Some general information on what to see and do
Struggling for ideas? The new
101 kiwi must do's website hosted by Automobile Association has a great selection of places and activities.
Abel Tasman National Park
Ahipara and Shipwreck Bay
Akaroa and Banks Peninsula
Animal & Crazy!
Aoraki Mount Cook
Arrowtown
Arthur's Pass National Park
Attend a Must-Do Event - North Island
Attend a Must-Do Event - South Island
Auckland Gulf Islands
Auckland Volcanoes
Auckland War Memorial Museum
Auckland's West Coast
Bay of Islands
Be A-mazed!
Beehive and Parliament buildings
Buller Gorge
Camping Country
Canterbury Plains Hot Air Ballooning
Cape Kidnappers
Cape Palliser
Cape Reinga
Castlepoint
Central Otago Curling
Christchurch City
Coastal Kaikoura
Coromandel Township
Cross-country skiing
Devonport and North Head
Doubtful Sound
Dunedin City
Eastland
Farewell Spit
Fine Wine
Fiordland National Park
Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers
Glenorchy and Dart River
Golf in an Alpine Amphitheatre
Hanmer Springs
Hokianga
Hollyford Valley
Hot Water Beach
Hundertwasser Toilets
Kapiti Island
Karangahake Gorge
Kicking the Autumn leaves
Lake Matheson
Lake Taupo's Top Water Attractions
Lake Tekapo
Lake Waikaremoana
Marlborough Sounds
Marlborough Wine Trail
Mitre Peak & Milford Sound
Moeraki Boulders
Mount Maunganui: Mauao
Mount Taranaki
Mount Tarawera
New Chums Beach
New Plymouth's coastal walkway
NZ Rugby Museum
Orakei Korako
Otago Peninsula
Otago Rail Experience
Port Waikato
Punakaiki
Queenstown Adventure
Raglan
Rere Rock Slide
Rotorua Geothermal
Rotorua Luge, Skyrides and Skyswing
Rotorua Rafting
Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro
Seafood City
SkyJump & Sky Tower
South Westland
Southern Scenic Route
Spa and well-being destination
Stewart Island
Stonehenge Aotearoa
Takaka Hill: Rameka Track
Taranaki Gardens in Paradise Tour
Te Mata Peak
Te Papa Tongarewa
The Blue Pools of Haast Pass
The Bridge to Nowhere
The Forgotten World Highway
The Interislander Experience
The Pinnacles
The Queen Charlotte Track
Tongariro Crossing
TSS Earnslaw
Tutukaka / The Poor Knights
Ulva Island
Wainui Beach
Waipoua Forest
Waitangi Treaty Grounds
Waitomo Caves
Wellington Writers' Walk
Whakarewarewa
Whanganui National Park
White Island
Winter Mountain Fun
Hiking/tramps
A good source of information on New Zealand's many fine walks and tracks is the
Department of Conservation (DOC), which administers the national parks (and certain other areas). The main tracks, and many lesser known ones, have tramping huts at regular intervals. They typically have bunk beds, fireplace, basic cooking facilities and dunny (long drop toilet). For some years now, DOC has required permits for use of the huts on popular tracks. But note that even a permit is no guarantee of getting a bunk in peak times. On the most popular tracks at busy times, it is recommended to take a tent just in case!
The most well-known tracks are the Milford Track (between Te Anua and Milford Sound), Heaphy Track (between Collingwood and Karamea), Tongariro Crossing (on Mount Tongariro of course!) and the Routeburn Track. However all national parks, forest parks and major reserves have fine walks ranging from half an hour to several days.
Adventure activities
New Zealand has many different adventure activities to give adreline rushes. Many are based in Queenstown (adventure capital) and Taupo, but there are generally adventure activities to be found near all cities and large towns.
Here are just some of the more popular adreline rushes, with some locations.
- Bunjy jumping, reinvented in New Zealand (originally from Vanuatu). Variations include off bridges/platform, off gondola, reverse bunjy (aka rocket bunjy), etc. Some locations - Queenstown (multiple locations), Taupo, Wellington, Rotorua, Auckland.
- Jet boating, invented in New Zealand. Some locations - Queenstown (Kawerau, Shotover and Dart Rivers), Christchurch (Waimakariri River), Wanganui (Whanganui River), Taupo (Waikato River), Hamilton (Waikato River).
- Sky diving, tandem or solo - all cities and large towns with aero clubs.
- Parapenting (leaping off a hillside), tandem - Queenstown, Nelson.
- Fly by wire (motorised "plane" attached by wire to hillside) - Queenstown, Wellington.
- Flying fox (cable across river gorge) - Queenstown (Skippers Canyon), Nelson (Motupiko and Cable Bay).
- White water rafting, tubing and similar - Queenstown, west coast, Rotorua.
- Black water rafting - Waitomo.
- Spelunking (caving) - Nelson (Mt Arthur/Mt Owen, Takaka Hill), Waitomo.
- Skiing (alpine) - Queenstown, Mt Hutt, Arthurs Pass region, Hanmer Springs, Nelson Lakes, Mt Taranaki, Ruapehu.
- Luge - Queenstown, Rotorua.
- Zorbing (rolling down a hill in a bubble) - Rotorua.
Golf
Boating
Sports
Culture