New Zealand has a wide range of activities to explore.
| Nature / Sustainable Tourism | Walking / Hiking |
| Food and Wine | Snow activities |
| Spa / Wellness | Water activities |
| Maori Culture | Adrenaline activities |
| Movie Tourism |
Because of New Zealand long coastline and its varied topography, there are many options for walking and hiking across the country, from native forests, lakes and rivers to rugged mountain peaks, deep gorges and vast valleys.
Short walks up to a day long are found everywhere, but the well-known multi-day tracks are in the more remote high country. The New Zealand's nine 'Great Walks' are world-renowned, in which are included Milford Track, Routeburn Track, the Kepler, Stewart Island's Rakiura Track, Tongariro National Park, Whanganui Journey and Lake Waikaremoana.
Apart from the coastal Abel Tasman Track in the northern South Island, the ‘Great Walks’ are in high country or mountain areas. Ranging in duration from two to six days, the tracks cover a variety of landscapes on safe, well maintained pathways. The Milford Track in Fiordland - New Zealand’s largest national park - is the most famous and the tourists need to book ahead to walk there between late October and late April each year.
Tongariro National Park. Photo: Legend Photography
Mount Ruapehu is the highest mountain in the North Island. In the winter months Ruapehu is the site of two of the North Island's best ski fields, Turoa and Whakapapa and the smaller club field of Tukino.
For beginners, there is a complete learner's area in both ski fields, but there are fields for intermediate and expert skiers and snowboarders. Another option in the North Island is the Manganui skifield, located in the Egmont National Park.
Egmont National Park
Driving to the top of South Island, people can find the Rainbow Sky Area on the Nelson Lakes. In Canterbury, there is the Hammer Springs Ski Area located on St James Conservation Area. Just beside, in Christchurch, there is the Mount Hutt Ski. Going to Otago, one option to practice snow sports is the Pisa Conservation Area with access via the Waiorau Snow Farm road.
Glaciers of New Zealand are among the most popular sightseeing in the country and the longest one being The Tasman Glacier. For arriving to the top, Skiers can take a helicopter and ski down. Queenstown is an all year round resort town situated below the Remarkables Mountains and is an ideal town to access many ski fields including the Remarkables, Coronet Peak, Cardrona, and Treble Cone.
With over 15,000 kilometres of coastline, New Zealand has several places from simply enjoying a sunbath or swimming to boating, kayaking, rafting, sailing, scuba diving and snorkelling, surfing or windsurfing. The North Island’s west coast has dark sandy beaches, with sand heavy in iron. The north of the South Island has some beautiful sandy beaches, while the coastline around the rest of the South Island tends to be wilder and more rugged.
If the preference is the countryside, there are a great number of rivers in New Zealand because of high rainfall in many parts of the country. Rafting rivers in the North Island are mostly centred on the central East Coast areas of the Bay of Plenty (near Rotorua) and Hawke's Bay. In the South Island, the main areas are around the resort of Queenstown and on the West Coast. There are options for any kind of fitness and expertise. For beginners, one alternative is the kayak trip from the Puhoi Historic Village to the Wenderholm Regional Park is 8km of flat tidal water. For those with a reasonable standard of fitness and confidence in water, it is possible to practice the whitewater rafting in the Waiau River during 3 days.
The full length of Milford, in Fiordland, is a tour that requires some paddling experience and a good level of fitness due to the waves and breezes of this sea kayaking. The Fiordland National Park is famous for its multitude of waterfalls side by side, the cleanest water in the world and for the animals that inhabit the area: dolphins, seals and penguins.
New Zealand is known for its extreme sports and adventure tourism and Queenstown is the adventure capital. There is a big range of activities: bungee jumping, jet boating, skydiving, canyon swinging, climbing, gliding and paragliding, zorbing (large inflated plastic ball), glacier hiking, ice climbing, etc.
Located 45 mins from Queenstown, set the highest Bungy (bungee) in New Zealand in an epic 134m above the spectacular Nevis River.
Photo: AJ Hackett Bungy
There are 14 National Parks in New Zealand which represent more than 30% of the land with wilderness areas. Those areas were settle aside to preserve the country’s ecological heritage: Te Urewera, Tongariro, Whanganui, Egmont, Abel Tasman, Kahurangi, Nelson Lakes, Paparoa, Arthur's Pass, Westland Tai Poutini, Aoraki/Mount Cook, Mount Aspiring, Fiordland, and Rakiura. Most national parks have excellent hiking tracks and camping facilities, including nearly 1000 huts throughout the country beside of providing opportunity for a wide variety of activities including hiking, mountain biking, skiing and snowboarding, kayaking and trout fishing.
