Wairakei Natural Thermal Valley
Taupo
This thermal walk (1.8km) on a secluded property explores the steaming banks of the Wairakei Stream and the deep pit of the Witches Cauldron. Kids will…
Must-see attractions in North Island
Rotorua
Ohinemutu is a lakeside Māori village that is home to around 260 people. Highlights include the 1905 Tama-te-Kapua Meeting House (not open to visitors),…
Rotorua
Lake Rotorua is the largest of the district’s 18 lakes and is − underneath all that water − a spent volcano. Near the centre of the lake is Mokoia Island,…
Bay of Plenty
Around 8km south of town, this verdant 4.5-hectare patch of forest is home to around 1500 varieties of native plants, which can be seen on a 20-minute…
Taranaki & Whanganui
With no roads on either side, you don't need to be a genius to decipher this bridge's name. Originally built so that horses could cross the river to…
Coromandel Peninsula
Around seven million years ago Paaku was a volcanic island, but now it forms the northern head of Tairua’s harbour. Ngāti Hei had a pā here before being…
Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery
Auckland Region
This excellent art gallery is housed in a spectacular modern building on the edge of the village beside the heritage splendour of the former Hotel…
Tongariro National Trout Centre
Lake Taupo Region
Around 4km south of Tūrangi, this DOC-managed trout centre has a hatchery, an underwater viewing chamber, a museum with polished educational displays, a…
Wellington
Closed for seismic strengthening and restoration from 2013 to 2017, this pretty Catholic parish church is looking downright heavenly. Built in 1922, it…
Whanganui
The historical displays here are interesting, but everyone's here for the PS Waimarie, the last of the Whanganui River paddle steamers. In 1900 it was…
The Far North
This small private museum is set in lovely gardens at Hihi, 15km northeast of Mangonui. The centrepiece is a still-lived-in Victorian homestead built by…
Otorohanga Kiwi House & Native Bird Park
Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula
This bird barn has a nocturnal enclosure where you can see active kiwi energetically digging with their long beaks, searching for food. This is one of the…
Rotorua
Consecrated in 1918, Ōhinemutu's historic timber church is intricately decorated with Māori carvings, tukutuku (woven panels), painted scrollwork and…
Wellington
Lost beneath a canopy of oak and pohutukawa, between freeway off-ramps and apartment towers, this fabulously dank and atmospheric remnant dates back to…
Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula
A community hub, the Old School Arts Centre has changing exhibitions and workshops, including weaving, carving, yoga and storytelling. Movies screen here…
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…
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 …
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…
Gisborne
This cultural centre commemorates the dedication and commitment of the famed 28th Māori Battalion of the New Zealand Army who fought bravely in the…
Whanganui
Across the City Bridge from town and 1km towards the sea is the Putiki Church (aka St Paul’s Memorial Church). It’s unremarkable externally, but just like…
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…
Bay of Plenty
Attached to the library, this impressive museum and gallery has artfully presented displays on early Māori and European settlement in the area. A gourd on…
Taranaki & Whanganui
The town of Whangamomona (population 40) is a highlight. This quirky village declared itself an independent republic in 1989 after disagreements with…
Rotorua
The manicured Government Gardens surrounding the Rotorua Museum are a wonderful example of the blending of English (rose gardens, ponds, croquet lawns and…
Tauranga
Hairy Maclary author Lynley Dodd lived in Tauranga for years, and NZ’s favourite literary animals were immortalised in bronze on Tauranga’s wharf in 2015…
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…
City Centre & Britomart
Hugging the hill on the city’s eastern flank, Albert Park is a charming Victorian formal garden overrun by students from the neighbouring University of…
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…
Hastings & Around
There's plenty of great vineyard dining around Hawke's Bay, but copper-clad Elephant Hill in beachy Te Awanga is something special. Huge picture windows…
The Wairarapa
On the site of an old coach stop, complete with original stables and well-worn cobbled courtyard, this endearing museum features transplanted period…
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…
Bay of Islands
English naturalist Charles Darwin made a donation towards the cost of building this, the country’s oldest surviving church (1836). The graveyard's biggest…
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…
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…
Bay of Plenty
Tumbling down the cliffs immediately behind town, tall, skinny Te Wairere occupies a deliciously damp nook. It once powered flax and flour mills, and it…
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…
Bay of Islands
Some 10km from town and reached via a permanent causeway through the mangroves, this 12-hectare island reserve provides a haven for the North Island brown…
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…
