Must-see attractions in New Zealand

  • One Tree Hill monument in Auckland, New Zealand.

    One Tree Hill

    Auckland

    Maungakiekie was the largest and most spiritually significant Māori pā (fortified village) prior to British arrival. At the top of this volcanic cone (at…

  • Huka Falls.

    Huka Falls

    Taupo

    The Waikato, New Zealand’s longest river, squeezes through a narrow chasm at Huka Falls, making the dramatic 11m drop into a surging crystal-blue…

  • New Zealand Slope Point

    Slope Point

    Fiordland & Southland

    South Island’s true southerly point lies not in Bluff, as many mistakenly believe, but at the end of a 20-minute trudge through a windswept cliff-side…

  • The Te Matua Ngahere (Father of the Forest), a giant kauri (Agathis australis) coniferous tree in the Waipoua Forest.
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Large Growth Nature Vertical Outdoors Rural Scene Hiking Natural Phenomenon Plant Public Park Footpath Green Color New Old Tropical Climate North National Landmark Bush Tree Uncultivated Tree Trunk Leaf Landscape - Scenery Island Woodland Forest Tall - High New Zealand North Island New Zealand Northland - New Zealand Māori Giant Males Females Photography Travel Kauri Tree Rainforest Waipoua Forest te matua ngahere

    Te Matua Ngahere

    Bay of Islands & Northland

    From the Kauri Walks car park, a 20-minute walk leads past the Four Sisters, a graceful stand of four tall trees fused together at the base, to Te Matua…

  • The T?ne Mahuta (Lord of the Forest), a giant kauri tree in the Waipoua Forest of Northland Region.
The Tāne Mahuta (Lord of the Forest), a giant kauri tree in the Waipoua Forest of Northland Region.
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Nature Horizontal Famous Place New Zealand North Island New Zealand Northland - New Zealand Color Image Photography Tourism Kauri Tree Hokianga Harbour Waipoua Forest Tāne Mahuta

    Tāne Mahuta

    Bay of Islands & Northland

    Near the north end of the park, not far from the road, stands mighty Tāne Mahuta, named for the Māori forest god. At 51.5m, with a 13.8m girth and wood…

  • Tourists relax at the shore of Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown.

    Lake Wakatipu

    Queenstown

    Shaped like a cartoon lightning bolt, Lake Wakatipu is NZ's third-largest lake. It reaches a depth of 372m, meaning the lake bed actually sits below sea…

  • Pohutu Geyser in Te Puia, Rotorua, New Zealand.

    Te Puia

    Rotorua

    Te Puia dials up the heat on Māoritanga (things Māori) with explosive performances from both its cultural troupe and Pōhutu (Big Splash), its famous…

  • Looking south from the trail to Avalanche Peak in Arthur's Pass National Park, New Zealand.

    Arthur's Pass National Park

    Christchurch & Canterbury

    Straddling the Southern Alps, known to Māori as Ka Tiritiri o Te Moana (Steep Peak of Glistening White), this vast alpine wilderness became the South…

  • Observation area of Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony in New Zealand.

    Blue Penguin Colony

    Dunedin & Otago

    Every evening the tykes from the Ōamaru blue penguin colony surf in and wade ashore, heading to their nests in an old stone quarry near the waterfront…

  • Orakei Korako geothermal park, New Zealand.

    Orakei Korako

    Taupo

    Tucked away from other more popular thermal fields, Orakei Korako is (since the destruction of the Pink and White Terraces, at least) arguably NZ's most…

  • Frying Pan Lake in Waimangu Volcanic Valley.

    Waimangu Volcanic Valley

    Rotorua & the Bay of Plenty

    The most visible wound from Mt Tarawera's 1886 eruption, the Waimangu geothermal area spreads down a valley to Lake Rotomahana (Warm Lake). The experience…

  • Auckland War Memorial Museum.

    Auckland Museum

    Parnell & Newmarket

    This imposing neoclassical temple (1929), capped with an impressive copper-and-glass dome (2007), dominates the Auckland Domain and is a prominent part of…

  • Parrot on Ulva Island, New Zealand.

    Ulva Island

    Fiordland & Southland

    A tiny paradise covering only 269 hectares, Ulva Island / Te Wharawhara is a great place to see lots of native birds. Established as a bird sanctuary in…

  • The Champagne Pool at Wai-O-Tapu or Sacred Waters – Thermal Wonderland, Rotorua, New Zealand.

    Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland

    Rotorua & the Bay of Plenty

    The most colourful of the region's geothermal attractions, Wai-O-Tapu (Sacred Waters) has a variety of features packed into a relatively compact, heavily…

  • Colorful heavy vintage truck collection in the Bill Richardson Transport World Museum in Invercargill, South Island, New Zealand.

    Transport World

    Fiordland & Southland

    A kingdom of shiny chrome lies beyond the doors of Transport World, touted as the largest private automotive museum on the planet. Across 15,000 sq metres…

  • Olveston Historic Home in Dunedin, New Zealand.

    Olveston

    Dunedin

    Although it's a youngster by European standards, this spectacular 1906 mansion provides a wonderful window into Dunedin's past. Entry is via fascinating…

  • Old building in the Victorian Precinct of Oamaru.

    Victorian Precinct

    Dunedin & Otago

    Consisting of only a couple of blocks centred on Harbour and Tyne Sts, this atmospheric enclave has some of NZ’s best-preserved Victorian commercial…

  • The Wellington Museum.

