The best islands in March
18 of our 26 island guides rate good or better in March, eight of them excellent. The highest scores go to Oʻahu (91), Maui (88) and Kawau Island (87).
No island is at its best in March; Maui comes closest, 7 points below its peak. New Zealand’s islands average 78, ahead of the tropical islands at 68.
March 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, 59 mm in the month. Wettest: the Mamanuca Islands and Viti Levu, 348 mm.
- Cyclones
- March 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, 9 cyclones within 200 km in 30 seasons; then Rarotonga, 5 cyclones. Seven of our 18 tropical islands have none on record.
- School holidays
- No NZ school holidays fall in March. Public holidays: Good Friday (26 March 2027) and Easter Monday (29 March 2027).
- Since February
- Biggest rise: Savaiʻi, up 19 to 72. Biggest fall: the Chatham Islands, down 18 to 57. 13 islands score higher than in February, 11 lower.
Every island in March, ranked
1. Score 91 out of 100
Oʻahu
Hawaiʻi
Sea Sea 24 °C
Rain Rain 59 mm
Tropical storms: Tropical storms: none in 30 seasons
2. Score 88 out of 100
Maui
Hawaiʻi
Sea Sea 24 °C
Rain Rain 67 mm
Tropical storms: Tropical storms: none in 30 seasons
3. Score 87 out of 100
Kawau Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 21 °C
Rain Rain 65 mm
Outside the tropics
4. Score 87 out of 100
Tiritiri Matangi
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 21 °C
Rain Rain 65 mm
Outside the tropics
5. Score 86 out of 100
Aotea Great Barrier Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 21 °C
Rain Rain 71 mm
Outside the tropics
6. Score 86 out of 100
Waiheke Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 21 °C
Rain Rain 72 mm
Outside the tropics
7. Score 86 out of 100
Rangitoto Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 21 °C
Rain Rain 72 mm
Outside the tropics
8. Score 85 out of 100
Kāpiti Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 18 °C
Rain Rain 61 mm
Outside the tropics
9. Score 78 out of 100
Bora Bora
French Polynesia
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 158 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: none in 30 seasons
10. Score 77 out of 100
Moʻorea
French Polynesia
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 166 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 1 cyclone in 30 seasons
11. Score 76 out of 100
Tahiti
French Polynesia
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 166 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 1 cyclone in 30 seasons
12. Score 72 out of 100
Upolu
Samoa
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 160 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: none in 30 seasons
13. Score 72 out of 100
Savaiʻi
Samoa
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 172 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: none in 30 seasons
14. Score 71 out of 100
Niue
Niue
Sea Sea 28 °C
Rain Rain 187 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: none in 30 seasons
15. Score 71 out of 100
Aitutaki
Cook Islands
Sea Sea 28 °C
Rain Rain 180 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 2 cyclones in 30 seasons
16. Score 71 out of 100
Bali
Indonesia
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 222 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: none in 30 seasons
17. Score 65 out of 100
Rarotonga
Cook Islands
Sea Sea 28 °C
Rain Rain 178 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 5 cyclones in 30 seasons
18. Score 65 out of 100
Vavaʻu
Tonga
Sea Sea 28 °C
Rain Rain 201 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 1 cyclone in 30 seasons
19. Score 61 out of 100
Taveuni
Fiji
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 235 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 1 cyclone in 30 seasons
20. Score 57 out of 100
Chatham Islands
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 15 °C
Rain Rain 85 mm
Outside the tropics
21. Score 56 out of 100
Yasawa Islands
Fiji
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 279 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 1 cyclone in 30 seasons
22. Score 55 out of 100
Mamanuca Islands
Fiji
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 348 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 2 cyclones in 30 seasons
23. Score 55 out of 100
Viti Levu
Fiji
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 348 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 1 cyclone in 30 seasons
24. Score 53 out of 100
Tongatapu
Tonga
Sea Sea 28 °C
Rain Rain 217 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 5 cyclones in 30 seasons
25. Score 53 out of 100
Rakiura Stewart Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 14 °C
Rain Rain 97 mm
Outside the tropics
26. Score 41 out of 100
Efate
Vanuatu
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 334 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 9 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.