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Lonely Planet New Zealand
Автор: Lonely Planet, Charles Rawlings-Way и Brett Atkinson
Активность, связанная с книгой
Начать чтениеОценки:
Рейтинг: 3 из 5 звезд3/5 (39 оценок)
Длина: 2,034 стр.17 ч
- Издатель:
- Lonely Planet
- Издано:
- Sep 1, 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781788681360
- Формат:
- Книге
Описание
Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisher
Lonely Planet's New Zealand is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Glide through turquoise waters past pods of orcas in Bay of Islands; try black-water rafting in astonishing Waitomo Caves; watch the ground breathe steam in volcanic Rotorua; and hit the slopes in Queenstown and Wanaka - all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of New Zealand and begin your journey now!
Inside Lonely Planet's New Zealand:
Colour maps and images throughout Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sightseeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights provide a richer, more rewarding travel experience - covering history, people, music, landscapes, wildlife, cuisine, politics Covers Auckland, Bay of Islands & Northland, Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula, Taupo & the Central Plateau, Rotorua & the Bay of Plenty, the East Coast, Wellington & Around, Marlborough & Nelson, the West Coast, Christchurch & Canterbury, Dunedin & Otago, Queenstown & Wanaka, Fiordland & SouthlandThe Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet's New Zealand is our most comprehensive guide to the country, and is designed to immerse you in the culture and help you discover the best sights and get off the beaten track.
Looking for more extensive coverage? Check out Lonely Planet's New Zealand's North Island or New Zealand's South Island for a comprehensive look at all the country has to offer.
About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company and the world's number one travel guidebook brand, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, we've printed over 145 million guidebooks and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You'll also find our content online, and in mobile apps, video, 14 languages, nine international magazines, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more.
'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times
'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves, it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media (Australia)
eBook Features: (Best viewed on tablet devices and smartphones)
Downloadable PDF and offline maps prevent roaming and data charges Effortlessly navigate and jump between maps and reviews Add notes to personalise your guidebook experience Seamlessly flip between pages Bookmarks and speedy search capabilities get you to key pages in a flash Embedded links to recommendations' websites Zoom-in maps and images Inbuilt dictionary for quick referencingImportant Notice: The digital edition of this book may not contain all of the images found in the physical edition.
Активность, связанная с книгой
Начать чтениеСведения о книге
Lonely Planet New Zealand
Автор: Lonely Planet, Charles Rawlings-Way и Brett Atkinson
Оценки:
Рейтинг: 3 из 5 звезд3/5 (39 оценок)
Длина: 2,034 стр.17 ч
Описание
Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisher
Lonely Planet's New Zealand is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Glide through turquoise waters past pods of orcas in Bay of Islands; try black-water rafting in astonishing Waitomo Caves; watch the ground breathe steam in volcanic Rotorua; and hit the slopes in Queenstown and Wanaka - all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of New Zealand and begin your journey now!
Inside Lonely Planet's New Zealand:
Colour maps and images throughout Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sightseeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights provide a richer, more rewarding travel experience - covering history, people, music, landscapes, wildlife, cuisine, politics Covers Auckland, Bay of Islands & Northland, Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula, Taupo & the Central Plateau, Rotorua & the Bay of Plenty, the East Coast, Wellington & Around, Marlborough & Nelson, the West Coast, Christchurch & Canterbury, Dunedin & Otago, Queenstown & Wanaka, Fiordland & SouthlandThe Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet's New Zealand is our most comprehensive guide to the country, and is designed to immerse you in the culture and help you discover the best sights and get off the beaten track.
Looking for more extensive coverage? Check out Lonely Planet's New Zealand's North Island or New Zealand's South Island for a comprehensive look at all the country has to offer.
About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company and the world's number one travel guidebook brand, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, we've printed over 145 million guidebooks and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You'll also find our content online, and in mobile apps, video, 14 languages, nine international magazines, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more.
'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times
'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves, it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media (Australia)
eBook Features: (Best viewed on tablet devices and smartphones)
Downloadable PDF and offline maps prevent roaming and data charges Effortlessly navigate and jump between maps and reviews Add notes to personalise your guidebook experience Seamlessly flip between pages Bookmarks and speedy search capabilities get you to key pages in a flash Embedded links to recommendations' websites Zoom-in maps and images Inbuilt dictionary for quick referencingImportant Notice: The digital edition of this book may not contain all of the images found in the physical edition.
- Издатель:
- Lonely Planet
- Издано:
- Sep 1, 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781788681360
- Формат:
- Книге
Об авторе
Lonely Planet has gone on to become the world’s most successful travel publisher, printing over 100 million books. The guides are printed in nine different languages; English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Chinese and Korean. Lonely Planet enables curious travellers to experience the world and get to the heart of a place via guidebooks and eBooks to almost every destination on the planet, an award-winning website and magazine, a range of mobile and digital travel products and a dedicated traveller community.
Связано с Lonely Planet New Zealand
Отрывок книги
Lonely Planet New Zealand - Lonely Planet
New Zealand (Aotearoa)
Contents
Plan Your Trip
Welcome to New Zealand
New Zealand’s Top 20
Need to Know
First Time New Zealand
What’s New
If You Like
Month by Month
Itineraries
Getting Around New Zealand
Hiking in New Zealand
Skiing & Snowboarding
Extreme New Zealand
Eat & Drink Like a Local
Travel with Children
Regions at a Glance
On The Road
AUCKLAND REGION
Auckland
Hauraki Gulf Islands
Rangitoto & Motutapu Islands
Motuihe Island
Waiheke Island
Rotoroa Island
Tiritiri Matangi Island
Motuora Island
Kawau Island
Great Barrier Island
West Auckland
Titirangi
Karekare
Piha
Te Henga (Bethells Beach)
Kumeu & Around
Muriwai Beach
Helensville
North Auckland
Long Bay Regional Park
Shakespear Regional Park
Orewa
Waiwera
Puhoi
Mahurangi & Scandrett Regional Parks
Warkworth
Matakana
Leigh
Pakiri
Colour section 1
BAY OF ISLANDS & NORTHLAND
Whangarei District
Mangawhai
Waipu & Bream Bay
Whangarei
Whangarei Heads
Tutukaka Coast & the Poor Knights Islands
Bay of Islands
Russell
Paihia, Waitangi & Haruru
Urupukapuka Island
Kerikeri
Kawakawa
The Far North
Matauri & Tauranga Bays
Whangaroa Harbour
Doubtless Bay
Karikari Peninsula
Cape Reinga & Ninety Mile Beach
Kaitaia
Ahipara
Hokianga
Kohukohu
Horeke & Around
Rawene
Opononi & Omapere
Waiotemarama & Waimamaku
Kauri Coast
Waipoua Forest
Trounson Kauri Park
Kai Iwi Lakes
Baylys Beach
Dargaville
Matakohe
WAIKATO & THE COROMANDEL PENINSULA
Waikato
Hamilton
Raglan
South of Raglan
Te Awamutu
Cambridge
Matamata
Te Aroha
King Country
Kawhia
Otorohanga
Waitomo Caves
South from Waitomo to Taranaki
Te Kuiti
