Small but diverse, New Zealand’s the perfect holiday destination for anyone on the quest for beauty and variety.
With every kind of landscape you can imagine, unique wildlife, adrenaline-pumping activities fresh food and world-class wine, you’re never too far from your next adventure.
Here’s the ultimate Kiwi bucket list with the top 30 things to do in New Zealand.
1. Peek Through Hobbit holes
Where: 501 Buckland Rd, Hinuera, Matamata 3472
In Matamata, the Shire lives on. Visit Hobbiton – a magical medieval world in miniature – then sink a drink at the Green Dragon Inn.
2. Bungy Jumping
Where: Nevis Bungy, Queenstown. Kawarau Bridge Bungy, SH6, Gibbston Valley, Queenstown. The Ledge Bungy, Queenstown. Auckland Bridge Bungy, 105 Curran Street Extension, Westhaven Marina, Herne Bay. Taupo Bungy, 202 Spa Road, Taupo.
Dive off a bridge attached to an elastic cord and live to tell the tale, in the birthplace of bungy. Or take things feet-first with a canyon swing instead.
3. See a White Kiwi
Where: 85379 State Highway 2, Mount Bruce 5881
Pop into Pukaha Mt Bruce National Wildlife Centre north of Wellington, where you can see New Zealand’s only white kiwi in captivity. Manukura, whose parents both carried the recessive white feather gene, lives in the nocturnal kiwi house with a North Island brown kiwi called Turua.
4. Scuba Diving
Where: Tutukaka, Northland
The Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve in Northland was once rated by explorer Jacques Cousteau as one of the top 10 dives in the world. The islands are the remnants of a group of ancient volcanoes. Here, you can explore the world’s biggest sea cave – Riko Riko – and a glorious abundance of plant life and marine creatures underwater.
5. Give Your Legs a Workout Along Baldwin St
Where: Baldwin St, Dunedin, 9010
Run or walk up Baldwin St in Dunedin, the world’s steepest. Afterwards, reward yourself with a pint at one of the city’s many excellent pubs.
6. Sail to Mine Bay
Where: 23 Whakamoenga Point, Acacia Bay, Taupo 3377
Take a kayak or boat tour around Lake Taupo’s western bays to see the huge Maori rock carvings. Only accessible by boat, the giant Maori rock carvings at Mine Bay are best viewed up close from a kayak. Take a tour around Lake Taupo’s western bays to see this majestic marvel – more than 10m high – up close.
7. Walk on the Bridge to Nowhere
Where: Whanganui National Park 4392
You can get to the Bridge to Nowhere by foot, jetboat, or canoe. In the heart of Whanganui National Park, this concrete bridge looks completely out of place, with no roads on either side. After settlers abandoned the area, forest grew back, blotting out all other signs of civilisation. Catch a jetboat to the bridge from either Pipiriki or Whakahoro and then walk the rest of the way.
8. See the Moeraki Boulders
Where: Koekohe Beach, 7 Moeraki Boulders Road, Hampden 9482
You can’t drive along the coast between Christchurch and Dunedin without stopping at the gigantic Moeraki Boulders. These mystical rocks are almost perfect spheres, lying out on the beach and nestled into the cliffs. On your way out, stop to say hi to the llamas on the other side of the fence around the carpark.
9. Zorbing
Where: 149 Western Road, Ngongotaha, Rotorua 3010
Strap yourself into an enormous plastic ball and roll on downhill. Zorbs can reach speeds of up to 50km per hour!
10. Jetboating
Where: Shotover Jet, Gorge Road, Queenstown 9300
Originally developed for rural residents to get around, today jetboats are more commonly used for tourist thrills. Don’t count on staying dry…
11. Blokarting
Where: Muriwai Surf School, Muriwai 0881
Picture a wind powered land yacht with three wheels, and you’ve got yourself a blokart – perfect for racing along the beach.
12. Float Through Glowworm Caves
Where: 39 Waitomo Caves Road, Waitomo Caves, Otorohanga 3943
Hop into an inflatable inner tube and go rafting through Waitomo’s underground caves lit only by glowworms.
13. Pelorus Mail Boat
Where: Jetty 1, Havelock Marina, Havelock 7100
On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays the Pelorus Mail Run visits isolated homesteads around the Marlborough Sounds, keeping up a decades-old tradition. Plus, you might get lucky and spot dolphins, seals or penguins!
