This list of the best places to see in New Zealand will help you prepare for your trip to a country where you will see nature at its purest and enjoy incredible landscapes that we are sure will leave you speechless.
After our experience, we can say that the best way to travel around the two islands that make up New Zealand is to rent a motorhome, which will allow you to have the freedom to stop wherever and whenever you want. Another great advantage of travelling by motorhome is the abundance of campsites in North Island. These are affordable and offer the opportunity to wake up to some stunning views in the heart of nature.
Of course, if you prefer a little more comfort while still being in touch with nature, you might consider staying at a Bed & Breakfast in North Shore. You will be able to appreciate New Zealand's unrivalled hospitality, all while keeping within a reasonable budget.
As well as giving you these great options, travelling this way will save you money on accommodation and food, making the trip much more sustainable, something important to bear in mind in a country as expensive as New Zealand.
Although there are hundreds of possible routes, after our trip, we recommend you start the North Island route by landing in Auckland and after touring the island, cross by ferry from Wellington to Picton, in the South Island, and after visiting this island, finish the trip in Christchurch.
The minimum time to visit the two islands, seeing the main points of interest would be 3 weeks, although we suggest adding 3 or 4 extra days in case of bad weather in some of the main points of interest, to have that extra time.
This is important, especially if we take into account that the weather in New Zealand is quite variable, being even difficult to avoid the rains in summer, the time known as high season and the period that corresponds to the months of January and February in Spain.
If you don't want to come across a lot of tourism and find lower prices, a highly recommendable option is to plan this trip in spring or autumn, perfect times when you will be able to enjoy New Zealand at its best due to less frequent rainfall and pleasant temperatures.
And for example our case. We traveled during the month of March and the first week of April and enjoyed good weather almost the entire trip.
Based on the experience of our trip to New Zealand, we have compiled this list of what we believe are the 10 must-see places to visit in New Zealand. Let's get started!
1. Mount Cook
Mount Cook, or Aoraki in Maori, is the highest peak at 3724 metres and one of the most beautiful places to see in New Zealand.
And although this is the icing on the cake, before arriving at Mount Cook we recommend you take the time to take the road from Lake Pukaki to Mount Cook, one of the most spectacular roads in the country, which in itself is worth the hours of driving to get there.
On the way, don't forget to stop at the Pukaki and Tekapo glacial lakes, where you can enjoy a stunning deep blue, views of the New Zealand Alps and a starry night next to the Church of the Good Shepherd.
Once you arrive at the Mount Cook car park, you can take on one of the most famous treks in the country, the Hooker Valley, a 4 hour round trip, considered one of the most incredible treks in the area and in New Zealand.
Don't forget to check the weather beforehand to make sure the day will be clear so you can see Mount Cook, one of the gifts of this trek.
From this car park you can also take the one-hour Kea Point Track and the 9-hour Muller Hut, both well known and highly recommended treks.
If your idea is to do both (or even just one of them), we recommend spending the night at the Whitehorse campsite, with basic services and a price of 13NZD per person, which also has fantastic views of Mount Cook that we are sure will leave you speechless.
In addition to those mentioned above, located a few kilometres from this area is the starting point of Tasman Glacier Lake, another of the most important tracks in the area and another of the best places to visit in New Zealand, where you can enjoy one of the best views of New Zealand with the glacier, a lake full of large chunks of ice and the Cook in the background.
In addition to the one mentioned above, there are several other trails that you can do, all less than an hour long, that run through the Tasman Valley area and are a perfect complement to the previous one.
If you don't have a campervan or rental car, you can book this guided tour to Mount Cook from the pleasant town of Queenstown.
Tasman Glacier on Mount Cook
2. Hobbiton
Hobbiton is the film set for the hobbit village and Shire scenes in the famous Lord of the R ings movie and another of New Zealand's must-see places. Located on the North Island, close to the town of Matamata, Hobbiton is a magical place surrounded by meadows and green hills that will enchant fans of the film and non-fans alike.
The story of this place begins in 1988 when director Peter Jackson set his sights on Alexander Farm as the ideal location to begin filming The Lord of the Rings trilogy. After the sets were dismantled at the end of the last film, they had to be reassembled a few years later for The Hobbit trilogy, and when the last film was finished, an agreement was reached with the production company that the Alexander family could keep the set intact and turn it into a tourist attraction in the country.
The tour of the film set is always conducted with a guide in English, although you are given a brochure in Spanish, and it is highly recommended that you book your ticket in advance to avoid being left without a place, which is a common occurrence in summer and spring or autumn.
During the two-hour tour you'll get to see most of the hobbit houses, including Bilbo Baggins', as well as many of the interesting facts about the film and its filming, before finishing the tour at the Green Dragon Inn.