Pio Pio, Awakino & Mokau
Taumarunui
Owhango
Coromandel Peninsula
Miranda
Thames
Coastal Route from Thames to Coromandel Town
Coromandel Town
Far North Coromandel
Coromandel Town to Whitianga
Whitianga
Coroglen & Whenuakite
Hahei
Hot Water Beach
Tairua & Pauanui
Whangamata
Waihi & Waihi Beach
Paeroa
TARANAKI & WHANGANUI
New Plymouth
Around New Plymouth
Mt Taranaki & Around
Surf Highway 45
Whanganui
Whanganui National Park
Palmerston North
Around Palmerston North
TAUPO & THE RUAPEHU REGION
Lake Taupo Region
Taupo
Turangi
Ruapehu Region
Tongariro National Park
Whakapapa Village
National Park Village
Ohakune
Waiouru
ROTORUA & THE BAY OF PLENTY
Rotorua
Rotorua Lakes
Bay of Plenty
Tauranga
Mt Maunganui
Papamoa
Katikati
Whakatane
Ohope
Opotiki
THE EAST COAST
East Cape
Pacific Coast Hwy
Gisborne
South of Gisborne
Te Urewera
Hawke’s Bay
Wairoa & Around
Napier
Hastings & Around
Cape Kidnappers
Central Hawke’s Bay
Kaweka & Ruahine Ranges
Colour section 2
WELLINGTON REGION
Wellington
Kapiti Coast
Paekakariki
Paraparaumu
Waikanae
The Wairarapa
Martinborough
Greytown
Masterton & Around
Colour section 3
MARLBOROUGH & NELSON
Marlborough Region
Picton
Marlborough Sounds
Queen Charlotte Track
Kenepuru & Pelorus Sounds
Blenheim
Kaikoura
Nelson Region
Nelson
Ruby Coast & Moutere Hills
Motueka
Kaiteriteri
Marahau
Abel Tasman National Park
Golden Bay
Kahurangi National Park
Nelson Lakes National Park
THE WEST COAST
Buller Region
Murchison & Buller Gorge
Reefton
Westport & Around
Karamea & Around
The Great Coast Road
Charleston & Around
Punakaiki & Paparoa National Park
Barrytown & Around
Greymouth Region
Greymouth
Blackball
Lake Brunner
Kumara
Westland
Hokitika
Ross
Hari Hari
Whataroa
Okarito
Westland Tai Poutini National Park
Franz Josef Glacier
Fox Glacier
Haast Region
Haast
Jackson Bay & Around
CHRISTCHURCH & CANTERBURY
Christchurch
Around Christchurch
Lyttelton
Banks Peninsula
North Canterbury
Lewis Pass
Hanmer Springs
Waipara Valley
Central Canterbury
Selwyn District
Arthur’s Pass
Methven
Mt Somers
South Canterbury
Timaru
Inland & Mackenzie Country
Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park
Colour section 4
DUNEDIN & OTAGO
Waitaki District
Omarama
Waitaki Valley
Oamaru
Moeraki
Dunedin
Around Dunedin
Port Chalmers
Otago Peninsula
Central Otago
Middlemarch
Ranfurly
Naseby
Lauder, Omakau & Ophir
Alexandra
Clyde
Cromwell
Colour section 5
QUEENSTOWN & WANAKA
Queenstown
Around Queenstown
Glenorchy
Arrowtown
Wanaka
Around Wanaka
Cardrona
Lake Hawea
Makarora
FIORDLAND & SOUTHLAND
Fiordland
Te Anau
Milford Hwy
Milford Sound
Manapouri
Doubtful Sound
Central Southland
Tuatapere
Te Waewae & Colac Bays
Riverton
Invercargill
Bluff
The Catlins
Curio Bay & Around
Papatowai & Around
Owaka & Around
Kaka Point & Around
Stewart Island (Rakiura)
Understand
Understand New Zealand
New Zealand Today
History
Environment
Māori Culture
Arts & Music
Survive Guide
Directory A–Z
Accommodation
Customs Regulations
Discount Cards
Climate
Electricity
Food
Health
Insurance
Internet Access
Legal Matters
LGBTIQ+ Travellers
Maps
Money
Opening Hours
Post
Public Holidays
Safe Travel
Telephone
Time
Toilets
Tourist Information
Travellers with Disabilities
Visas
Volunteering
Women Travellers
Work
Transport
Getting There & Away
Getting Around
Behind the Scenes
Map Legend
Welcome to New Zealand
Get ready for mammoth national parks, dynamic Māori culture, and world-class surfing and skiing. New Zealand can be mellow or action-packed, but it’s always epic.
Walk on the Wild Side
There are just 4.8 million New Zealanders, scattered across 268,021 sq km: bigger than the UK with one-fourteenth of the population. Filling in the gaps are the sublime forests, mountains, lakes, beaches and fiords that have made NZ one of the best hiking (locals call it ‘tramping’) destinations on the planet. Tackle one of the epic ‘Great Walks’ – you might’ve heard of the Heaphy and Milford Tracks – or spend a few hours wandering along a beach, paddling a canoe or mountain biking through some easily accessible wilderness.
Food, Wine & Beer
British-influenced classics like fish and chips aren’t going anywhere, but NZ gastronomy has come a long way, baby. Chefs in Auckland, Wellington and Napier borrow influences from as far afield as South Pacific islands and western Europe for creative takes on locally sourced lamb and seafood like abalone, oysters and scallops. Meanwhile, the vegetarian and vegan food scenes grow evermore prominent and inventive. Wash it all down with coffee culture, an edgy craft-beer scene and legendary cool-climate wines (like sublime sauvignon blanc and pinot noir).
Māori Culture
New Zealand’s all-conquering All Blacks would never have become back-to-back rugby world champions without their unstoppable Māori players. But this is just one example of how Māori culture impresses itself on contemporary Kiwi life: across NZ you can hear Māori language, watch Māori TV, join in a hāngi (Māori feast) or catch a cultural performance with song, dance and a blood-curdling haka (war dance). Māori design continues to find expression in tā moko, Māori tattooing (often applied to the face) and the delicate artistry of bone, shell and pounamu (greenstone) sculpture.
The Real ‘Big Easy’
New Zealand isn’t a place where you encounter many on-the-road frustrations: buses and trains generally run on time; main roads are in good nick; ATMs proliferate; pickpockets, scam merchants and bedbug-ridden hostels are few and far between; and the food is unlikely to send you running for the nearest public toilets (usually clean and stocked with the requisite paper). And there are no snakes, and only one poisonous spider – the endangered katipo. This decent nation is a place where you can relax and enjoy (rather than endure) your travels.
Routeburn Track | GIANTRABBIT/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
By Anita Isalska, Writer
New Zealand lives up to the hype – not easy, in a country that wins lavish praise from millions of visitors. This land is more magical than its movie sets: volcanoes smoulder, fiords are pinch-yourself pretty and beaches have dreamy surf. But it’s NZ’s understated charms that reeled me in, like New Zealanders’ disarming honesty and humour, and the pioneer spirit that endures in remote areas. Tolerant and eco-conscious NZ feels like a sanctuary in a turbulent world. I’d hide out here forever.
For more about our writers, see Our Writers
New Zealand’s Top 20
Wellington
One of the coolest little capitals in the world, windy Wellington lives up to the hype. It’s long famed for a vibrant arts-and-music scene, fuelled by excellent espresso, a host of craft-beer bars, and more cafes and restaurants per head than New York. Edgy yet sociable, colourful yet often dressed in black, Wellington is big on the unexpected and unconventional. Erratic weather only adds zest to the experience…though it plays havoc with all those hip haircuts.
Parliamentary Library, New Zealand Parliament | JEJIM/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Top Experiences
Tongariro National Park
At the centre of the North Island, Tongariro National Park presents an eye-popping landscape of alpine desert punctuated by three smouldering volcanoes. Often rated as one of the world’s best single-day wilderness walks, the challenging Tongariro Alpine Crossing skirts the base of two of the mountains and provides views of craters, brightly coloured lakes and the vast Central Plateau. The crossing’s popularity has skyrocketed, causing the DOC to step in and limit visitor numbers. Fortunately, there are numerous other ways to explore this alien landscape.
Blue Lake, Tongariro Northern Circuit | KYRIEN/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Top Experiences
Waiheke Island & the Hauraki Gulf
A yachtie’s paradise, the island-studded Hauraki Gulf is Auckland’s aquatic playground, sheltering its harbour and east-coast bays and providing ample excuse for the City of Sails’ pleasure fleet to breeze into action. Despite the busy maritime traffic, the gulf has its own resident pods of whales and dolphins. Rangitoto Island is an icon of the city, its near-perfect volcanic cone providing the backdrop for many a tourist snapshot. Yet it’s Waiheke, with its beautiful beaches, acclaimed wineries and upmarket eateries, that is Auckland’s most popular island escape.
