Rotorua
Learn everything you need to know about farming at this 140-hectare model farm. Shows (9.30am, 11am and 2.30pm) include a parade of champion rams, lamb…
Must-see attractions in New Zealand
Taupo & the Ruapehu Region
Ongoing rumbles are reminders that all the volcanoes in this area are very much in the land of the living. In 2012 Te Maari, a crater on Mt Tongariro …
Dunedin
Dunedin's second grand Presbyterian church sprang up in 1876, only three years after the equally imposing First Church, and quickly became an emblem of…
Wellington
The only botanic gardens in NZ specialising in native flora, Otari features more than 1200 plant species including an extant section of native bush…
Karangahape Road Art Gallery Trail
Ponsonby & Karangahape Rd
Filling the spaces between ethnic restaurants, hip wine bars and vintage-clothing shops, Karangahape Rd is home to the highest concentration of studios…
Christchurch
Take a ride to the top of Mt Cavendish (500m) on this 862m cable car for wonderful views over the city, Lyttelton, Banks Peninsula and the Canterbury…
Rotorua & the Bay of Plenty
Providing a mirror for the raw slopes of Mt Tarawera (1110m), this pretty lake is a popular destination for swimming, fishing, boating and walks. It may…
Wellington
A beacon of culture and delight, the excellent Dowse is worth visiting for its jaunty architecture alone. It’s a family-friendly, accessible art museum…
Queenstown & Wanaka
The area's oldest commercial winery (established in the early 1980s) offers tours of the winery ($35) and NZ's largest wine cave ($20). It also has a…
Wellington Cathedral of St Paul
Wellington
At 88m long and 18m high, this modern Anglican cathedral exudes quasi-Moorish architectural vibes inside its lofty interiors. It first opened its doors in…
Napier
Wooden palisades, carved pou (memorial posts) and a carved gate help bring this pā (fortified village) site to life. An hour-long loop walk across grassy…
Dunedin
Built to recognise the contribution of Dunedin's Chinese community, this walled garden was constructed in Shanghai before being dismantled and reassembled…
Christchurch
Wrapped around the Botanic Gardens, Hagley Park is Christchurch's biggest green space, stretching for 165 hectares. Riccarton Ave splits it in two, while…
Rotorua
The manicured Government Gardens surrounding the Rotorua Museum are a wonderful example of the blending of English (rose gardens, ponds, croquet lawns and…
Queenstown & Wanaka
With gold rushes came lawlessness. Arrowtown's prisoners were originally manacled to logs, but in 1876 this schist jail, now surrounded by homes, was…
Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula
Three kilometres west from the Glowworm Cave is Aranui Cave. This cave is dry (hence no glowworms) but compensates with an incredible array of limestone…
Wellington
Designed by Rev Fred Thatcher, the first vicar of Wellington, this wonderfully woody former Anglican cathedral (1866) is well worth a look. Despite its…
Lakes District Museum & Gallery
Queenstown & Wanaka
Exhibits cover the gold-rush era and the early days of Chinese settlement around Arrowtown. Kids are kept engaged by the likes of an 'Odd One Out' game…
Waiheke Island
At the eastern end of the island, privately owned Stony Batter has WWII tunnels and gun emplacements that were built in 1941 to defend Auckland’s harbour…
Queenstown
These 2 hectares are home to 10,000 native plants, geckos, skinks, tuatara (an endemic reptile) and scores of birds, including kiwi, kea (alpine parrots),…
Katherine Mansfield House & Garden
Wellington
Often compared to Chekhov and Maupassant, Katherine Mansfield was one of NZ’s most distinguished authors, who pushed the short-story form to uncharted…
Christchurch
Orana is an 'open range' zoo, and you'll know exactly what that means if you opt to jump in the cage on wheels for the lion encounter ($52.50 per person)…
Christchurch
Canterbury College's most famous alumnus was the father of nuclear physics, Lord Ernest Rutherford, the NZ physicist who first split the atom in 1917 …
Dunedin
Gaze upon local and international art – including a small collection of Impressionists – at this expansive and airy gallery. Only a fraction of the…
Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula
Apart from its Spanish Mission town clock, Jubilee Gardens is a wholehearted tribute to the ‘mother country'. A British lion guards the cenotaph, with a…
Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial
Christchurch
Unveiled in 2017, this moving monument comprises a 100m-long memorial wall, curved along the south bank of the Avon and engraved with the names of the 185…
Auckland Region
It’s a mark of the esteem in which Colin McCahon is held that the house he lived and painted in during the 1950s has been opened to the public as a mini…
Bay of Islands & Northland
This coastal reserve features sand dunes, pohutukawa trees, jutting headlands and picturesque beaches. DOC-managed accommodation includes an eight-person…
Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula
Located in the same building as the Te Kuiti i-SITE, this interesting exhibition of sporting memorabilia is a tribute to Sir Colin Meads and his brother…
Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula
This statue commemorates the late Sir Colin Meads, a legendary captain of the All Blacks, and regarded as one of New Zealand's finest rugby players…
Taupo & the Ruapehu Region
Maybe not so much 'Don't Miss' as 'Impossible to Miss', this roadside tribute to Ōhakune's biggest crop was erected in 1984. Carrots were first grown in…
Bay of Islands & Northland
At Wairere, massive basalt rock formations have been eroded into odd fluted shapes by the acidity of ancient kauri forests. Allow 40 minutes for the main…
Queenstown
Located in the old underwater observatory beneath the main pier, this 30-minute experience promises a journey back in time, explaining Lake Wakatipu's…
Napier
Painted recently as part of a street-art festival, there are 50 colourful and thought-provoking murals scattered across central Napier and Ahuriri. Pick…
Wellington
Committed to conservation, research and captive breeding, Wellington Zoo is home to a menagerie of native and exotic wildlife, including lions and…
Bay of Islands & Northland
The hilltop Dargaville Museum is more interesting than most regional museums. There’s a large gumdigging display, plus maritime, Māori and musical…
Coromandel Peninsula
Around 3km northwest of Paeroa on SH2, this excellent riverside maritime museum includes details of Captain James Cook's visit to the Firth of Thames and…
Rotorua
Drink in the view from the top of the Skyline gondola at this winery tasting room. The wine is made at the bottom of the hill from grapes sourced from NZ…
Auckland
Politics, harbour views and lush lawns combine on this pretty headland with a chequered history. An elaborate clifftop garden mausoleum honours Michael…
Dunedin
Dating from 1863, these 30 hectares of peaceful, grassy and shady green space include rose gardens, rare natives, a rhododendron dell, an exotic bird…
