Feb/Mar weather experience on the islands

Hi,

we might be able to travel for ~2 months in in Feb/Mar 2020, and the South Pacific is an interesting option (or, first 3-4 weeks in NZ and then a month on the islands). I understand that this is not the ideal time, since it's mostly rain season; but is this something that is "slightly suboptimal but still great" or "a real bummer and quite limiting"? Like, would we get an 80% of the optimal experience or more like 30%? Any places that are particularly desirable or undesirable then?

We'd certainly like to do some island hopping, hiking, and culture exploration; snorkeling but probably not so much diving (since I have ear issues); definitely not luxury resorts. It's still early planning phase.

I'm only going to speak for the Samoan archipelago, but any time of the year is rainy season! Feb/March is hurricane season though, and while it's not super common for them to make landfall, it can happen during that time frame. Feb/March is the hot time of the year. The trade winds die down, so while our temps are only up a degree or two, it feels much hotter without the constant trades. Still gorgeous, and a much better time of year to swim with calm water.

This topic has been automatically locked due to inactivity. Email community@lonelyplanet.com if you would like to add to this topic and we'll unlock it for you.