Waiheke Island | DENIZUNLUSU/GETTY IMAGES ©
Top Experiences
Urban Auckland
Held in the embrace of two harbours and built on the remnants of long-extinct volcanoes, Auckland isn’t your average metropolis. It’s regularly rated one of the world’s most liveable cities, and while it’s never going to challenge NYC or London in the excitement stakes, it’s blessed with good beaches, wine regions and a thriving dining, drinking and live-music scene. Cultural festivals are celebrated with gusto in ethnically diverse Auckland, which has the biggest Polynesian population of any city in the world.
RUDY BALASKO/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Top Experiences
Kaikoura
First settled by Maōri with their taste for seafood, Kaikoura (meaning ‘to eat crayfish’) is NZ’s best spot for both consuming and communing with marine life. Feast on crayfish, go on a fishing excursion, or take a boat tour or flight to see whales, dolphins, seals and marine bird life. In NZ, marine mammal tour operators adhere to strict guidelines developed and monitored by the country’s DOC. Following a severe earthquake in November 2016, Kaikoura has also rebounded to become a fascinating destination to observe the profound impact of seismic activity.
Seal at Kaikoura | NICOTREX/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Top Experiences
Bay of Islands
Turquoise waters lapping pretty bays, dolphins frolicking at the bows of boats, pods of orcas gliding gracefully by: chances are these are the kinds of images that drew you to NZ in the first place, and these are exactly the kinds of experiences that the Bay of Islands delivers so well. Whether you’re a hardened sea dog or a confirmed landlubber, there are myriad options to tempt you out on the water to explore the 150-odd islands that dot this beautiful bay.
Dolphins in the Bay of Islands | JACQUESVANDINTEREN/GETTY IMAGES ©
Top Experiences
Milford Sound
Whatever the weather, Milford Sound will dazzle you with its collage of waterfalls, forbidding cliffs and dark cobalt waters, with the iconic profile of Mitre Peak rising above. Fiordland’s waterfalls are even more spectacular when fed by rain, but blue-sky days set rainbows sparkling from their mist. Either way, keep your eyes peeled for seals, dolphins and the elusive Fiordland crested penguin, especially if you’re exploring NZ’s most famous fiord by kayak.
IAMDOCTOREGG/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Top Experiences
Queenstown
Queenstown may be world-renowned as the birthplace of bungy jumping, but there’s more to NZ’s adventure hub than leaping off a bridge attached to a giant rubber band. The Remarkables mountain range provides a jagged indigo backdrop to days spent skiing, hiking or mountain biking, before dining in cosmopolitan restaurants or partying in some of NZ’s best bars. Keep the adrenaline flowing with hang gliding, kayaking or river rafting, or ease into your NZ travels with more sedate detours to Glenorchy or historic Arrowtown.
PURIPAT LERTPUNYAROJ/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Top Experiences
Rotorua
The first thing you’ll notice about Rotorua is the sulphur smell – this geothermal hotspot whiffs like rotten eggs. But as the locals point out, volcanic by-products are what everyone is here to see: gushing geysers, bubbling mud, steaming cracks in the ground, boiling pools of mineral-rich water… Rotorua is unique: a fact exploited by some fairly commercial local businesses. But you don’t have to spend a fortune – there are plenty of affordable (and free) volcanic encounters to be had in parks, Māori villages or just along the roadside.
Champagne Pool, Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland | JESPER BüLOW/GETTY IMAGES ©
Top Experiences
Māori Culture
New Zealand’s indigenous Māori culture is accessible and engaging: join in a haka (war dance); chow down at a traditional hāngi (Māori feast cooked in the ground); carve a pendant from bone or pounamu (jade); learn some Māori language; or check out an authentic cultural performance with song, dance, legends, arts and crafts. Big-city and regional museums around NZ are crammed with Māori artefacts and historical items, but this is truly a living culture: vibrant, potent and contemporary.
YEVGEN BELICH/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Top Experiences
The West Coast
A remote, end-of-the-road vibe defines the West Coast. Road trips along SH6, from isolated wildlife haven Haast to tramping outpost Karamea, thread together an alluring combination of sights: must-see Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers, Hokitika’s greenstone galleries and geological wonders like Pancake Rocks. There are countless detours to mountain-biking and tramping trails, many of which follow the footsteps of early pioneers. Primeval wilderness is often only a short journey away by foot (or helicopter, or jetboat…).
Fox Glacier | BILDAGENTUR ZOONAR GMBH/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Top Experiences
Heaphy Track
Beloved of NZ trampers (and, in winter, mountain bikers), the four- to six-day Heaphy Track is the jewel of Kahurangi National Park, the great wilderness spanning the South Island’s northwest corner. Highlights include the mystical Gouland Downs and surreal nikau palm coast, while the townships at either end – at Golden Bay and Karamea – will bring you back down to earth with the most laid-back of landings.
©DCHADWICK/GETTY IMAGES
Top Experiences
Central Otago
Here’s your chance to balance virtue and vice. Take to two wheels to negotiate the easygoing Otago Central Rail Trail, cycling through some of NZ’s most beautiful landscapes and the heritage streetscapes of former gold-mining towns. All the while, snack on the summer stone fruit for which the region is famous. Balance the ledger with well-earned beers at one of the numerous historic pubs. Alternatively, taste your way to viticultural ecstasy in the vineyards of one of the country’s most acclaimed wine regions.
Bannockburn, near Cromwell | ©RADIUS IMAGES/GETTY IMAGE
Top Experiences
Rugby
Rugby Union is NZ’s national game and governing preoccupation. If your timing’s good, you might catch the revered national team (and reigning back-to-back world champions), the All Blacks, in action. The ‘ABs’ are resident gods: drop any of their names into a conversation and you’ll win friends for life. Visit the New Zealand Rugby Museum in Palmerston North, watch some kids running around a suburban field on a Saturday morning, or yell along with the locals in a small-town pub as the big men collide on screen.
MARCO IACOBUCCI EPP/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Top Experiences
Abel Tasman National Park
Here’s nature at its most seductive: lush green hills fringed with golden sandy coves, slipping gently into warm shallows before meeting a crystal-clear sea. Abel Tasman National Park is a postcard-perfect paradise where you can put yourself in the picture, assuming an endless number of poses – tramping, kayaking, swimming, sunbathing – before finally setting up tent by cerulean shores.
GUAXINIM/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Top Experiences
Waitomo Caves
Waitomo is a must-see: an astonishing maze of subterranean caves, canyons and rivers perforating the northern King Country limestone. Black-water rafting is the big lure here (like white-water rafting but through a dark cave), plus glowworm grottoes, underground abseiling and more stalactites and stalagmites than you’ll ever see in one place again. Above ground, Waitomo township is a quaint collaboration of businesses: a swish restaurant, craft brewery, pub and some more-than-decent accommodation. But don’t linger in the sunlight – it’s party time downstairs!
LUKAS BISCHOFF PHOTOGRAPH/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Top Experiences
Skiing & Snowboarding
New Zealand is studded with massive mountains, and you’re almost guaranteed to find decent snow right through the winter season (June to October). Most of the famous slopes are on the South Island: hip Queenstown and hippie Wanaka are where you want to be, with iconic ski runs like Coronet Peak, the Remarkables and Treble Cone close at hand. There are also dedicated snowboarding and cross-country (Nordic) snow parks here. And on the North Island, Mt Ruapehu offers the chance to ski down a volcano.
