Nevertheless, the east coast of South Island has several attractive harbours such as Dunedin, Timaru and Lyttleton, but not one of them matches the beauty of Marlborough Sound, which also has the advantage of being more accessible. There are workshops specialising in marine services in most places and the quality of workmanship is usually high. However, one should always insist on being given a written estimate of the cost of the proposed work, as visiting sailors have encountered problems in the past when faced with bills much higher than the verbal estimate they had been first given. The climate is varied from the subtropical in the north to snowy mountains and glaciers in the south. The summer from November to March is the more pleasant season, while the winter is wetter and windier.
South Island is generally cooler in both summer and winter.
Although out of the tropical cyclone area, occasionally in February or March the tail of a cyclone reaches North Island. Lying in the westerly wind belt, the east coast is more sheltered and the main yachting centres are along that coast. Channel 16 is monitored during daylight hours. Main Ports Arrival at any other port requires the written permission of a Collector of Customs. 2000-2001 Noonsite Ltd.