Whether your holiday will be a road trip from the top of the country to the bottom, or see you hopping around centres by bus, train or plane, a little planning goes a long way.

Looking for a good night’s sleep? Fortunately New Zealand offers a wide variety of accommodation types to suit every traveller and budget, from hostels and holiday parks through to hotels, resorts and luxury lodgings.

Hotels: You’ll find both top international hotels and resorts and small hotels memorable for their individuality and charm dotted around New Zealand. Hotels offer a wide range of room types and amenities, and vary in price according to their level of luxury.

Holiday Parks: Pitch your tent or park the campervan at a beautiful New Zealand holiday park, then kick back and enjoy the great outdoors! Holiday parks are a great way to experience New Zealand’s outdoor lifestyle at a low cost.

Backpackers: Staying in one of New Zealand’s backpackers lets you experience the country in a fun and social way, where the focus is not just on somewhere to sleep but meeting other fellow travellers, making friends and sharing your New Zealand experience.

Home/Farm Stays: For a taste of New Zealand, why not try a farm or home stay? Rural Holidays NZ is a selection of farm and home stays offering an authentic Kiwi welcome, while some farm stays offer full board in exchange for helping out on the farm.

Holiday Homes: Renting a Kiwi holiday home or ‘bach’ not only provides most creature comforts, but quite often does so in stunning locations. Look for baches and holiday homes in beach, lake or mountain areas.

Motels/Motor Lodges: If you like independence then apartments, self-contained motel units, motor lodges and motor inns may fit your needs – and they are conveniently easy to find on main routes. Committed to Qualmark’s quality assurance, Golden Chain Motels offer Blue and Gold Accommodation Passes depending on the Qualmark rating you require.

Lodges: When only the best will do, New Zealand’s lodge accommodation is ideal for a luxury getaway. Set in stunning locations, and often coming complete with an in-house chef, you’ll receive individual attention from hosts and staff with personal activities planned on your behalf. The New Zealand Lodge Association is a network of premium lodges.

For those who’d rather stick to the road, motorhomes or campervans allow the freedom to roam the country, stopping at scenic spots and other points of interest along the way.

Don’t get lost when travelling New Zealand! Check out our selection of handy maps to help you navigate like a local.

Print off the New Zealand map or the North and South Island maps to mark your complete New Zealand itinerary. When exploring NZ’s individual regions, refer to the regional road maps for greater detail, and look out for icons on each map showing you museums, beaches, visitor information centres and more.

New Zealand Map

North Island Map

South Island Map

A land of stunning contrasts and distinctive culture, New Zealand is waiting for you to discover its many sights and attractions and unforgettable experiences.

There’s an unparalleled array of exciting activities, cultural experiences and spectacular scenery in New Zealand, and it can be difficult to know where to start when planning your trip. In this section however, you can browse a number of suggested itineraries that will help you to explore the best of what New Zealand has to offer.

Although it can be very enjoyable to explore the country at your own pace, and visitors who have more time available can stop for longer at each destination and add interesting diversions along the way, if you have a more limited time in New Zealand, it’s often best to follow a pre-planned day-by-day itinerary.

A popular option for visitors wanting to see as much of the country as possible is to arrive in Auckland, travel south by road and finish in Christchurch before flying back to Auckland. Alternatively, you may wish to focus on a specific area of the country – a couple of key regions or the North or South Island – or plan a trip that takes into account your own particular areas of interest. In addition to offering a diverse range of cultural and natural activities that make it easy to plan a trip around themed interests from wildlife to wine, New Zealand also features a number of themed highways that can be slotted into your trip planning and make navigation easy.

You can also view distance charts and maps to assist with planning your journey.

When coming to New Zealand, some of the most important questions are whether to get around by rental car or public transport, and whether to choose a self-drive option or NZ tour.

Getting around New Zealand is easy. Public transport, including air, bus, rail and ferries, is extensive and good value. This section tells you all about the different New Zealand transport options, travel passes and New Zealand flights. If you would like to choose the self-drive option, you’ll find information on New Zealand car hiring companies, NZ campervan rentals and purchasing vehicles. Finally, you could choose to take part in a guided tour. Whether you choose a one-day sightseeing tour, a multi-day New Zealand backpacker tour or special interest tour, New Zealand guides will show you the best the country has to offer.

Below you’ll find New Zealand distance charts for the North Island and South Island. Print them off and keep them handy on your road trip.

Distances between New Zealand cities are given in kilometres. Remember that distances can be deceptive. Many roads are steep and winding, which means that you won’t be able to travel at motorway speed. You’ll also want to stop regularly and make the most of the photo opportunities, so take your time when travelling across New Zealand!

Click image to view large/printable charts.

Ahh! Imagine the blissful pleasure of sliding into the warm waters of a bubbling thermal pool, knowing that a massage by a professional therapist is yet to come. New Zealand’s natural environment spells relaxation for body and soul, so take time to indulge. Opt for a hot mineral bath, Maori massage or geothermal mud body wrap – the choice is yours!

