The first of December marks the official beginning of summer in New Zealand and Australia. The summer months are December, January, and February.
School summer holidays and Christmas/New Year holidays all take place during this time. Generally, schools 'break up' for the end of the academic year in early-mid December, and the new academic year commences in late January or early February. Universities usually break up a little bit earlier; most exams are over by the end of November and the first university semester usually begins in late February or early March.
Most workers take time off for 1 - 2 weeks over the Christmas/New Year period, as there are 3 - 4 public holidays over this time. In Australia, the public holidays include 25 December (Christmas Day), 26 December (Boxing Day) and 1 January (New Year's Day). New Zealand has these public holidays as well as 2 December as a public holiday.
I think a favourite summer activity enjoyed by almost all Kiwis and Aussies is going to the beach.
What's your favourite summer activity?
Image from: http://www.nutritionfoundation.org.nz/files/medium/377/summer.jpg
