Top ten things to do in New Zealand

Here are some of our top picks for New Zealand’s best attractions and activities but there are dozens more. From the adventurous south to the cosmopolitan north there’s so much going on in the Land of the Long White Cloud.

Head for Hobbiton

The quintessential Lord of the Rings experience allows you to get up close and personal with the Shire before quaffing an ale in the Green Dragon. One for the road Master Frodo?

Watch whales in Kaikoura

Kaikoura is New Zealand’s capital for cetaceans. Sperm whales are year-round inhabitants but in the summer months you could also spot pods of orcas as they patrol closer to shore.

Hot foot it to the Coromandel

A bucket and spade day with a difference awaits you at Hot Water Beach near Cathedral Cove. Dig your own spa in the sand and relax as the sea water mingles with the scorching subterranean heat beneath your feet.

Descend to the stars

Go deep underground in Waitomo’s Maori-owned caves before embarking on a magical water-borne audience with New Zealand’s most accessible glow worm colony.

Climb a volcano

New Zealand is pockmarked with some incredible remnants of volcanic activity and none is more impressive than ocean hugging Mount Maunganui in the Bay of Plenty, overlooking one of the country’s most impressive beaches and handily close to cricket’s Bay Oval.

Sniff out a hot spring or geyser

For some, the scent of rotten egg might be a tad overwhelming but it’s definitely worth it for the unforgettably vivid azure and aquamarine pools and erupting geysers, like Wai-O-Tapu, which dot the Rotorua region.

Make the most of Auckland

The City of Sails is surrounded by seafaring activities so you can scuba dive or surf to your heart’s content or simply take a leisurely ferry to one of dozens of picturesque islands. On land, keep the theme going with a visit to the Maritime Museum then scale the Sky Tower for stunning panoramic views.

Drink in the culture

The Kiwis are masters of viticulture and you’ll find a veritable host of wineries predominantly along the sheltered eastern coast including Marlborough and Hawke’s Bay. If you’re in Auckland a 40 minute ferry journey (chic booze cruise) whisks you to the Island of Wine, Waiheke Island.

Cruise Milford Sound

Take the cataraman tour through this natural wonder and you’ll be rewarded with spectacular views of some of the highest sea cliffs in the world replete with cascading waterfalls into unforgettable fjords.

Throw yourself into a void*

It’s New Zealand. So where better to experience a bungy jump than where it all began. They don’t come any higher or more daunting/exhilarating than the 134m high Nevis bungy jump near Queenstown.

*Wearing a harness and under supervision obviously

Find out more in our travel guide to New Zealand.