The best islands in May
18 of our 26 island guides rate good or better in May, 16 of them excellent. The highest scores go to Oʻahu (98), Moʻorea (93) and Maui (93).
No island is at its best in May; Oʻahu comes closest, 1 point below its peak. The tropical islands average 86, well ahead of New Zealand’s islands at 43.
May at a glance
- Sea temperature
- Warmest off Savaiʻi and Upolu, 29 °C. Coolest off Rakiura, 12 °C.
- Rain
- Driest: Maui, 19 mm in the month. Wettest: Efate, 213 mm.
- Cyclones
- May is outside the South Pacific cyclone season (November to April) and the central Pacific hurricane season around Hawaiʻi (June to November). Most exposed: Efate, 2 cyclones within 200 km in 30 seasons; then the Mamanuca Islands, 1 cyclone. 12 of our 18 tropical islands have none on record.
- School holidays
- No NZ school holidays fall in May.
- Since April
- Biggest rise: Efate, up 20 to 70. Biggest fall: Rakiura, down 23 to 15. 18 islands score higher than in April, eight lower.
Every island in May, ranked
1. Score 98 out of 100
Oʻahu
Hawaiʻi
Sea Sea 25 °C
Rain Rain 22 mm
Tropical storms: Tropical storms: none in 30 seasons
2. Score 93 out of 100
Moʻorea
French Polynesia
Sea Sea 28 °C
Rain Rain 105 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: none in 30 seasons
3. Score 93 out of 100
Maui
Hawaiʻi
Sea Sea 25 °C
Rain Rain 19 mm
Tropical storms: Tropical storms: none in 30 seasons
4. Score 91 out of 100
Tahiti
French Polynesia
Sea Sea 28 °C
Rain Rain 105 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: none in 30 seasons
5. Score 90 out of 100
Bora Bora
French Polynesia
Sea Sea 28 °C
Rain Rain 115 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: none in 30 seasons
6. Score 89 out of 100
Bali
Indonesia
Sea Sea 28 °C
Rain Rain 76 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: none in 30 seasons
7. Score 88 out of 100
Mamanuca Islands
Fiji
Sea Sea 28 °C
Rain Rain 94 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 1 cyclone in 30 seasons
8. Score 86 out of 100
Vavaʻu
Tonga
Sea Sea 27 °C
Rain Rain 128 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: none in 30 seasons
9. Score 86 out of 100
Viti Levu
Fiji
Sea Sea 28 °C
Rain Rain 94 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 1 cyclone in 30 seasons
10. Score 86 out of 100
Aitutaki
Cook Islands
Sea Sea 27 °C
Rain Rain 150 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: none in 30 seasons
11. Score 85 out of 100
Niue
Niue
Sea Sea 27 °C
Rain Rain 127 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: none in 30 seasons
12. Score 85 out of 100
Tongatapu
Tonga
Sea Sea 26 °C
Rain Rain 118 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: none in 30 seasons
13. Score 85 out of 100
Yasawa Islands
Fiji
Sea Sea 28 °C
Rain Rain 126 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 1 cyclone in 30 seasons
14. Score 84 out of 100
Rarotonga
Cook Islands
Sea Sea 26 °C
Rain Rain 155 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: none in 30 seasons
15. Score 84 out of 100
Taveuni
Fiji
Sea Sea 28 °C
Rain Rain 137 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: none in 30 seasons
16. Score 80 out of 100
Savaiʻi
Samoa
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 139 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 1 cyclone in 30 seasons
17. Score 79 out of 100
Upolu
Samoa
Sea Sea 29 °C
Rain Rain 138 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 1 cyclone in 30 seasons
18. Score 70 out of 100
Efate
Vanuatu
Sea Sea 27 °C
Rain Rain 213 mm
Cyclones: Cyclones: 2 cyclones in 30 seasons
19. Score 55 out of 100
Aotea Great Barrier Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 18 °C
Rain Rain 115 mm
Outside the tropics
20. Score 54 out of 100
Kawau Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 18 °C
Rain Rain 112 mm
Outside the tropics
21. Score 53 out of 100
Tiritiri Matangi
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 18 °C
Rain Rain 112 mm
Outside the tropics
22. Score 51 out of 100
Waiheke Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 18 °C
Rain Rain 123 mm
Outside the tropics
23. Score 51 out of 100
Rangitoto Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 18 °C
Rain Rain 123 mm
Outside the tropics
24. Score 44 out of 100
Kāpiti Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 16 °C
Rain Rain 81 mm
Outside the tropics
25. Score 23 out of 100
Chatham Islands
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 14 °C
Rain Rain 97 mm
Outside the tropics
26. Score 15 out of 100
Rakiura Stewart Island
New Zealand’s islands
Sea Sea 12 °C
Rain Rain 116 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.