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…

  • Cape Reinga Lighthouse at sunset.

    Cape Reinga

    The Far North

    This dramatic headland is where the waters of the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean meet, swirling and breaking together into waves up to 10m high in stormy…

  • 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…

  • Pancake Rocks, Punakaiki, West Coast, New Zealand.

    Pancake Rocks

    The Great Coast Road

    Punakaiki's claim to fame is Dolomite Point, where a layering-weathering process called stylobedding has carved the limestone into what looks like piles…

  • 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…

  • Red carving of a Maori Warrior.
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    Waitangi Treaty Grounds

    Bay of Islands

    Occupying a headland draped in lawns and bush, this is NZ's most significant historic site. Here, on 6 February 1840, after much discussion, the first 43…

  • 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…

  • Aerial of the Mount Eden volcano in Auckland, New Zealand.

    Mt Eden

    Kingsland & Mt Eden

    From the top of Auckland’s highest volcanic cone (196m), the entire isthmus and both harbours are laid bare. The symmetrical crater (50m deep) is known as…

  • 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…

  • Landscape of Moturoa Rabbit Island Beach Nelson, South Island, New Zealand.

    Moturoa/Rabbit Island

    Nelson Region

    With a Māori name that translates as 'Long Island', this low-lying expanse forms an 8km-long barrier to the ocean with a gorgeous sandy beach spread along…

  • Goat Island Marine Reserve.

    Goat Island Marine Reserve

    North Auckland

    Only 3km from Leigh, this 547-hectare aquatic area was established in 1975 as the country’s first marine reserve. In less than 40 years the sea has…

  • 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…

  • Military aircraft from WWI at Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre in Blenheim, New Zealand.

    Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre

    Blenheim

    When Sir Peter Jackson has a passion for something, there are no half measures. That's abundantly clear in the 'Knights of the Sky' exhibition, which…

  • 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…

  • Manuka bush growing on sand dunes at Farewell Spit in Golden Bay, New Zealand.

    Farewell Spit

    Nelson Region

    Bleak, exposed and positively sci-fi, Farewell Spit is a wetland of international importance and a renowned bird sanctuary – the summer home of thousands…

  • 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…

  • The Kemp House, Kerikeri Mission Station.

    Kerikeri Mission Station

    Bay of Islands

    Two of the nation's most significant buildings nestle side by side on the banks of Kerikeri Basin. Start at the Stone Store, NZ's oldest stone building …

  • 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…

  • Te Waikoropupu Springs.

    Te Waikoropupū Springs

    Takaka

    Around 14,000L of water per second bubble up from underground vents here, making it the largest freshwater spring in the southern hemisphere. It's also…

  • 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…

  • A backpacker standing at the top of Te Mata Peak in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand.

    Te Mata Peak

    Hastings & Around

    Rising dramatically from the Heretaunga Plains 16km south of Havelock North, Te Mata Peak (399m) is part of the 1-sq-km Te Mata Trust Park. The summit…

  • 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…

  • Reflective stainless steel facade of the Len Lye Centre/Govett-Brewster Art Gallery in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

    Govett-Brewster Art Gallery/Len Lye Centre

    New Plymouth

    This two-headed artistic beast is arguably NZ's best regional art gallery, presenting contemporary – and often experimental and provocative – local and…

  • 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

  • Base track around Mauao, Mt Maunganui, New Zealand.

    Mauao

    Bay of Plenty

    The steep slopes of 232m-high Mauao swarm with walkers in the morning, when the Mount’s early risers perform their ritual climb to the summit. The ascent…

  • 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…

  • Sand Dunes and grass vegetation at famous Wharariki Beach.

    Wharariki Beach

    Nelson Region

    This remote, dramatically beautiful beach is a magnificent introduction to the West Coast, with a seal colony at its eastern end and otherworldly rock…

  • The entrance of the Auckland Art Gallery (or Toi o Tāmaki in Māori), located below Albert Park in the city centre.

    Auckland Art Gallery

    City Centre & Britomart

    Auckland's premier art repository has a striking glass-and-wood atrium grafted onto its 1887 French chateau frame. It showcases the best of NZ art, along…

  • 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…