As well as visiting Hobbiton in New Zealand, if you want to complete your experience with a meal in the tent set up at the site of the hobbit village festivities, you can book this guided tour.
For us it was one of the most enjoyable visits in the country and despite being guided, you have plenty of time to take all sorts of photos recreating scenes from the film.
Hobbiton
3. Tongariro
One of the best things to do in New Zealand is the Tongariro Alpine Crossing trek, considered one of the best one-day treks in the world.
For almost 20 kilometres and 8 hours you'll pass mountains, volcanoes, blue and green lakes, craters and forests, all located in Tongariro National Park, the oldest national park in the country. The best option to complete this demanding route is to leave your campervan in the guarded car park at Ketehahi, where the trek ends, and take a shuttle to Mangatepopo, the starting point of the route.
Bear in mind that although you can do the route the other way round, in this case you'll encounter more elevation gain and difficulty, as well as worse views.
One of the best tips for travelling to New Zealand is that on this trek, as well as being well equipped with hiking clothes and footwear, waterproofs, water and food, it is important to know the weather forecast to avoid the trek becoming a nightmare or simply not being able to see anything because of fog or rain.
On the other hand, if the weather is good you will be able to enjoy places like the Ngauruhoe volcano, the well known "Mount Doom" where Frodo throws the ring in Lord of the Rings, the Tongariro volcano, the Red Crater, the Blue Lake and above all, the Esmerald Lakes, one of the most impressive places to see in New Zealand.
After our experience, we can only say that it was one of the highlights of the trip and we have to confess that it was not as hard as we were previously told and although there are two steep climbs and a descent where it is very easy to slip, we consider it an affordable trek for everyone with a minimum physical condition.
If you want to do the trek in winter with snow, we have read that it is advisable to book a tour with a guide that includes glacier boots, ice axe and crampons.
Another important thing to do is to get the best travel insurance for New Zealand so that you have the best assistance in case of any mishaps.
Tongariro, one of the things to do in New Zealand.
4. Wanaka and Roy's Peak
Lake Wanaka and its famous half-submerged tree near one of its shores is one of the most photographed and must-see places to visit in New Zealand.
Incredibly, this solitary tree that began to emerge 80 years ago, together with the crystal clear waters of the lake and the snow-capped mountains in the background, form a tremendously relaxing postcard image, which we are sure will be one of the magical moments of your trip.
We recommend you come to see it at sunrise or sunset, unique moments in which you can enjoy it practically alone and if you are lucky enough to coincide with a starry night or a full moon, it will become one of the great moments of your trip to New Zealand by motorhome.
Very close to Wanaka is another of the best things to do in New Zealand, the Roy's Peak trek. This 11-kilometre, 5-hour trek takes you up a steep mountain and offers some of the best views in the country.
Bear in mind that the hike, which can take almost three hours, is not easy and it's important to bring water and good shoes. If you still have enough energy left at the viewpoint, you can spend another half hour to get to the top of Roy's Peak.
In this case, unlike Tongariro, we have to confess that the trek was quite hard and we recommend, if you are not in good physical shape, to leave early, take it easy and make many stops.
Roys Peak
5. Mildford Sound, one of the best places to see in New Zealand
In the southwest of the country's South Island, sea tongues penetrate the mountainous land to form magnificent fjords, including Milford Sound, considered one of the must-see places in New Zealand and the most accessible and famous fjord in the country.
As with Mount Cook, the journey here is also important, so before reaching this fjord we recommend stopping at most of the viewpoints on the road from Te Anau to Milford Sound, where you can enjoy breathtaking alpine landscapes and large lakes. When you get to Milford Sound you'll have the best view of the fjord from the parking area and the harbour where the boats leave from.
We recommend booking this two-hour cruise or the lunch cruise here in advance, especially in high season, so you don't run out of places. And for a comfortable stay, you can book a top-rated hotel on tophotels.com, which offers a variety of accommodations that can suit every budget and preference.
If it rains on the day of your Milford Sound cruise, don't worry - it rains more than half the year and it's a great time to see the fjord with all the waterfalls at their best. What's more, it's even said that not seeing Milford Sound after or during a torrential rain is like not seeing it at all.
Not far from Milford Sound is another of the South Island's and the country's most beautiful fjords and one of the places to see in New Zealand, Doubtful Sound. This fjord, three times longer than Milford Sound, is less accessible and you'll need to book an 8-hour tour, including bus transport and cruise, to see it.
Milford Sound, one of the places to visit in New Zealand.
6. Moeraki Boulders
Moeraki Boulders, huge spheres of almost perfect stone, cemented with calcite over 65 million years, are located in Koekohe Beach and are another of the must-see places in New Zealand.
Although the best time to see them with good light and few tourists is at sunrise and sunset, it's important to see them at low tide or a couple of hours before or after. You can check the tide conditions on this page beforehand, so you can organise your visit at the right time of day.