Home to a number of extremely rare animals, soaring mountains, bottomless lakes, icy cold fiords, majestic glaciers and lush valleys, the Fiordland National Park has achieved World Heritage status. The park’s extreme isolation has not only protected ancient creatures, as the flightless bird Takahe, but has also given rise to over 700 plants found nowhere else in the world. Marine life thrives in the fiords, home to bottlenose dolphins, New Zealand fur seals, Fiordland crested and little blue penguins, and visiting whales. Scenic cruises and kayak tours explore the fiords and wildlife in its natural habitat.
Fiordland National Park
New Zealand is a foodie's paradise, with plenty of fresh produce, local meats and cheeses and a variety of dining experiences to be had – from the gourmet to the street market. Being one of the major player in the world’s dairy production, their cheese and butter have been served around the world since 19th century. Because of the production using organic farming practices, New Zealand lamb is considered by many chefs to be the best in the world. Another New Zealand icon, the kiwi fruit is found in any table around the continent. During the warmest months, strawberry stalls pop up on the sides of the roads and local farmers markets also provide a great place for clients to taste before they buy, and talk to the local growers.
Leading New Zealand wine regions include West Auckland, Gisborne, Martinborough and Hawke's Bay in the North Island and Marlborough, Central Otago and Canterbury in the South Island. Auckland is encircled by four wine regions – Matakana, Kumeu, Clevedon Hills and Waiheke Island. Wine and food festivals are held annually in Auckland, Hawke's Bay, Martinborough, Nelson, Canterbury and Queenstown. The public can taste and buy wines in many New Zealand vineyards which have restaurants and cellar doors.
Queenstown's Vineyard / Hawkes Bay cellar. Photos: Miles Holden, Chris McLennan
Because of New Zealand sits on two tectonic plates - the Pacific and the Australian - and these plates are constantly shifting and grinding into each other, New Zealand gets a lot of geological action. This subterranean activity blesses New Zealand with some spectacular geothermal areas and relaxing hot springs.
In a natural environment, New Zealand has many spas and retreats on offer to help people escape their everyday lives and relax. At the known Polynesian Spa in Rotorua, there are hot mineral pools and geothermal mud excellent to draw out impurities. At Hanmer Springs in the South Island, people can enjoy hot springs surrounded by the stunning scenery of snow-topped trees and mountains.
A Maori culture experience - the indigenous people from New
Zealand - is a fundamental element and a not to be missed
activity by tourists to enrich themselves into the heritage of
this wonderful culture which represent nowadays, 15% of the
country's population
There is a wide range of activities available, from being immersed in Maori culture in New Zealand with a Maori Village tour experience (tasting hangi meals cooked in geothermal steam and hot pools, watching a cultural performance, learning their song and dance) to an eco-tourism experience in Wairākei Terraces located seven kilometres from Taupo or a Maori guided tour in Kapiti Island to know about local histories and customs.
Since beginning of 20 century, the film industry took place in New Zealand interspersing periods of silent and strong activity. To the present days, The Piano was the first New Zealand film to be so honoured which shared the 1993 Palme d'Or at Cannes and won three Academy Awards™.
But, the highpoint for New Zealand production came with The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003) which was produced and directed by Sir Peter Jackson, having only New Zealand nature as a movie set. In 2012 Peter Jackson released the first movie of the trilogy The Hobbit, which tell the story of how uncle's Frodo (the main character of The Lord of the Rings trilogy) found the ring.
The village of Hobbiton was created in a peaceful farm around the Waikato town of Matamata and it is a permanent attraction to movie fans. The Mount Victoria, in Wellington, were used to depict Hobbiton woods and the main city of the Rohan people sits in Mount Sunday located in the Ashburton district.
In The Last Samurai (2004) Ed Zwick found the North Island provided scenery ideal for his vision of 19th century Japan. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2004/2005), an American production directed by the New Zealander Andrew Adamson with shooting locations on the South Island included the area known as Elephant Rocks near Duntroon in North Otago. That area was transformed into Aslan's camp, where the children spruce up their combat skills as the lion explains their destiny to Peter (William Moseley). The castle scene was filmed in Purakaunui Bay, in The Catlins district, not far from the most southern point in New Zealand.