    Wellington Museum

    Wellington

    For an imaginative, interactive experience of Wellington’s social and maritime history, head to this bewitching little museum, inside an 1892 bond store…

  • Christchurch Botanic Gardens.

    Botanic Gardens

    Christchurch

    Strolling through these 30 blissful riverside hectares of arboreal and floral splendour is a consummate Christchurch experience. Gorgeous at any time of…

  • Karori Reservoir Tower at Zealandia.

    Zealandia

    Wellington

    This groundbreaking ecosanctuary is nooked into a valley in the hills about 2km west of downtown Wellington. Living wild within the fenced, predator-free…

  • The Duck Pond at Wellington Botanic Gardens.

    Wellington Botanic Gardens

    Wellington

    These hilly, 25-hectare botanic gardens can be effortlessly visited via the Wellington Cable Car (nice bit of planning, eh?), although there are several…

  • Glow worms cast blue light from the rocky ceiling of Waitomo Glowworm Caves.

    Glowworm Cave

    Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula

    The guided tour of the Glowworm Cave, which is behind the visitor centre, leads past impressive stalactites and stalagmites into a large cavern known as…

  • Exterior of the Toitu Otago Settlers Museum.

    Toitū Otago Settlers Museum

    Dunedin

    Storytelling is the focus of this excellent interactive museum, which traces the history of human settlement i

  • Lighthouse on Nugget Point.

    Nugget Point

    Fiordland & Southland

    Reach one of the South Island's most jaw-dropping coastal lookouts via the 900m Nugget Point (Tokatā) walkway. Wave-thrashed cliffs give way abruptly to…

  • Christchurch Art Gallery (Te Puna o Waiwhetu), one of New Zealand's most important public art collections.

    Christchurch Art Gallery

    Christchurch

    Damaged in the earthquakes, Christchurch's fantastic art gallery has reopened brighter and bolder, presenting a stimulating mix of local and international…

  • The Cardrona Distillery and Museum sign board with hundreds of bras hanging on the fence known as Bradrona.

    Cardrona Distillery

    Queenstown & Wanaka

    Enter past the fence of bras (Bra-drona!) and you'll find the beautiful cellar door of this fledgling single-malt distillery inside a building made of…

  • Outside of Quake City, a special exhibition about the Canterbury earthquakes in 2010-2011.

    Quake City

    Christchurch

    A must-visit for anyone interested in understanding the impact of the Canterbury earthquakes, this compact museum tells stories through photography, video…

  • View of Wellington harbor from Mount Victoria lookout in Wellington, New Zealand.

    Mt Victoria Lookout

    Wellington

    The city's most impressive viewpoint is atop 196m-high Mt Victoria (Matairangi), east of the city centre. You can take bus 20 most of the way up, but the…

  • Beach at Mangawhai Heads.

    Mangawhai Heads

    Bay of Islands & Northland

    Mangawhai's main claim to fame is the surf beach and its large hilltop car park fills up quickly in peak season. To the south a narrow spit of sand…

  • Gold Discovery Centre at Waihi, New Zealand.

    Gold Discovery Centre

    Coromandel Peninsula

    Waihi’s superb Gold Discovery Centre tells of the area’s gold-mining past, present and future through interactive displays, focusing on personal and…

  • The Daily Telegraph building in Napier, New Zealand.

    Daily Telegraph Building

    Napier

    The Daily Telegraph is one of the stars of Napier's art-deco show, with superb zigzags, fountain shapes and a symmetrically patterned facade. If the front…

  • The Arts House Trust

    Auckland

    Housed in a gorgeous 1879 mansion with views to One Tree Hill and the Manukau Harbour, this arts centre is endowed with contemporary NZ art from an…

  • Taupō Museum

    Taupo

    This small but fascinating museum has an excellent Māori gallery and quirky displays, which include a 1960s caravan set up as if the occupants have just…

  • Kauri Museum

    Bay of Islands & Northland

    The giant cross-sections of trees at this superb museum are astounding in themselves, but the entire industry is animated through life-sized reproductions…

  • Man O' War

    Waiheke Island

    Settle in with a tapas platter and a glass of Man O' War's Valhalla chardonnay at Waiheke's only beachfront tasting room. If the weather is good, go for a…

  • Pegasus Bay

    Christchurch & Canterbury

    It's fitting that Waipara Valley's premier winery should have the loveliest setting and one of Canterbury's best restaurants (mains $36 to $43). Verdant…

  • Te Papa National Museum at Lambton Harbour.

    Te Papa

    Wellington

    New Zealand's national museum is hard to miss, taking up a sizeable chunk of the Wellington waterfront. ‘Te Papa Tongarewa’ loosely translates as …

  • Te Hikoi Southern Journey

    Fiordland & Southland

    Oh, that all small-town museums could be this good! The riveting Riverton museum starts with a 16-minute film about Pākehā sealer Jack Price and his Māori…

  • Lost Gypsy Gallery

    Fiordland & Southland

    Fashioned from remaindered bits and bobs, artist and 'organic mechanic' Blair Somerville's intricately crafted automata are wonderfully irreverent. The…

  • Te Awamutu Museum

    Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula

    Te Awamutu Museum has a superb collection of Māori taonga (treasures) and an excellent display on the Waikato War. The highlight is the revered Te Uenuku …