To get to Moeraki Boulders in New Zealand you have a free car park and a private car park at the top, belonging to a café, where you will have to pay 2NZD. We recommend parking in the first one, not because of the price, but to take a short walk along the beach before reaching these famous stones.
To complete your visit to this area, near Moeraki Boulders you can see (with a bit of luck), several colonies of yellow penguins at Bushy Beach and blue penguins, the smallest in the world, at Oamaru, which will become another of the highlights of your trip and one of the must-see places in New Zealand.
Moeraki Boulders
7. Franz Josef Glacier and Lake Matheson
Franz Josef Glacier, Fox Glacier and Lake Matheson, located in the South Island's Westland National Park, are three other important places to see in New Zealand.
The 12-kilometre-long Franz Josef Glacier and the 20-kilometre-long Fox Glacier run through incredible mountain and forest scenery and are well worth a visit despite their rapid retreat in recent years.
To see Franz Josef, you'll have to park your motorhome in a car park located about 2 kilometres from the glacier's terminal tongue.
Another excellent option is to see it from the air by booking this scenic helicopter flight that includes a landing on the snow or this helicopter flight that includes a spectacular hike over the glacier.
After enjoying the Franz Josef experience, you can head to the Fox car park, located just over 200 metres from a viewpoint overlooking the glacier that we are sure will also leave you speechless.
To complete your visit to this area, we recommend you enjoy a sunset at Lake Matheson, another of the most impressive places to see in New Zealand, where, on clear days, the mythical Cook and Tasman Mountains are reflected.
Franz Josef Glacier
8. Cathedral Cove
Cathedral Cove, located on the beautiful Coromandel Coast of the North Island, is one of the best beaches and another of the must-see places to visit in New Zealand.
This photogenic spot has a huge stone archway that served as the setting for the gateway to Narnia in the popular film 'The Chronicles of Narnia'. In addition to this spectacular arch, the two beaches of turquoise water and fine sand on either side are impressive with several semi-submerged rock formations and perfect for a swim if the weather is good.
If you want to take a photo inside the cave with the beach in the background, we recommend you come early in the morning or late in the afternoon, when it's less crowded.
To get to Cathedral Cove you will have to park in a car park and walk for about 45 minutes along a path full of ups and downs, with beautiful views of the coast. Before arriving at the car park, we recommend you check the tide gauge to see when the tide is low so you can walk from one side to the other.
Cathedral Cove, one of the places to visit in New Zealand
9. Rotorua
The geothermal area just outside the town of Rotorua is the largest in the country and another of New Zealand' s must-see places that will leave you speechless.
The most famous area is Wai-O-Tapu and is where you'll find the most geothermal activity with geysers, fumaroles, coloured pools and mud as well as collapsed craters.
Among the places we liked the most in this area are the Artist's Palette, the Champagne Pool and the Mud Pool, located about 2 kilometres from the main area. Another of the most famous sites, and one that disappointed us at least, was the Lady Knox Geyser, where every day at 10:15am, they make it erupt by putting soap inside the crater, as it is a geyser that does not erupt on its own.
When you leave Wai-O-Tapu, you can take the same road to reach the Waimangu Volcanic Valley, the other major geothermal area to see in Rotorua. This area is much larger and after our experience, we can only say that it is very worthwhile. Here you can hike down the valley and see craters and volcanic calderas.
To get back to the car park, we recommend taking one of the park's buses to avoid having to walk the route again, which in this case is mostly uphill.
If you want to learn about Maori history and culture, close to Rotorua is Te Puia, another of the places to see in New Zealand, where you can attend one of the shows in which the Hakas, their most typical dance, are performed. You can book your ticket in advance here.
Wai-O-Tapu in Rotorua
10. Waitomo
One of the best and most magical things to do in New Zealand is to visit the Waitomo Caves, famous for the glowworms that live inside them.
These strange insects, or rather their larvae, feed by causing light in the darkness to attract their prey to their sticky silk thread.
Although admission is not exactly cheap, as the peak moment only lasts about 10 minutes and elsewhere in New Zealand you can get to see these worms for free, nothing compares to the vastness of Waitomo where you can enjoy thousands of lights on the walls and ceiling, making the experience similar to being under a starry night, while navigating an underground lake.
As with Hobbiton, we recommend you book your ticket here in advance so you don't run out of places or have to choose a different time than you'd like.
Near Waitomo is Ruakuri Caves, another place to visit in New Zealand where you can see glowworms. We think it's more of a stalactite and stalagmite cave, as there aren't a lot of glowworms, although the whole experience can be highly recommended if you have time to do both. You can book your ticket here.
If you have less time you can see all these wonders by following this 14 and 21 day New Zealand tour.