Snowboarding on Mt Ruapehu, Tongariro National Park | IV4NGRIGORYEV/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Top Experiences
Akaroa & Banks Peninsula
Infused with Gallic ambience, Akaroa bends languidly around one of the prettiest harbours on Banks Peninsula. These clear waters, perfect for kayaking and sailing, are inhabited by the world’s rarest dolphin. Elsewhere on the peninsula, the Summit Rd snakes around the rim of an ancient volcano while winding side roads descend to hidden bays and coves. Spend your days discovering the peninsula’s many surprises: whimsical gardens, sea-kayaking safaris and colonies of rare, white-flippered penguins.
Akaroa | WILLCAO911/GETTY IMAGES ©
Top Experiences
TranzAlpine Railway
One of the world’s most scenic train journeys, the TranzAlpine cuts clear across the country from the Pacific Ocean to the Tasman Sea in less than five hours. Yes, there’s a dirty great mountain range in the way – that’s where the scenic part comes in. Leaving the Canterbury Plains, a cavalcade of tunnels and viaducts takes you up through the Southern Alps to Arthur’s Pass, where the 8.5km Otira tunnel burrows through the bedrock of NZ’s alpine spine. Then it’s downhill (only literally) to workaday Greymouth…a jumping-off point to adventures aplenty.
View from TranzAlpine of Waimakariki River Valley en route to Arthur’s Pass | STEVE HEAP/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Top Experiences
Otago Peninsula
Along with a constant backdrop of coastal vistas, the Otago Peninsula offers some of the best opportunities for wildlife-spotting in the country. Dozens of little penguins achieve peak cuteness in their nightly beachside waddle, while their much rarer yellow-eyed cousin, the hoiho, can be glimpsed standing sentinel on deserted coves. Sea lions and seals laze around on the rocks while albatrosses from the world’s only mainland colony swoop and soar above.
DELPIXEL/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Need to Know
For more information, see Survival Guide
Currency
New Zealand dollar ($)
Language
English, Māori
Visas
Citizens of 60 countries, including Australia, the UK, the US and most EU countries, don’t need visas for NZ (length-of-stay allowances vary). See www.immigration.govt.nz.
Money
Credit cards are used for most purchases in NZ, and are accepted in most hotels and restaurants. ATMs are widely available in cities and larger towns.
Mobile Phones
European phones should work on NZ’s network, but most American or Japanese phones will not. It’s straightforward to buy a local SIM card and prepaid account at outlets in airports and large towns (provided your mobile is unlocked).
Time
New Zealand time (GMT/UTC plus 12 hours)
When to Go
High Season (Dec–Feb)
A Summer brings busy beaches, gorgeous tramping weather, festivals and sporting events.
A Accommodation prices rise in most destinations – book ahead.
A High season in ski towns is winter (June to August).
Shoulder (Mar–Apr)
A Prime travelling time: fine weather, autumn colours, warm(ish) ocean and long evenings.
A Shorter queues, and popular road-trip routes are clear, especially after Easter.
A Spring (September to November) means the end of snow season, and lambs.
Low Season (May–Aug)
A Brilliant southern-hemisphere skiing and snowboarding from mid-June.
A Outside ski resorts, get accommodation deals and a seat in any restaurant.
A Warm-weather beach towns may be half asleep so reserve accommodation ahead.
Useful Websites
100% Pure New Zealand (www.newzealand.com) Comprehensive official tourism site.
Department of Conservation (www.doc.govt.nz) DOC parks, trail conditions and camping info.
Lonely Planet (www.lonelyplanet.com/new-zealand) Destination information, hotel bookings, traveller forum and more.
Destination New Zealand (www.destination-nz.com) Event listings and info from NZ history to fashion.
Te Ara (www.teara.govt.nz) Online encyclopedia of NZ.
Important Numbers
Regular NZ phone numbers have a two-digit area code followed by a seven-digit number. When dialling within a region, the area code is still required. Drop the initial 0 if dialling from abroad. If you’re calling the police but don’t speak English well, ask for Language Line, which may be able to hook you up with a translator.
Exchange Rates
For current exchange rates, see www.xe.com.
Daily Costs
Budget: Less than $150
A Dorm beds or campsites: $25−40 per night
A Main course in a budget eatery: less than $15
A InterCity or Naked Bus pass: 15 hours or five trips $125−159
Midrange: $150–250
A Double room in a midrange hotel/motel: $110–200
A Main course in a midrange restaurant: $15–32
A Car rental: from $40 per day
Top End: More than $250
A Double room in an upmarket hotel: from $200
A Three-course meal in a classy restaurant: $80
A Domestic flight Auckland to Christchurch: from $100
Opening Hours
Opening hours vary seasonally depending on where you are. Most places close on Christmas Day and Good Friday. See Directory for more information.
Arriving in New Zealand
Auckland Airport Airbus Express buses run into the city every 10 to 30 minutes, 24 hours. Door-to-door shuttle buses run 24 hours (from $35). A taxi into the city costs $80 to $90 (45 minutes).
Wellington Airport Airport Flyer buses ($9) run into the city every 10 to 20 minutes from around 7am to 9pm. Door-to-door shuttle buses run 24 hours (from $20). A taxi into the city costs around $30 (20 minutes).
Christchurch Airport Christchurch Metro Purple Line runs into the city regularly from around 7am to 11pm. Door-to-door shuttles run 24 hours (from $23). A taxi into the city costs around $45 to $65 (20 minutes).
Safe Travel
New Zealand is no more dangerous than other developed countries, but take normal safety precautions, especially after dark on city streets and in remote areas. See Safe Travel for info on a few driving and environmental concerns to be aware of.
First Time New Zealand
For more information, see Survival Guide
Checklist
A Ensure your passport is valid for at least three months past your intended return date from New Zealand
A Book rental cars, campervans and train tickets well in advance, particularly for travel during summer
A Got travel insurance? Does it cover your planned activities, like winter sports?
A Read up on Māori culture and learn a few words
What to Pack
A Sturdy walking shoes – visiting NZ without doing at least some tramping (hiking) is a crime!
A A small day pack
A NZ electrical adaptor
A Sunglasses for bright southern days
A A beanie (woolly hat) for unexpectedly chilly evenings
A Reusable water bottle
A Earplugs for hostel dorms
Top Tips for Your Trip
A Allow more driving time than you think you need. Outside cities, roads are narrow and winding, and there are often mountains or hills to navigate. Save time with internal flights, and don’t try to see the whole country in two weeks.
A Be aware that booked activities are often cancelled for weather reasons. If you have your heart set on a helicopter ride or wildlife walk that could be rained off, build extra time into your itinerary in case your tour is bumped to the following day.
A Dress for NZ’s famously fickle weather with layers you can add or remove as the weather decides what it wants to do.
A Don’t expect wi-fi to be fast or free outside cities. It’s common for hotels and cafes to offer vouchers for a limited amount of data, and connections are often slow.
What to Wear
Given the locals’ propensity to tramp off into the wilderness at any given moment, dress norms in NZ are generally fairly practical and versatile. Sure, dress to the nines for a night out on the town in Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch – but elsewhere the key to comfort and commodity is to layer up. The weather here can change in a blink: you’ll be best equipped to adapt if you can quickly add or remove clothes to keep pace with the temperature.
Sleeping
Book beds well in advance in peak tourist seasons: November through March (particularly summer holidays from Christmas to late January), at Easter, and during winter (June to September) in snowy resort towns like Queenstown and Wanaka.
A Motels & Pubs Most towns have low-rise, midrange motels. Even small towns usually have a pub with rooms.
A Holiday Parks Ideal if you’re camping or touring in a campervan. Choose from unpowered tent sites, simple cabins and en-suite units.
A Hostels Backpacker hostels include beery, party-prone joints and family-friendly ‘flashpackers’.
A Hotels Choices range from small-town pubs to slick global-chain operations – with commensurate prices.
Language
The majority of New Zealanders speak English (with a delightfully mangled accent), but Māori (te reo Māori, officially) is NZ’s other official language. Many Māori words cross over into daily English parlance: at the very least, you’ll hear kia ora (hello) regularly. Online, www.maoridictionary.co.nz has a handy translator.
