Top Things to Do in New Zealand

Top Things to Do in New Zealand

Throughout New Zealand

Buy the Lord of the Rings location guide, and do some hunting out of familiar scenes from the LOTR trilogy.

North Island

Cape Reinga and 90 Mile Beach

Swim with the dolphins in Paihia, Bay of Islands

Vertigo Climb, Auckland Skytower – beyond the observation decks, and wear an orange suit to do it.

Take a ferry or kayak from Mission Bay, Auckland to Rangitoto Island & climb to the top.

Waiheke Island – only 35 mins by ferry from Auckland, for some great wineries, maybe spend the night.

Raglan- & catch some wild surf.

Waitomo Haggas Honking Holes and tubing the glow-worm caves

Kayak from Whitianga to Cathedral Cove – then go to Hot Water beach and dig your hole in the sand

Drive from Opotiki to Gisborne then around the East Cape and back to Opotiki

Hawkes Bay- wineries, East Coast, North Island

Whakatane- Take a scenic flight over White Island, an active volcano.

Rotorua – to see the geysers, thermal activity and smell, visit Te Whakawerwera for your Maori cultural experience.

Drive out to Lake Tarawera near Rotorua- check out the Blue and Green lakes on the way

Taupo- Tandem Skydive 12,000ft

Craters of the moon outside of Taupo

Tongariro Crossing- one of the best one-day walks in the world, stunning scenery with volcanoes

Walk up Mount Taranaki- West Coast, North Island

Watch the sun rise at Te Araroa – the eastern most place in NZ

Martinborough- wineries- bottom East Coast, North Island

Te Papa Museum in Wellington- you could spend all day here learning about NZ / Maori -culture

South Island

Abel Tasman- for relaxing walking and kayaking around the National Park

Walk the Queen Charlotte Track, Marlborough Sounds- Top, South Island

Marlborough- wineries, top East Coast, South Island

Kaikoura- for whale watching and swimming with dolphins

4 day hike, Banks Peninsula – East Coast, South Island

Moeraki Boulders – East Coast, South Island for unusual round boulders

Christchurch- Arts Centre

Akaroa- for a bit of French New Zealand history

Dunedin- for historic homes, albatross, yellow eyed penguins and seal colonies

Oamaru- for Old Oamaru Stone buildings and Penguin watching

Pancake Rocks and blowholes- Punakaiki, upper West Coast, South Island

Mount Cook – South Island

Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers- West Coast, South Island

While looking at the glaciers in the Fox/Franz Josef area take a cruise out to Lake Matheson first thing in the morning to take some amazing photos of the reflection of Mount Cook in the water

Wanaka- a relaxing place in Central Otago

Arrowtown- an old Central Otago Goldfields town with an old Chinese village, 20 minutes from Queenstown

Queenstown- for adventure activities and party atmosphere

Pipeline Bungy Jump in Queenstown

Drive from Queenstown to Glenorchy- have a beer at the Glenorchy pub, after stopping and taking plenty of photos whilst on the drive

Queenstown- wineries

5 day trek of Routeburn/Greenstone Track

Walk Milford Track- one of the Worlds best.

Milford Sound and Fiordland National Park- lower West Coast, South Island

Doubtful Sound in the Fiordland National Park- swim with dolphins

The Catlins- for nature East Coast, South Island

Stewart Island- for nature bottom South Island

Once you have done all these things you will have had a great look around beautiful New Zealand