 70 out of 100
Rakiura Stewart Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 14 °C
Rain Rain 105 mm
Outside the tropics
11. Score 70 out of 100
Tahiti
French Polynesia
Sea Sea 28 °C
Rain Rain 247 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 1 cyclone in 30 seasons
12. Score 69 out of 100
Moʻorea
French Polynesia
Sea Sea 28 °C
Rain Rain 247 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 2 cyclones in 30 seasons
13. Score 68 out of 100
Bora Bora
French Polynesia
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 244 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 1 cyclone in 30 seasons
14. Score 67 out of 100
Rarotonga
Cook Islands
Sea Sea 27 °C
Rain Rain 211 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 2 cyclones in 30 seasons
15. Score 65 out of 100
Aitutaki
Cook Islands
Sea Sea 28 °C
Rain Rain 210 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 3 cyclones in 30 seasons
16. Score 63 out of 100
Bali
Indonesia
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 396 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: none in 30 seasons
17. Score 62 out of 100
Niue
Niue
Sea Sea 28 °C
Rain Rain 214 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 4 cyclones in 30 seasons
18. Score 52 out of 100
Mamanuca Islands
Fiji
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 372 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 3 cyclones in 30 seasons
19. Score 52 out of 100
Tongatapu
Tonga
Sea Sea 27 °C
Rain Rain 211 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 10 cyclones in 30 seasons
20. Score 52 out of 100
Yasawa Islands
Fiji
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 284 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 2 cyclones in 30 seasons
21. Score 51 out of 100
Efate
Vanuatu
Sea Sea 28 °C
Rain Rain 273 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 6 cyclones in 30 seasons
22. Score 51 out of 100
Upolu
Samoa
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 253 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 5 cyclones in 30 seasons
23. Score 51 out of 100
Savaiʻi
Samoa
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 261 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 5 cyclones in 30 seasons
24. Score 51 out of 100
Viti Levu
Fiji
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 372 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 3 cyclones in 30 seasons
25. Score 49 out of 100
Vavaʻu
Tonga
Sea Sea 28 °C
Rain Rain 236 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 7 cyclones in 30 seasons
26. Score 48 out of 100
Taveuni
Fiji
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 263 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 5 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.