Bargaining
Haggling and bargaining aren’t traditionally part of commercial culture in NZ. The only circumstances where you might have some luck are farmers markets (chipping a couple of dollars off the price of a big bag of kiwifruit at the end of the day) or large private purchases (buying a local guy’s car for a knock-down price).
Tipping
Tipping is completely optional in NZ.
A Guides Your kayaking guide or tour group leader will happily accept tips; up to $10 is fine.
A Restaurants The total on your bill is all you need to pay (though sometimes a service charge is factored in). If you like, reward good service with 5% to 10%.
A Taxis If you round up your fare, don’t be surprised if the driver hands back your change.
TIM90/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Etiquette
New Zealanders are a laid-back, modest bunch as a whole – exercising the usual good manners will help endear you to the locals.
A Greetings Shake hands when meeting someone for the first time, and look people in the eye.
A Attitude Brash, self-satisfied, arrogant attitudes really annoy people (note: this is how they perceive Australians to be and not what Kiwis are like!).
A Māori Customs Adhere to strict Māori protocols if visiting marae (meeting-house complexes). Otherwise respectful behaviour goes a long way.
A Invitations If you’re invited to dinner or a barbecue at someone’s house, bring some wine, beer, meat or a bunch of flowers.
What’s New
Stargazing on Great Barrier Island
Following its 2017 recognition as a Dark Sky Sanctuary, Great Barrier – the first island in the world to be awarded this status – now offers the opportunity for stargazing tours.
Wildwire Wanaka
The Italians have been climbing via ferrata routes for decades and they’ve arrived in NZ big time, with the world’s highest waterfall via ferrata on the Treble Cone slopes.
Pike29 Memorial Track
From 2019 trampers and mountain bikers can embark on NZ’s latest ‘Great Walk’, a 45km route between Blackball and Punakaiki commemorating lives lost in 2010’s Pike River Mine disaster.
Napier’s Dining Scene
Recent openings have given Napier the most exciting restaurant scene in provincial NZ. Bistronomy, Greek National Cafe and Hapi are highlights.
Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial
Unveiled on the sixth anniversary of the 22 February 2011 earthquake that claimed 185 lives in Christchurch, this memorial provides a place for Cantabrians to reflect and remember.
Suter Art Gallery
Following a two-year makeover, Nelson’s historic Suter Art Gallery has reopened as a modern 21st-century institution featuring fascinating NZ art and the bonus of a wonderful riverside cafe.
He Tohu
A new space at the National Library in Wellington houses three of NZ’s most precious sets of political documents: the 1835 Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand; the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi; and the 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition.
Whitestone City
Opened in 2017, this new interactive museum celebrates Oamaru’s Victorian heritage with quirky attractions, including a penny-farthing carousel and a replica streetscape.
Ziplining at Driving Creek Railway
Following an 18-minute journey on this narrow-gauge mountain railway, it’s now possible to travel back down the forest-covered hill on an exciting series of eight zip lines.
Toi Art
At Te Papa, NZ’s amazing national museum on the Wellington waterfront, the new Toi Art gallery is now open, showcasing iconic works from the national collection alongside challenging contemporary pieces. Spread over two levels, it’s free and very family-friendly.
For more recommendations and reviews, see lonelyplanet.com/new-zealand
If You Like…
Cities
Auckland Sydney for beginners? We prefer ‘Seattle minus the rain’, infused with vibrant Pacific Islander culture.
Wellington All the lures you’d expect in a capital city, packed into a compact CBD and hillsides dotted with Victorian architecture.
Christchurch Re-emerging post-earthquakes with energy and verve, largely due to the determination and resilience of proud locals.
Dunedin Exuding artsy, boozy ambience (so many students!) and close to superb wildlife-viewing opportunities on the Otago Peninsula.
Napier Art deco and Spanish Mission architecture, complemented by new restaurant openings and a relaunched museum and gallery complex.
New Plymouth The perfect urban hub, with fab galleries, cool cafes and bars, and accessible wilderness.
Beaches
Karekare Spellbinding black-sand beach, an hour’s drive west of Auckland, with wild surf (Eddie Vedder nearly drowned here!).
Hahei Iconic Kiwi beach experience on the Coromandel Peninsula, with mandatory side trip to Cathedral Cove.
Wharariki No car park, no ice-cream vans… This isolated stretch near Farewell Spit is for wanderers and ponderers.
Manu Bay New Zealand’s most famous surf break (seen Endless Summer?); there’s not much sand, but the point break is what you’re here for.
Abel Tasman Coast Track No need to Photoshop this postcard paradise – these golden beaches, blue bays and verdant hills are for real.
Wainui On the North Island’s East Coast: surfing, sandcastles, sunshine… The quintessential beach-bum beach.
Curio Bay Sure, it gets chilly on the South Island – but bodacious waves keep surf bunnies flocking to this arc of golden sand.
Extreme Activities
Queenstown bungy Strap yourself into the astonishing Shotover Canyon Swing or Nevis Bungy, and propel yourself into the void.
Abel Tasman Canyons Swim, slide, abseil and leap down the Torrent River torrents.
Waitomo black-water rafting Don a wet suit, a life vest and a helmet with a headlamp, and rampage along an underground river.
Skydive Franz Get an eyeful of glacier from 19,000ft, NZ’s highest jump (you’ll see Aoraki/Mt Cook, too).
Extreme Auckland Check out SkyWalk and SkyJump at the Sky Tower, and EcoZip Adventures – adventurous thrills with views.
Canyonz Negotiate cliffs, waterfalls and streams as you climb and abseil through pristine NZ bush near Thames.
Rafting the Buller River A classic rafting experience served by excellent operators based in Murchison.
White-water rafting on the Kaituna River, Rotorua Lakes. | DMITRY NAUMOV/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Wine Regions
Marlborough The country’s biggest wine region just keeps on turning out superb sauvignon blanc (and other varieties).
Martinborough A small-but-sweet wine region a day trip from Wellington: easy cycling and easy-drinking pinot noir.
Waiheke Island Auckland’s favourite weekend playground has a hot, dry microclimate: perfect for Bordeaux-style reds and rosés.
Central Otago Responsible for much of the country’s best pinot noir and riesling; drink some.
Waipara Valley A short hop north of Christchurch are some spectacular vineyards producing equally spectacular riesling.
Hawke’s Bay Warm days shift into chardonnay nights on the sunstroked East Coast.
Cheese on display at Gibbston Valley winery | SEH KIN WAI/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Foodie Experiences
Eating in Auckland New restaurants, ethnic culinary enclaves and a growing food-truck scene all make Auckland NZ’s eating capital.
Central Otago vineyard restaurants Eye-popping scenery combined with the best of NZ food and wine.
Christchurch city scene The big southern CBD restaurant and bar scene is burgeoning (again).
Bluff oysters Guzzle silky, salty oysters between March and August; time your visit for May’s oyster festival.
Wellington Night Market Foodie fun after work on Friday, then again after your lazy Saturday.
West Coast whitebait Whitebait fritters, bound in egg, are a South Island obsession. Try them on pizza, too.
NZ lamb Carnivores won’t want to miss NZ’s best-loved meat; Queenstown’s local-minded Public Kitchen & Bar is a good place to start.
Coromandel seafood Fresh succulent seafood…make a day of it at September’s Whitianga Scallop Festival.
Tramping
Milford Track A justifiably famous ‘Great Walk’, Milford features 54km of gorgeous fiords, sounds, peaks and raindrops.
Routeburn Track Those with plenty of ‘Great Walk’ kilometres in their boots rate the Routeburn as the best of the bunch.
Tongariro Alpine Crossing Be dazzled by ultramarine crater lakes and marvel at steam-huffing volcanic vents on this challenging trail.
Mt Taranaki short walks Hardened trampers can scale the summit but strolling its photogenic flanks is equally rewarding.
