The kids are bored with weeks of school holidays left to fill but all your go-to free entertainment spots are suddenly overrun with visitors and there's not a car park for miles.
You finally get away for a break and it pours with rain.
Either that or you're working.
Plenty of material there for a "summer sucks" story, but it's a sad state of affairs when that's the defining narrative of a Kiwi summer.
Because summer in New Zealand is bloody brilliant.
Being in the southern hemisphere, we get to start each new year with the feelings of hope and positivity that come with a decent dose of Vitamin D.
The days are long and we get opportunities to take on our New Year's resolutions in the sunshine most days, even if we also have to work.
If we are fortunate enough to live in a holiday hotspot such as the Bay of Plenty or Rotorua Lakes, the surge of visitors is a reminder of how good we have it, all year round.
This was brought home to me by Kiwi friends who live in the UK but are home for a summer sojourn.
We were at the Fat Freddy's Drop concert in Tauranga on the weekend and they were marvelling at the night sky.
They can't see the stars at night in London, you see.
The stars were not the only they were raving about. They had so enjoyed being among the summertime Kiwis again - the friendly interactions, the enforced relaxation and slower pace of life, the bare feet - on the beach and well beyond - the cricket and the outdoor concerts.
There will also be tragedies and downsides and plenty to whinge about, but why would we?
