In all honesty, it is incredibly difficult to narrow down my list of top ten things to do in New Zealand. Through all of my travels, New Zealand is by far my favorite destination to date. I have traveled there three separate occasions now and have even contemplated moving there! It is such a breathtaking location with an amazing culture and history!
The greatest thing about New Zealand is that you can honestly just travel anywhere and be completely amazed by its beauty from every angle. It is so green and vibrant. Hiking trails can be found everywhere and the people are incredibly friendly! There is also a surprising amount of sheep. I’m serious, more sheep is packed into this country than I have seen in my entire life.
Anyway… New Zealand is awesome. So let’s get right down to it, shall we?
1. Visit Hobbiton
Of course, the first thing on my list of top ten things to do in New Zealand is to visit Hobbiton. It is just a requirement! The location itself is such a cool experience and the tour is all worth it.
During the tour of Hobbiton, the guides will take you around the entire set and even allow you to go inside one! They go over the history of the property, cool insights on the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films, and the construction of the set itself. You’ll end the tour at The Green Dragon Inn where you get to eat some great food!
During our experience, the tour guide told us an interesting story. He was leading a smaller tour on a bright spring day. They had an amazing time while in the Shire and snapped some fantastic pictures. He was just ending the tour and bringing his group into The Green Dragon Inn when he opened the doors and ran smack into a camera crew! Sitting right in front of him was Ian McKellen giving an interview! How cool is that! So, on your tour, you might even run into someone famous too! 😉
However, rumor has it that tours that take you to Hobbiton can be pretty pricey. We were able to get a great deal on a bundle that took us to numerous destinations for an entire day. In fact, our tour took us to more locations than we paid for! It was well worth it and I highly recommend looking into bundle deals.
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2. Visit the Waitomo Glowworm Caves
After an incredibly curvy road (bring Dramamine!), you will pop out at the world-renowned Waitomo Glowworm Caves. There are numerous caves to explore, some on dry land and some you can only access during guided boat tours. Both are amazing experiences! The worms are incredibly interesting and a beautiful sight to see! They live on the ceiling of these unique caves and glow a beautiful blue color. Definitely, a must see kiwi experience!
3. Ride Across the South Island on the TranzAlpine Train
An incredibly close second to Hobbiton the Waitomo Caves is the TranzAlpine Train. This was one of the best experiences of my life! It is so incredible, in fact, that National Geographic named it among the 16 Best Train Trips in the World!
The train runs between Christchurch and Greymouth on the South Island and travels across the Southern Alps. When possible, it will take a quick break at Arthur’s Pass too!
The train is incredible. It has large windows, and observation car, and, of course, a diner. No matter what seat you get, you will be able to see breathtaking views! The seats are a comfortable size and the food on the train was great. We had such a great time!
Tip: It was cold on the observation deck, so if you choose to ride the train in the winter, make sure to bundle up!
Related: Discover How to Create a Motivational Bucket List (+50 Ideas to Get You Started!)
4. Visit a Hot Spring
New Zealand is a geologists wonderland. I would know! And with active geology comes hot springs. In fact, there are quite a few hot springs around New Zealand. The one we visited and enjoyed was Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland. This is one of the many hot spots (haha get it?) that people come from all around the world to visit. It even has a geyser!
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5. Explore the great city of Auckland
If you’re traveling to New Zealand, Auckland has to be on your list. It is a major city and hub for so much excitement! There is so much to do including the Sky Tower, Odyssey Sensory Maze, the Auckland Museum, and Kelly Tarlton’s Sea Life Aquarium. They even have some swanky casinos downtown for some late night fun.
Auckland is also a central hub for tours. This is where we were able to find our tour package to take us to Hobbiton, Waitomo Caves, and the hot springs. Many companies are based here and it is a great place to stay at night when traveling around the North Island during the day!
Tip: By the time we reached Auckland, we were out of cash. So we did one of our favorite cheap-travel tricks: we took the bus! We paid less than two dollars and were able to see the entire city by public transportation for an entire day! Okay, maybe not the whole day, but a good portion of it! We were able to see the city from a locals perspective including traveling to both harbors and Auckland Domain.
6. Bungy Jump in Queenstown
We didn’t quite make it to Queenstown but this list wouldn’t be complete without it. Queenstown is known for its extreme activities and Bungy Jumping is among the most popular. Other fun activities that are available in Queenstown are skydiving, river rafting, golfing, jet boating, mountain biking, skiing, sightseeing, and much more!
7. Explore the streets of Christchurch
While visiting Australia, we ran into quite a few people from Christchurch that convinced us to visit, and boy was it worth it! Unfortunately, we visited after their historic earthquake and many of the buildings were still under construction (I am sure they are all rebuilt now). But we were still able to see quite a few cool sites including the Christchurch Botanic Gardens, the Christchurch Gondola, and the RE:Start Container Mall.