Banks Peninsula Track Rolling hills and picturesque bays along 29km of volcanic coast…unleash your inner geologist.
Lake Angelus Track Yes, the zigzag up Pinchgut Track is a bit of a rude awakening, but the views along Mt Robert Ridge last all day.
Old Ghost Road Bike it or hike it, this engaging West Coast trail oozes history.
Queen Charlotte Track The joys of camping (sea breezes, lapping waves, starry nights) or luxurious lodges. Either way, you win.
Māori Culture
Rotorua Catch a cultural performance featuring a haka (war dance) and a hāngi (Māori feast), with traditional song, dance and storytelling.
Footprints Waipoua Explore the staggeringly beautiful Waipoua kauri forest on Northland’s west coast with a Māori guide.
Te Ana Māori Rock Art Centre Learn about traditional Māori rock art in Timaru before exploring remote sites around South Canterbury.
Hokitika The primary source of NZ pounamu (greenstone), home to master carvers of stone, bone and paua in traditional Māori designs.
Toi Hauāuru Studio Visit this Raglan studio for contemporary Māori carving, visual arts and tā moko (tattooing).
Okains Bay Māori & Colonial Museum This nationally significant collection includes a replica wharenui (meeting house), waka (canoes) and more.
Off-The-Beaten-Track Experiences
Stewart Island The end of the line! Catch the ferry to Oban and get lost for a few days.
Karamea Lesser-trodden marvels like the Oparara Arch and secluded Scotts Beach reward tramps on the northern West Coast.
East Cape Take a few days to detour around this very untouristy corner of the North Island.
Whanganui River Road Drive alongside the Whanganui River past Māori towns and stands of trees, remnants of failed Pākehā (European New Zealander) farms.
Forgotten World Highway A lonesome, forested 150km between Taumaranui and Stratford (or the other way around).
Opononi & Omapere Clear waters, tranquil settlements, the North Island’s northwestern coast is seriously understaffed – just how we like it.
Molesworth New Zealand’s largest cattle farm traverses some seriously remote terrain – take a Molesworth tour.
Haast Chat to fishermen and drive to lonely Jackson Bay on the South Island’s land of no phone signal.
Pubs, Bars & Beer
Wellington Garage Project and Golding’s Free Dive, just two of 20-something craft-beer dens in the capital (thirsty politicians?).
Queenstown The only place in NZ where you can head out for a big Monday or Tuesday night and not be the only one there.
Auckland The country’s biggest city is developing as a hoppy hub: head to Galbraith’s Alehouse, Hallertau or Brothers Beer.
Nelson Home of NZ hops, Nelson boasts its own craft-beer trail featuring a host of breweries and legendary inns.
Dunedin Glug at Speight’s and Emerson’s breweries and brilliant bars in NZ’s best university town.
Hamilton Local craft beers are hugely popular around Hood St nightlife precinct; try Craft, Wonder Horse and Little George.
Mike’s Taranaki’s finest craft brews a short jaunt from New Plymouth.
Pomeroy’s Old Brewery Inn The best pub in Christchurch.
Skiing
Treble Cone Everything from challenging downhill terrain to snowboard half-pipes, within striking distance of Wanaka.
Coronet Peak The Queenstown area’s oldest ski field, just 18km from town; night skiing on Friday and Saturday.
Cardrona More skiing in the Wanaka area, with slopes to suit all levels of experience.
Whakapapa & Turoa The North Island’s biggest and best ski fields wind down Mt Ruapehu in Tongariro National Park, easily accessible from Taupo.
Canterbury From Mt Hutt and Methven’s après-ski buzz, to smaller fields like Ohau, Round Hill, Porters and Broken River.
Arrowtown in autumn | J ANIS APELS/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Markets
Otago Farmers Market Organic fruit and veg, robust coffee and homemade pies in Dunedin; stock up for life on the road.
Nelson Market A big, busy weekly market featuring everything from bratwurst to vegan cheese.
River Traders Market Whanganui’s riverside market is a Saturday-morning fixture with up to 100 stalls.
Harbourside Market The ulterior motive for visiting this weekly fruit-and-veg market is the multi-ethnic food stalls and adjacent artisan City Market.
Otara Flea Market A taste of the South Pacific in Auckland.
Rotorua Night Market Thursday night hoedown in downtown Rotorua. Food, drink, buskers…it’s all good.
Hastings Farmers Market One of the original, and still one of the best, farmers markets in NZ.
Christchurch Farmers Market Local cheeses, organic fruit and craft beer beside historic Riccarton House.
History
Waitangi Treaty Grounds In the Bay of Islands, where Māori chiefs and the British Crown signed the contentious Treaty of Waitangi.
Arrowtown Gold rush–era town crammed with heritage buildings and the remains of one of NZ’s earliest Chinese settlements.
Oamaru Victorian Precinct Beautifully restored whitestone buildings and warehouses, now housing eclectic galleries, restaurants and artisan workshops.
Te Papa Wellington’s vibrant treasure-trove museum, where history – both Māori and Pākehā – speaks, sparkles and shakes.
Waiuta South of Reefton on the South Island, explore the rusty relics of a ghost town, abandoned to nature in 1951.
Shantytown Embrace gold-rush nostalgia at this authentic recreation of an 1860s mining town, south of Greymouth on the West Coast.
Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Human settlement on the South Island, told through interactive displays and a 100,000-object collection.
Month by Month
TOP EVENTS
Fringe, February
Marlborough Wine & Food Festival, February
Te Matatini National Kapa Haka Festival, March
NZ Tattoo & Art Festival, November
Beervana, August
January
New Zealand peels its eyes open after New Year’s Eve, gathers its wits and gets set for another year. Great weather, cricket season in full swing and happy holidays for the locals.
z Festival of Lights
New Plymouth’s Pukekura Park is regularly plastered with adjectives like ‘jewel’ and ‘gem’, but the gardens really sparkle during the Festival of Lights. Pathways glow and trees shine with thousands of lights and there’s live music, dance and kids’ performances. Sometimes twinkles until early February.
3 World Buskers Festival
Christchurch hosts a gaggle of jugglers, musos, tricksters, puppeteers, mime artists and dancers throughout the 10-day summertime World Buskers Festival. Shoulder into the crowd, see who’s making a scene in the middle and maybe leave a few dollars. Avoid if you’re scared of audience participation…
February
The sun is shining, the kids are back at school and the sauv blanc is chillin’ in the fridge: this is prime party time across NZ. Book your festival tickets (and beds) in advance.
z Waitangi Day
On 6 February 1840 the Treaty of Waitangi was first signed between Māori and the British Crown. Waitangi Day remains a public holiday across NZ, but in Waitangi itself (the Bay of Islands) there’s a lot happening: guided tours, concerts, market stalls and family entertainment.
3 Fringe
Wellington simmers with music, theatre, comedy, dance, visual arts…but not the mainstream acts gracing the stage at the New Zealand Festival. Fringe shines the spotlight on unusual, emerging, controversial, low-budget and/or downright weird acts. In other words, the best stuff.
3 Hamilton Sevens
It’s not rugby season, but early February/late January sees the world’s seven-a-side rugby teams crack heads in Hamilton as part of the HSBC Sevens World Series: everyone from stalwarts Australia, NZ and South Africa to minnows like Kenya and Canada. Great excuse to party.
6 Marlborough Wine & Food Festival
New Zealand’s biggest and best wine festival features tastings from more than 40 Marlborough wineries, plus fine food and entertainment. The mandatory overindulgence usually happens on a Saturday early in the month. Keep quiet if you don’t like sauvignon blanc…
3 New Zealand Festival
Feeling artsy? This month-long spectacular happens in Wellington in February to March every even-numbered year, and is sure to spark your imagination. New Zealand’s cultural capital exudes artistic enthusiasm with theatre, dance, music, writing and visual arts. International acts aplenty.
z Art Deco Weekend
Napier, levelled by an earthquake in 1931 and rebuilt in high art-deco style, celebrates its architectural heritage with this high-steppin’ fiesta, featuring music, food, wine, vintage cars and costumes over a long weekend in mid-February.
