A summer wedding and a honeymoon somewhere warm go together beautifully. Fiji, Samoa, Rarotonga, Tonga and Vanuatu are a short flight from home, and the islands are a natural pick for the days after the reception.

Those warm months are also the Pacific’s tropical cyclone season. SafeTravel, the Government’s travel advice site, says the season usually runs from November to April in all five places. That doesn’t have to change your plans, but it’s worth a little extra planning.

What cyclone season really looks like

Cyclones are counted across a huge stretch of ocean. Earth Sciences New Zealand puts the long-term average at around nine named tropical cyclones a season for the whole Southwest Pacific.

For any one country the numbers are much smaller. Fiji Meteorological and Hydrological Services (Fiji Met) says around two tropical cyclones affect Fiji in an average season.

Timing helps too. Earth Sciences NZ says activity usually peaks between January and March, so November, December and April fall outside the busiest stretch. Cyclones do occasionally form in October or May, and a storm can turn up at any point in the season.

Each October, Earth Sciences NZ publishes an outlook for the season ahead, working with MetService and Pacific weather services. The 2026-27 outlook expects seven to 11 named cyclones across the Southwest Pacific, which it calls normal to above-normal activity.

A very strong El Niño is driving it. Past seasons with similar conditions point to more activity near and east of the International Date Line.

For the islands couples tend to choose, the outlook expects elevated activity in the central Southwest Pacific, which takes in Samoa. It expects normal to elevated activity in the southeast, which includes the southern Cook Islands, Rarotonga among them.

Fiji and Tonga sit in a zone forecast as normal, and Vanuatu’s zone is normal or reduced. Fiji Met’s own outlook expects two to three cyclones to pass through Fiji’s waters, close to the usual.

Earth Sciences NZ notes that severe cyclones may occur anywhere across the region. If you’re travelling between November and April, it’s worth keeping an eye on the forecast as your dates come closer.

Travel insurance and the “known event” rule

With travel insurance, timing matters. The Insurance Council of New Zealand (ICNZ) says the best time to buy cover is when you book your trip. If a storm is already a “known event” when you buy, your new policy won’t cover disruption it causes, although you’re still covered for things like medical issues and theft.

Each insurer sets its own cut-off. When Cyclone Gabrielle hit New Zealand in 2023, Southern Cross Travel Insurance didn’t cover claims relating to the storm on policies bought from 5pm on 7 February 2023. Policies bought before then had cover for cancelling or changing a trip, under their usual terms.

ICNZ suggests checking your insurer’s travel advisories before you buy, because they list which events are excluded and from what date. If an advisory comes out after you’ve bought your policy, ICNZ says the exclusion is unlikely to apply to you. When you’re comparing policies, look at what each one pays for cancelling, changing or cutting short a trip, and ask the insurer if anything is unclear.

Register your trip and book with some give

Once your flights are booked, register your trip on SafeTravel. You can register the two of you together.

SafeTravel says registration is the main way it will contact New Zealanders if a crisis such as a natural disaster happens while they’re travelling, and it can only reach people who have registered. You’ll also get updates on the places you’re visiting.

When you book flights and accommodation, ask what happens if the weather changes your plans. Check whether your rate can be changed or cancelled, and what that costs. A travel agent can talk you through the options.

Keep copies of the terms with your insurance documents, so everything is in one place if you need it. If a cyclone does form while you’re away, SafeTravel says to follow the advice of local authorities.

A honeymoon in cyclone season can still be everything you hoped for. Insure early, register your trip and choose bookings with a little flexibility. Then let yourselves relax, because the best part of the trip is the two of you, somewhere warm, at the start of married life.