New Zealand has a largely temperate climate. While the far north has subtropical weather during summer, the inland areas of the South Island can be as cold as -10celcius in winter. The country lies close to the coast, so it has mild temperatures, moderate rainfall, and a lot of sunshine. LIke Australia, New Zealand lies in the southern hemisphere,so the average temperature decreases as you travel further south. The far north of the country has an average temperature of about 15celcius while the deep south has a cooler 9celcius average. January and February are the warmest months of the year,and July is the coldest.