My husband and I probably spent most of our New Zealand time in Christchurch. The city is simply amazing! In fact, we traveled there the day after my husband proposed and took some quick engagement photos up at the top of the gondola, they turned out fantastic!
While we were in Christchurch, we stayed at Eliza’s Manor Boutique Hotel. Hands down, the best place we have stayed throughout our entire down under journey (which is at least 20 hotels and hostels). The staff was fantastic, they cooked us amazing breakfasts every morning and even gave us gifts! It was an amazing experience and a beautiful location! I highly recommend checking it out!
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8. Cruise the Bay of Islands
The Bay of Islands is a grouping of islands on the eastern side of the Far North District of New Zealand (the northernmost point). There are countless cruises that take tourists out to see the scenery, go fishing, watch dolphins, and much more. This is also home to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world!
9. Go for a hike
Honestly, if you go on ANY hike in New Zealand, you won’t be disappointed. There are hundreds of hikes, all over both islands. Each, of course, is unique. Most of our hiking was done on the South Island, on the western coast and in the Southern Alps, but I have heard amazing things from hikes done on the North Island as well.
Related: The Ten Hiking Essentials – What you Can Not Forget on Your Next Day Hike
10. Go wine tasting in Malborough
Malborough is a region located on the northern side of the southern island (confusing? think about it…). It is well known for its picturesque views of Malborough sound and wine tasting. In fact, this region produces many world-renowned wines.
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Well, there you have it! After three wonderful trips to New Zealand (and hopefully much more to come) this is my list of the top ten things to do in New Zealand! Being an avid hiker and outdoor adventurer, this has been my favorite destination to visit and I hope that you have found some ideas of where to visit when heading down there!
Check out my list of Top Ten Things to do in Australia!
37 Comments
What a great list, Sarah! I’ll have to add these to my bucket list for sure. I’m hoping to work in New Zealand next winter and will need some ideas for weekend travels. Thanks for the expertise!
Thanks so much Riley! Oh, I am so excited for you! You will have a blast!
This is near the top of our bucketlist!!! Such great ideas of things to do! You have a great eye for photography too 🙂
Thank you so much! I am glad you liked the ideas!
I have come across pictures of Hobbiton on the net. I would love to go there and see it.
You should! Hobbiton is such a cool experience! 🙂
Definitely on the bucket list, every time I have a friend who goes to NZ I get so jealous! I think it’s amazing how much Hobbiton still looks like the movies.
Yes! Hobbiton definitely looks just like the movies! You should go one day! 😀
Oh my god, I LOVE this! I’ve always wanted to go to New Zealand, particular for the glowworm caves. My fiancé and I were talking about moving down under one day. He’s pushing for Australia, but I think New Zealand would be my vote
Oooooo, Australia and New Zealand are a close call! I think I would vote New Zealand too though… 🙂
I love these pictures! What a great trip to put on a bucket list!
Thank you so much! I agree!
What incredible scenery! I can completely understand never wanting to leave!
Yes! It is gorgeous!
What a great tour guide! Now I know exactly where to go and what to do in New Zealand.
I am glad it was helpful!
This place looks really cool! I LOVE the hobbit place! Were you able to look inside any of the hillside homes?
Yes, we did go inside the homes but they are empty… there is a full set at a studio for the inside of the homes 🙁 but the outside is super cool!
This looks like a list full of enjoyable opportunities. Hobbiton has a quaint appeal that would be a draw for me. You shared some neat pictures!
Thank you!
So breath taking! I would love to see a kiwi bird. Glow worms maybe..bugs sort of freak me out up close.
The kiwi bird is super cute! And I promise the glow worms aren’t freaky at all 🙂
I have heard fantastic things about New Zealand and this pictures are a confirmation of those things. I have to get there at some point and check out the places on this list. Great mini travel guide!
I am glad you liked it!! Yes, New Zealand is amazing! Hard to capture in pictures!
OMG! That town and those houses are too cute. Like something straight out of a storybook! Thank you for sharing!
I agree! New Zealand is beautiful!
Ahh! New Zealand is my dream trip, and I’d do all these (minus bungee jumping)! Love it! Thanks
I am glad you liked it!
Oh my goodness I want to go right now! Hobbiton looks amazing! What a fun adventure.
I am glad you liked it! Hobbiton was amazing!
Oh Wow. What an epic adventure. I’d like to take the Transalpine Train to Hobbiton, and just live there. Sigh… Thanks for the great post!
I am glad you liked the post!
Wow, NZ looks beautiful! I am not much of a traveler myself, but I’m sure your tips will be so helpful for the travelers out there! Love your pictures 🙂
Yes, it is a beautiful place!
Beautiful and inspirational! Does New Zealand take US expats? haha
I would love to go to New Zealand! It’s totally on my bucket list. Love the list. I’ll definitely be saving this one for later.
Rachael, I am glad you liked it! New Zealand is breathtaking and can’t wait for you to visit it!