Motutapu Island’s emerald landscapes, striking coastline, and thick forests of Motutapu Island attract day trippers from nearby Auckland. Sandy beaches and easy walking paths offer up plenty of opportunities for rest and relaxation, while a scattering of some 300 Maori archaeological sites detail a rich history of the island’s early inhabitants.
Lake Okareka is a local favorite for swimming, fishing, and boating. Children splash in refreshing water, surrounded by green hills, and anglers fish for rainbow trout, smelt, and long-finned eels. The lake is also popular with bird-watchers; visitors scan the shoreline for swans, coots, ducks, shags, pukeko, gulls, and stilts.
One of New Zealand’s oldest gardens, Wellington Botanic Garden is an escape from the clamor of the city, in the city. Right behind the Wellington CBD in Thorndon, this 62-acre (25-hectare) garden is full of native and exotic plants. Stroll along one of the many calm, tranquil paths and take some relaxing time away from the urban jungle.
The Rotorua region is steeped in New Zealand's history, from the days of the Maori settlers to the advent of European explorers. At the Rotorua Museum(Te Whare Taonga o Te Arawa), you'll get an in-depth view of the city's past, seen through cinema, galleries and historic locales. Spend some time in the Te Arawa and Tarawera galleries, the former of which houses an extensive collection of ancient Maori art and artifacts, as well as treasured antique photographs from the European colonial era. The latter is dedicated to the eruption of Mt. Tarawera and the destruction wreaked in 1886. After you've explored the galleries, check out the Bath House, an architectural icon of yesteryear known for its supposed curative therapies. Guests were once encourage to bathe here in various types of mineral waters during the health craze of the early 20th century. Please note: The Rotorua Museum is currently closed for earthquake assessment.
In an unassuming hangar off the South Island’s Kapiti Expressway is one of the southern hemisphere’s largest collections of vintage cars. The Southward Car Museum displays more than 400 vehicles, ranging from turn-of-the-century models and slick 1960s luxury cars to million-dollar Bugattis and immaculately-preserved family sedans.
Every morning, a rocky grey vent called the Lady Knox Geyser spews water for a captive audience. Far from a strange local ritual, the geyser is one of the star geothermal attractions at Rotorua’s Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland. It erupts without fail—after being induced with soap—to heights of 30 to 65 feet (9 to 20 meters).
Smack in the middle of downtown Auckland, just off of bustling Queen Street, Aotea Square is a popular spot for festivals, gatherings, and events. Located across from the Auckland Town Hall, Aotea Square provides more than an acre of open space in the Central Business District (CBD that can accommodate up to 20,000 people for outdoor events and open-air concerts.
Just outside of Taupo, Huka Falls is one of the most visited natural attractions on New Zealand’s North Island. Waikato River’s largest falls are fed by Australasia’s biggest freshwater lake, Lake Taupo. Explore the footbridge for a bird’s-eye view of the falls or walk along the Huka Falls Trail, which follows the river.
Urban cool meets laid-back beach vibes at Takapuna, just 15 minutes from Auckland CBD. Not only does this North Shore suburb have white-sand beaches, a volcanic lake, and ocean views looking out to Rangitoto Island, but the small town center has enough shops, cafés, and restaurants to keep Aucklanders entertained away from the beach.
Founded in 1897, a good 70 years before New Zealand’s winemaking boom of the 1970s, Church Road Winery is one of the oldest in the country. It was established by winemakers from Luxembourg and has since become famous for its French-style red wines. The winery is a popular spot for wine tasting, fine dining, and outdoor summer concerts.
White Island (Whakaari) is an active volcanic island in northern New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty. It’s New Zealand’s most active volcano—believed to have been continuously erupting for 150,000 years—and can only be visited on a guided tour. Prior to the 2019 eruption, walking tours were conducted on White Island where travelers could explore the active volcano by foot. Today, White Island is best accessed by helicopter where you can circle the steaming vent.
The first thing you notice when you arrive in Rotorua isn’t the natural beauty; it’s the smell. A note of Sulphur is evident all across town, and it is strongest at the sands of Sulphur Point. This constantly shifting geothermal wetland is home to 60 species of birds, which somehow survive the warm waters and boiling, earthy minerals.
On the coast a few minutes outside Auckland, New Zealand, Kelly Tarlton’s SEA LIFE® Aquarium is the pioneering aquarium that originated curved-glass viewing containers and conveyor belts that move you along. At this family-friendly stop, visitors can see tropical fish, sea turtles, sharks, and two species of penguins.
The Maori Arts and Crafts Institute (Te Puia) was established in the 1920s to protect the traditional arts of carving and weaving. Today Te Puia is a thriving educational institute and a unique experience of Maori culture: here you can watch students learn their craft, enjoy traditional cultural performances, and explore a rugged geothermal valley.