March
March brings a hint of autumn, harvest time in the vineyards and orchards (great if you’re looking for work), long dusky evenings and plenty of festivals plumping out the calendar. Locals unwind post–tourist season.
z Pasifika Festival
With upwards of 140,000 Māori and notable communities of Tongans, Samoans, Cook Islanders, Niueans, Fijians and other South Pacific Islanders, Auckland has the largest Polynesian community in the world. These vibrant island cultures come together at this annual fiesta at Western Springs Park.
3 WOMAD
Local and international music, arts and dance performances fill New Plymouth’s Bowl of Brooklands to overflowing at WOMAD. An evolution of the original world-music festival dreamed up by rock and art aficionados including Peter Gabriel, who launched the inaugural UK concert in 1982. Perfect for families.
z Artists Open Studios & Festival of Glass
Whanganui has earned its artistic stripes as a centre for gorgeous glass, myriad local artists and workshops gearing up for this classy glassy fest in March. Expect lots of ‘how-to’ demonstrations, exhibitions and open studios.
3 Auckland City Limits
Get yer rocks off! Auckland City Limits is an international indie-rock festival loosely modelled on Austin City Limits in the US – the NZ version occupying four stages at Western Springs Stadium for a day in March every two years (next event in 2020).
z Te Matatini National Kapa Haka Festival
This engrossing Māori haka (war dance) competition (www.tematatini.co.nz) happens in early March/late February in odd-numbered years: much gesticulation, eye-bulging and tongue extension. Venues vary: it’s in Wellington for 2019. And it’s not just the haka: expect traditional song, dance, storytelling and other performing arts.
5 Wildfoods Festival
Eat worms, baby octopi and ‘mountain oysters’ at Hokitika’s comfort-zone-challenging food fest. Local classics like whitebait patties are represented too, if you aren’t hungry for pork-blood casserole. Tip: avail yourself of quality NZ brews and wines to wash down taste-bud offenders.
April
April is when canny travellers hit NZ: the ocean is still swimmable and the weather still mild, with nary a tourist or queue in sight (…other than during Easter, when there’s pricey accommodation everywhere).
3 National Jazz Festival
Every Easter, Tauranga hosts the longest-running jazz fest in the southern hemisphere. There’s a dedicated Māori jazz stage, a New Orleans–style village and plenty of fine NZ food and wine to accompany the finger-snappin’ za-bah-de-dah sonics.
5 Clyde Wine & Food Festival
Easter is harvest time around little Clyde in Central Otago, where the historic main street fills with more than 40 tables and trestles hocking the best of regional food and wine…don’t leave without a swig of its pinot noir.
May
Party nights are over and a chilly winter beckons. Thank goodness for the Comedy Festival! Last chance to explore Fiordland and Southland in reasonable weather (though some trails are already off limits). Farmers markets overflow.
5 Bluff Oyster & Food Festival
Truck down to the deep south for some slippery, salty specimens at this unpretentious event. It’s chilly in May, but live music and oyster eating/opening competitions warm everybody up. Non-guzzlers of bivalves can enjoy their pick of gourmet burgers, cheese rolls, chowders and more.
3 New Zealand International Comedy Festival
Three-week laugh-fest (www.comedyfestival.co.nz) with venues across Auckland, Wellington and various regional centres: Whangarei to Invercargill with all the midsized cities in between. International gag-merchants (Arj Barker, Danny Bhoy, Bill Bailey) line up next to home-grown talent.
June
Time to head south: it’s ski season! Queenstown and Wanaka hit their stride. For everyone else, head north: the Bay of Plenty is always sunny, and is it just us, or is Northland underrated?
z Matariki
Māori New Year (www.teara.govt.nz/en/matariki-maori-new-year) is heralded by the rise of Matariki (aka Pleiades star cluster) in May and the sighting of June’s new moon. Three days of remembrance, education, music, film, community days and tree planting take place, mainly around Auckland, Wellington and Northland.
3 New Zealand Gold Guitar Awards
These awards in chilly Gore – NZ’s country and western capital, if you didn’t know – cap off a week of ever-lovin’ country twang and boot-scootin’ good times, with plenty of concerts and buskers.
July
Ski season slides on, reaching its peak with Queenstown’s Winter Festival. If you want to avoid crowds, hit Mt Ruapehu on the North Island. Alternatively, stay cosy at NZ’s international film festival.
z Queenstown Winter Festival
This southern snow-fest has been running since 1975, and now attracts more than 45,000 snow bunnies. It’s a four-day party, with fireworks, live music, comedy, a community carnival, masquerade ball, and wacky ski and snowboard activities on the mountain slopes. Sometimes starts in late June.
3 New Zealand International Film Festival
After separate film festivals (www.nzff.co.nz) in Wellington, Auckland, Dunedin and Christchurch, discover which regional towns are brimming with film buffs when a selection of flicks hits the road from July to November (Gore and Masterton, we’re looking at you).
2 Russell Birdman
Birdman rallies are so ‘80s, but they sure are fun to watch. This one in Russell features a cast of costumed contenders propelling themselves off a jetty in pursuit of weightlessness. Discos, cake-decoration and spaghetti-eating contests for kids round out a satisfying, family-friendly fest.
August
Land a good deal on accommodation pretty much anywhere except the ski towns. Winter is almost spent, but tramping season’s a long way off. Music and art are your saviours…or cosy up in a pub to watch some rugby!
6 Beervana
Attain beery nirvana at this annual craft-beer guzzle fest in Wellington (it’s freezing outside – what else is there to do?). Sample the best of NZ’s booming beer scene. Not loving beer is heresy, but yes, it also has cider and wine.
3 Bay of Islands Jazz & Blues Festival
You might think that the Bay of Islands is all about sunning yourself on a yacht while dolphins splash you with saltwater. And you’d be right. But in winter, this jazzy three-day festival provides a toe-tapping alternative, showcasing over 45 acts from around NZ.
September
Spring is sprung. The amazing and surprising World of WearableArt is always a hit. And will someone please beat Canterbury in the annual ITM rugby cup final?
z World of WearableArt
A bizarre (in the best possible way) two-week Wellington event featuring amazing hand-crafted garments. Entries from the show are displayed at the World of WearableArt & Classic Cars Museum in Nelson after the event (Cadillacs and corsetry?). Sometimes spills over into October.
October
Post-rugby and pre-cricket, sports fans twiddle their thumbs: a trip to Kaikoura, perhaps? Around the rest of NZ October is ‘shoulder season’ – reasonable accommodation rates, minimal crowds and no competition for the good campsites.
5 Kaikoura Seafest
Kaikoura is a town built on crayfish. Well, not literally, but there sure are plenty of crustaceans, many of which find themselves on plates during Seafest. Also a great excuse to raise a few toasts and dance around to live music.
z Nelson Arts Festival
We know, Nelson is distractingly sunny. But it’s worth stepping inside for two weeks of comedy, cabaret, dance and rock opera at Nelson Arts Festival.
November
Across Northland, the Coromandel Peninsula, the Bay of Plenty and the East Coast, NZ’s iconic pohutukawa trees bloom, the weather picks up and tourists start to arrive. Lock in your trail bookings early, trampers.
z NZ Tattoo & Art Festival
Australasia’s biggest tattoo culture festival attracts thousands of tatt fans to New Plymouth every November. It’s hugely popular with ink aficionados and their admirers (not necessarily family viewing). Enquire ahead if you’re hoping to get inked by one of many international tattooists in attendance.