14. Shweeb
Where: 1335 Paradise Valley Road, Ngongotaha, Rotorua 3040
Speed freaks rejoice: now you can hoon around a racetrack in a tiny pedal powered pod!
15. Skydiving
Where: All over New Zealand
If you’re going to jump out of a plane, you may as well do it in the most beautiful country on earth. Skydiving over snowy mountains, turquoise lakes and lush forests is an experience you’ll never forget.
16. Dig Your Own Spa
Where: Hot Water Beach. the Coromandel 3591
Head to Hot Water Beach in the Coromandel at low tide, bring a spade and dig yourself a natural hot pool in the sand. There’s nothing quite like it.
17. Enjoy a Hangi
Where: Tamaki Maori Village, Highlands Loop Road, Ngakuru, Rotorua
Feast on food cooked the traditional Maori way – in an underground oven. Meat and vegetables come out with a unique and delicious smoky tinge.
18. The Longest Place Name in New Zealand
Where: Wimbledon Road, Porangahau
In the Hawke’s Bay there’s a little hill known as “Taumata whakatangi hangakoauau o tamatea turi pukakapiki maunga horo nuku pokai whenua kitanatahu” – or Taumata Hill for short. It’s New Zealand’s longest place name and one of the longest in the world!
19. Tongariro Crossing
Where: Tongariro National Park, Manawatu-Wanganui 4691
Walk among emerald lakes, steaming craters and moody volcanic peaks. This one-day walk is world famous, or you can go the whole hog and hike the 3-4 day Tongariro Northern Circuit.
20. Sail Through the Hole in the Rock
Where: Maritime Building, Marsden Rd, Paihia, Bay of Islands
Centuries of wind and waves have carved an 18m hole at sea level into Piercy Island in the Bay of Islands. When conditions are right, jet boats can blast right on through the hole!
21. Swim with Dolphins
Where: Maritime Building, Marsden Rd, Paihia, Bay of Islands
Get up close with these playful creatures in the warm waters of the Bay of Islands.
22. Whale Watching
Where: The Whaleway Station Whaleway Road, Kaikoura 7340
Kaikoura Whale Watch is one of the best places in the world to spot sperm whales; the continental shelf drops off steeply into underwater canyons not far off the coast.
23. Glacier Hiking
Where: Westland Tai Poutini National Park, 13 State Highway 6, 7856
The West Coast is glacier country; here, ice giants cascade almost to sea level. Hike up to the face of Fox Glacier or Franz Josef Glacier or take a helicopter ride to land on the ice.
24. Milford Sound
Where: Fiordland National Park, Te Anau 9640
Often described as the 8th wonder of the world, Milford Sound is breathtaking from any angle. Take a boat cruise through the fiord or try kayaking, diving or flightseeing.
25. Kayaking
Where: All over New Zealand
Pick up a paddle and get out on the water. New Zealand is packed with waterways, from dramatic fiords to peaceful lakes, sheltered harbours and rushing rivers, and of course the vast oceans surrounding this island nation.
26. Sand Duning
Where: Himatangi Beach, Manawatu 4891. Te Paki, Kaitaia, Northland
Head to Himatangi Beach in the Manawatu region or Te Paki in Northland with a boogie board and race down the giant sand dunes.
27. Cycle the Vines
Where: March Hare, 18 Kitchener Street, Martinborough
You can’t beat a sunny afternoon biking through the country and calling into local vineyards to sample their offerings. Places like Martinborough boast dozens of wineries all within easy distance of one another.
29. Muriwai Gannet Colony
Where: Takapu Refuge Walk, Muriwai 0881
Out on Auckland’s wild west coast you’ll come across this spectacular colony, where more than 1000 pairs of gannets nest every year between August and March.
30. Hot Pools
Where: Tekapo Springs, Hanmer Springs, Kerosene Creek
Enjoy a soak in a natural hot spring or a thermal pool at the likes of Tekapo Springs, Hanmer Springs, or Kerosene Creek among others in Rotorua. Rotorua’s also known for bubbling mud pools and shooting geysers – it’s a hotbed of geothermal activity.
Featured image by Tom Hall