At the base of the Auckland skyline’s most prominent building, you’ll find SKYCITY, an entertainment complex with something for almost everyone. Learn to play table games in the casino, dine in some of Auckland’s most celebrated restaurants, or just take in the sweeping views from the Sky Tower.
Great Barrier Island is a natural paradise and an idyllic getaway from the bustle of Auckland. About 55 miles (90 kilometers) offshore in New Zealand’s only national marine park, with no electricity, ATMs, or public transportation on the entire island, there is little more to do here than play in nature and truly relax.
Sprawling across 51,000 acres (20,640 hectares) west of Kerikeri, Puketi Forest (Puketi Kauri Forest) is one of New Zealand’s remaining kauri rain forests. Get close to these giant native trees on the forest’s elevated boardwalks, or try one of the forest’s longer walks and discover some of the more than 360 indigenous plant species that call Puketi home.
The ornate Blue Baths on the shores of Lake Rotorua, blend history, leisure, and high society. This building, which fuses art deco and Spanish mission styles, has been restored to its original splendor from 1933, when the thermally heated baths became New Zealand’s first place for “mixed bathing.”
Visitors to Velocity Valley choose from six adrenaline-fueled activities: Shweeb Racer, Swoop, Agrojet, Freefall Xtreme, Rotorua Bungy, and Freestyle Airbag. Each ride is suitable for daredevils of almost all ages. Activities can be purchased separately or combined as part of a tour package.
At Sheepworld near Auckland, visitors can learn about sheep farming in New Zealand and see how sheep wool is collected and used. Live shows are put on twice daily, during which sheep dogs round up the sheep and shearers shear them. Sheepworld is a family-friendly destination, and lamb feeding is a particular hit with kids.
Whether you want to stretch out on the grass on a sunny afternoon, watch a movie at the open-air cinema, or break up a sightseeing tour with a picnic in the park, Silo Park is one of Auckland’s most popular green spaces. The small park sits at the heart of the Wynyard Quarter and is known for its lively summer events calendar.
Odysseum includes three fun and challenging activities in the heart of Auckland: the Odyssey Sensory Maze, the Brain Cell Challenge Room, and the Doom Room. While it’s not recommended for smaller children, older kids and groups of friends will especially enjoy the challenges of each room.
The Wellington Museum, a Victorian-era warehouse on the Wellington waterfront, showcases the city’s stories and secrets. Get a taste for life in early Wellington, and follow its development from tribal land to colonial port—filled with sailors and seafarers—to, as coined by Lonely Planet, the “coolest little capital in the world.”
Though it’s right next to the wildly popular Blue Lake, the Green Lake—or Rotokakahi—is a privately owned lake that isn’t open to swimming, fishing, or boating. It is sacred to the Te Arawaiwi (tribe), who are the area’s original Maori inhabitants, because the lake was the site of important battles and numerous sacred burial grounds.
Located right in the middle of Auckland’s downtown, St. Patrick’s Cathedral stands in stark contrast to the modern city skyline. Founded in 1841 along with Auckland itself, the Catholic cathedral has seen modern-day Auckland literally grow up around it. Today, about 2,500 parishioners gather there for weekly Mass each Sunday morning.
Port Auckland is a cruise port and commercial cargo shipping terminal set in Waitemata Harbour. Located at the top end of New Zealand's North Island, Auckland is the country's largest and most cosmopolitan city. Considered one of the world’s most livable cities, it sits on an isthmus surrounded by volcanic hills and is easy to explore.
Discover the history of New Zealand’s native kauri trees and so much more at Matakohe’s Kauri Museum. With interactive exhibits, life-like dioramas, and well-preserved heritage buildings, the Kauri Museum tells the stories of New Zealand’s colonial settlers and the mighty trees they felled to make ships, homes, and just about everything else.
Permanent and touring exhibitions of contemporary art are displayed at City Gallery Wellington (Te Whare Toi). Works by New Zealand artists are highlighted along with a lively program of contemporary visual arts, architecture, and design. Major international exhibitions are likely to be staged at the gallery, all with free admission.
Te Paki is a natural area at the northernmost point of the Aupori Peninsula, which itself is the northernmost point of New Zealand’s Northland peninsula. It’s a diverse area of wetlands, scrublands, cliffs and headlands, forests, beaches, and some very big sand dunes. Travelers come to hike, surf, sandboard, camp, fish, and to visit the beaches.
Hidden away in the dense Rotorua bush, Paradise Valley Springs Wildlife Park is home to a massive variety of wild and farmed animals, from native birds to llamas and alpacas to a pride of African lions. Spend the day walking around the tranquil Paradise Valley forest and enjoying close encounters with all sorts of friendly creatures.