6 Toast Martinborough
Swirl a wine glass, inhale deeply, pretend you can detect hints of berry and oak…it’s time to practise your wine connoisseur face in upmarket Martinborough. The Wairarapa region produces some seriously good pinot noir, and it’s every wine lover’s duty to sample some.
z Oamaru Victorian Heritage Celebrations
The good old days… When Queen Vic sat dourly on the throne, when hems were low and collars were high. Old Oamaru thoroughly enjoys this tongue-in-cheek historic homage: dress-ups, penny-farthing races, choirs, guided tours and more.
2 Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge
Feeling fit? Try cycling 160km around Lake Taupo in NZ’s largest cycling event, and then come and talk to us. Held on the last Saturday in November for more than 40 years, Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge is open to individuals and teams.
December
Summertime! The crack of leather on willow resounds across the nation’s cricket pitches, and office workers surge towards the finish line. Everyone gears up for Christmas and shopping centres are packed out.
z Rhythm & Vines
Wine, music and song (all the good things) in sunny east-coast Gisborne on New Year’s Eve. Top DJs, hip-hop acts, bands and singer-songwriters compete for your attention at Rhythm & Vines. Or maybe you’d rather drink some chardonnay and kiss someone on the beach.
Itineraries
North & South
2 WEEKS
From the top of the north to halfway down the south, here’s a quick-fire taste of New Zealand’s best.
Kick things off in Auckland: it’s NZ’s biggest city, with awesome restaurants and bars, galleries and boutiques, beaches and bays. Not an urbanite? Hoof it a few hours north to the salt-licked Bay of Islands for a couple of days of R&R.
Set your bearings southwards to Rotorua, a unique geothermal hotspot: geysers, mud pools, volcanic vents and Māori culture make for an experience that fires all the senses. Further south, invigorating Taupo has the ragged craters and Emerald Lakes of Tongariro National Park nearby. Get into some tramping, mountain biking or skydiving, then boot it down to Wellington, a hip little city with an irrepressible arts scene.
Across Cook Strait, see what all the fuss is about in the world-famous Marlborough Wine Region. If you’re not a wine fan, the hypnotically hushed inlets, ranges and waterways of the Marlborough Sounds are nearby. Swinging further south, cruise into Christchurch to enjoy southern hospitality in a city of rapid reinvention.
Itineraries
Kiwi Classics
4 WEEKS
Classy cities, geothermal eruptions, fantastic wine, Māori culture, glaciers, extreme activities, isolated beaches and forests: just a few of our favourite NZ things.
Aka the ‘City of Sails’, Auckland is a South Pacific melting pot. Spend a few days shopping, eating and drinking: this is NZ at its most cosmopolitan. Make sure you get out onto the harbour on a ferry or a yacht, and find a day to explore the beaches and wineries on Waiheke Island. Truck north to the Bay of Islands for a dose of aquatic adventure (dolphins, sailing, sunning yourself on deck), then scoot back southeast to check out the forests and holiday beaches on the Coromandel Peninsula. Further south in Rotorua, get a nose full of eggy gas, confront a 10m geyser, giggle at volcanic mud bubbles and experience a Māori cultural performance.
Meander down to Napier on the East Coast, NZ’s attractive art-deco city. While you’re here, don’t miss the bottled offerings of the Hawke’s Bay Wine Country (…ohh, the chardonnay). Down in Wellington, the coffee’s hot, the beer’s cold and wind from the politicians generates its own low-pressure system. This is NZ’s arts capital: catch a live band, buskers, a gallery opening or some theatre.
Swan over to the South Island for a couple of weeks to experience the best the south has to offer. Start with a tour through the sauvignon blanc heartland of the Marlborough Wine Region, then chill for a few days between the mountains and the whales offshore in laid-back Kaikoura. Next stop is the southern capital Christchurch, swiftly rebuilding after the earthquakes. Follow the coast road south to the wildlife-rich Otago Peninsula, jutting abstractly away from the Victorian facades of Scottish-flavoured and student-filled Dunedin. Catch some live music while you’re in town.
Head inland via SH8 to bungy- and ski-obsessed Queenstown. Don’t miss a detour over to Fiordland for a jaw-dropping road trip and boat cruise around Milford Sound, before returning to Queenstown for your flight back to Auckland.
Itineraries
Auckland Encounter
10 DAYS
Is there another 1.4-million-strong city with access to two oceans and vibrant Polynesian culture? Immerse yourself in city and seaside, then swing north and south of Auckland to majestic forests and caves.
Allow at least three days in Auckland for its stellar bars, restaurants, museums and beaches. Admire Māori and South Pacific Islander exhibits at Auckland Museum, then wander across to K Rd for lunch. Visit Auckland Art Gallery and the iconic Sky Tower, then Ponsonby for dinner and drinks.
Ferry over to Rangitoto Island’s tramping trails, then chug into Devonport for a meal. Admire tall timber in Waitakere Ranges Regional Park and wild surf at Karekare and Piha, then hit the Britomart restaurants. Breakfast in Mt Eden, climb Maungawhau, then ferry-hop to Waiheke Island for wineries and beaches.
For your final few days, take your pick of activities beyond the big smoke. Driving a northerly loop out of Auckland takes you snorkelling at Goat Island Marine Reserve, sailing the Bay of Islands, ocean gazing at Cape Reinga and ogling kauri trees at Waipoua Forest. Leave a couple of days to delve south to Waitomo Caves, surf at Raglan or beach yourself at Whitianga.
Itineraries
Northern Exposure
2 WEEKS
Three-quarters of New Zealanders live on the North Island – time to find out why!
Begin in Auckland, NZ’s biggest city. Eat streets abound: try Ponsonby Rd in Ponsonby, K Rd in Newton and New North Rd in Kingsland. Hike up One Tree Hill (Maungakiekie) to burn off resultant calories, and don’t miss the Auckland Art Gallery and Auckland Museum.
Venture south through geothermal Rotorua – home to some truly amazing volcanic sights – then cruise over to the sunny East Coast. By the seaside and encircled by the chardonnay vines of Hawke’s Bay Wine Country, art-deco Napier is a hit with architecture buffs. Heading south, follow SH2 into the sheepy/winey region of Wairarapa, before driving over the Rimutaka Range into hip, art-obsessed Wellington.
Looping back northwest to Auckland, pick and choose your pit stops: the New Zealand Rugby Museum in Palmerston North, some crafty glass in Whanganui or the epic Mt Taranaki, rising like Olympus behind New Plymouth. Go underground at Waitomo Caves or surf the point breaks near Raglan.
Itineraries
Southern Circuit
3 WEEKS
Loop around the best of the South Island.
Wing into Christchurch to find a vibrant city rebuilding post-earthquakes. Grab a coffee and check out the Canterbury Museum.
City saturated? Visit the geologically/culturally eccentric Banks Peninsula, then head north for a wildlife encounter in Kaikoura. Continue through to the famous Marlborough Wine Region, and lose a day on the whisper-still waterways of the Marlborough Sounds.
Detour west through artsy Nelson to Abel Tasman National Park and ecofriendly Golden Bay (more paintbrushes than people). Dawdle south along the West Coast; allow time to gape at the Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki and embark on a guided tramp or helihike at Franz Josef Glacier or Fox Glacier. From here, track inland through to hip/hippie Wanaka and adventure sport and ski hub Queenstown. From here, venture southwest to Manapouri for a mesmerising day cruise to Doubtful Sound before wending east to the overgrown deep-south Catlins for a couple of days of waterfalls, wave-lashed coves and penguin-spotting.
Back up the east coast, wheel through Dunedin to surprisingly hip Oamaru, before rolling back into Christchurch.
Glenorchy | GLOBALTRAVELPRO / SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Itineraries
Winter Wanderer
10 DAYS
We know, a whole bunch of you are here for one thing only: South Island snow!
Fly into Christchurch and spend a day acclimatising at lively bars and restaurants. Intermediate skier or better? Your next stop is Mt Hutt for 365 skiable hectares. As you push south, detour to admire views of snowy Aoraki/Mt Cook before continuing to Queenstown, offering world-class skiing, great restaurants and a kickin’
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