Must-visit Places In New Zealand
New Zealand is an amazing country with many beautiful locations and amazing activities to partake in.
For many, New Zealand is a destination that’s listed on their bucket list.
However, New Zealand is a huge country and there are many different cities and parts to it.
So, which are the best of them? Which are places that one should definitely see?
In this article, we will be going through several places in New Zealand that travellers should definitely see!
Auckland
Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand and it is the main connector for other parts of New Zealand.
International visitors usually arrive at the Auckland Airport and travel on from here.
Therefore, it is a great starting point for discovering New Zealand.
However, don’t just take Auckland as a stepping stone. Auckland has many great attractions to offer to visitors too!
In fact, we’d recommend staying in Auckland for a few days to explore what she has to offer.
If you like art, the Auckland Art Gallery is one that you should visit.
This is the biggest art museum within New Zealand and it is home to over 15,000 pieces of art.
If you’re more into adventure, there’s also the Auckland Bridge Climb and Auckland Bridge Bungee Jump to try.
Waiheke Island
From Auckland, we’d definitely suggest a visit to Waiheke Island. Waiheke Island is nearby and only requires a thirty-minute boat ride to reach.
Here, you’d be able to savour many amazing New Zealand wines as Waiheke Island is where a great many vineyards are.
If you are planning to taste a great many wines, it would be a great idea to hire a tour guide, such as the Waiheke Island Wine Tours.
Such a tour will have guides driving you to three different vineyards for wine tasting.
Apart from wine, there are also amazing beaches, forests, and olive groves to visit.
If you’re into art, there’s also a vibrant art community present on the island.
Bay of Islands
Once again, the Bay of Islands is pretty close to Auckland.
By car, it would only take you about three hours to reach.
As the name suggests, the Bay of Islands is a region composed of 144 different islands.
These islands span from Cape Brett to the Purerua Peninsula.
The Bay of Islands is famous due to a large amount of water activities available here.
There’s fishing, sailing, diving and cruises that you can go on.
If you want to try your hand at scuba diving, there’s Paihia Dive’s intro-to-diving course.
This course will have you driven out into the bay and you’ll be allowed to dive and explore the underwater world out there.
If you’re looking for something tamer, you can go on a cruise to see dolphins and whales.
Such cruises also often take you by famous sights such as the Hole in the Rock.
Milford Sound
Milford Sound is an amazing sight to behold.
During the Ice Age, the Milford Sound was formed by glaciers.
Today, it no longer is as icy as before.
Instead, you’d be seeing cliffs emerging from fjords, mountains and waterfalls.
In truth, it all looks like something out of a movie.
The sights are simply breathtaking and it would be a huge loss to miss this.
If you are keen to see Milford Sound, a sightseeing cruise would be your best bet.
Alternatively, if you desire more adventure in your visit, you can go on a kayaking tour.
Aside from boat or kayak tours, you should also take a chance to visit the Milford Discovery Centre and Underwater Observatory.
This observatory is the only one in New Zealand as it floats underwater and allows visitors a 360-degree view underwater.
Queenstown
If you’re an adventure fiend, Queenstown is the place for you!
Queenstown is well known as the adventure capital of New Zealand and for adventure fiends, this place is a haven.
During the winter and spring months, skiing is the activity of choice.
Aside from that, there are also other activities such as bungee jumping, skydiving, jet boarding, river rafting, paddle boarding and kayaking.
The number of activities you can try here is simply endless.
After a day of exciting activities, there’s good food to look forward to too.
Queenstown is also well known for food.
In fact, some argue that Queenstown is the best for food in New Zealand.
If you’re looking for recommendations, we’d suggest Fergburger.
This is one of the most amazing burger places available and even CNN has praised it to be the best on the planet.
However, due to Queenstown’s reputation for adventure and food, Queenstown can be really expensive to visit.
If you’re on a budget, this might be a place to reconsider.
Franz Josef
The town of Franz Josef is most well known for its similarly named glacier.
This glacier was named by a geologist in 1865 for the Austrian Emperor, Franz Josef.
This glacier spans 6.8 miles long and can be explored in several ways.
If you’re short on time, you can take a helicopter tour over the glacier.
This experience has been described as awe-inspiring by many.
Alternatively, you could also go more hands-on and hike the glacier.
This would require a guided tour. Surprisingly, it is also not all that cold on the glacier as there is much sunlight shining down at the top.
In fact, it is only a little bit colder than at the bottom.
After your hike, you may want to relax by soaking in the Glacier Hot Pools.
The water for these pools all come from the glacier and seem like a good way to end off a day of glacier exploring.
If you want more privacy, you’d have to request for a private pool.
Otherwise, there are three warm pools that you can share with the other visitors.
Conclusion
New Zealand is an amazing destination for travellers and there are simply so many parts to explore.
In our guide, we have listed some of the best places to see.
We hope that this guide helps in planning for your trip!