Geothermal Bathing

Bathing in a geothermal pool rich with minerals and heated by nature is a New Zealand speciality. Bubbling hot pools can be found all over New Zealand and visitors have travelled to places like Rotorua to ‘take the cure’ since the 19th Century. Maori used New Zealand’s thermal pools therapeutically for generations before the arrival of Europeans but, for them, geothermal features also held spiritual significance. In Rotorua, you can take a boat trip to Mokoia Island and soak your feet in Hinemoa’s Pool – the hot natural pool where the heroine of local legend, Hinemoa, warmed herself after swimming across Lake Rotorua to be with her lover, Tutanekai. Opinions now vary on the health benefits of thermal bathing, but there’s no doubt that a soak is wonderfully relaxing! If you’re in The Coromandel, you can even dig your own hot pool – a geothermal spring filters up through the sand at Hot Water Beach.

Other Hot Pools

New Zealand also features a range of non-geothermal pools, which may be heated by nature but are not filled with thermal water. The pools of Alpine Springs in Lake Tekapo are fed by mountain springs, while the Glacier Hot Pools in Franz Josef derive their waters from glacial streams. At Ocean Spa in Napier and Mount Maunganui Hot Salt Water Pools you can soak in hot salt water pools.

Māori Massage

Massage has been practised by Māori for hundreds of years. Traditional Māori healing was based around massage, medicine and spiritual guidance. There are two main forms: romiromi, or deep tissue massage, which applies intense acupressure; and mirimiri, a gentler, soft tissue massage. Both varieties of Māori massage can be experienced in many places around New Zealand. Hells Gate and Wai Ora Spa in Rotorua features a traditional mirimiri experience which concludes with a special karakia (prayer). Other spas may incorporate elements of traditional Māori massage into their treatments: LeSpa at the Sofitel Queenstown offers a hot stone massage with New Zealand greenstone (pounamu).

Retreats

For the ultimate escape from everyday stresses, unwind at a wellness retreat. There are numerous specialist retreats throughout the country offering all manner of treatments to enhance your wellbeing – from massage, spa therapy and hydro-treatments to yoga and weight-loss programmes. The indulgence offered at these hideaways is often mirrored by stunning surroundings, as many are located in wilderness settings. Holistic sanctuaries take care of mind and spirit as well as body, and sometimes feature self-improvement seminars or classes, while eco-retreats seek to look after their guests and the natural environment alike.

Wine has been produced in New Zealand since the arrival of the first European settlers, but in recent years the industry has rapidly evolved to take centre stage internationally.

The nation’s oldest winemaker, Mission Estate, has been producing wines in Hawke’s Bay since 1851, and today New Zealand is internationally lauded for producing wines of note. A wide range of landscapes (or terroir) makes for unparalleled variety, from Central Otago’s Pinot Noirs to Marlborough’s Sauvignon Blancs and Hawke’s Bay’s Merlots. In order to get the best out of New Zealand’s 10 significant wine growing regions, it’s a great idea to embark on a wine tour or book a personal wine guide.

If you’re exploring New Zealand’s vineyards independently, then sampling wines at the cellar door is a great way to spend the day – just make sure you have a nominated non-drinking driver. Self-guided and guided wine tours by bicycle also enjoy huge popularity. Martinborough is a great place to try this fun approach to wine tasting, as numerous vineyards are situated within easy reach of the town square so you don’t have to cycle too far! For the ultimate experience of wine growing in New Zealand, drive the Classic New Zealand Wine Trail from sun-drenched vineyards in Hawke’s Bay right down to Marlborough in the South Island! New Zealand’s major wine regions all have a particular climate and geology producing distinctive types of wine.

Breweries & Distilleries

New Zealand not only produces world-class wines, but also brews excellent beers, ranging from boutique brews to major brands. Most breweries are open for tours and big names include the Tui HQ and Tui Brewery in North Island’s Mangatainoka and Dunedin’s Speight’s Brewery. Founders Brewery in Nelson, Australasia’s first certified organic brewery, is a highlight and there are dozens of craft breweries around the country. If you want to step it up a notch, you can visit one of New Zealand’s boutique distilleries, producing fruit brandies, liqueurs, schnapps and rum. The Prenzel Distilling Company has tasting rooms in Auckland, Wellington and Blenheim and retail outlets around the country. Do make sure, however, to appoint a designated non-drinking driver when heading out to sample New Zealand’s alcoholic delicacies.

New Zealand offers plenty of highly tempting shopping opportunities and high-quality goods. Tourist shops are always on hand with New Zealand flags and chocolate kiwis, but even the tiniest bit of exploring is usually enough to uncover something unique, glamorous or special. Fantastic boutiques and galleries await discovery everywhere from urban high streets to small country towns.

New Zealand Fashion

Browse New Zealand’s fashion boutiques, chain stores and department stores and you’ll be amazed at the quality and range on offer. New Zealand fashion is world-class – no surprise, really, when you consider that Untouched World, Trelise Cooper and Karen Walker have been exporting to the world’s fashion capitals for years. Up-and-coming local designers are always an exciting find. For an inexpensive take on the latest fashion trends, head to chain stores Glassons or Max, and to Barkers and Hallensteins for male equivalents. By all means explore the high street fashion, but make sure you explore what’s on offer in country villages too, or a hidden gem might escape you!

Arts & Crafts

Art galleries and workshops are great places to pick up arts and crafts – follow an art and craft trail to find them. Look for works of art incorporating Māori cultural symbols. The koru (spiral) stands for new beginnings, the hei matai (fish hook) depicts prosperity and strength, the bird-like manaia is a spiritual guardian and the hei tiki is a good luck charm. Look for:

Original Art: Purchase an original or limited-edition print.
Sculptures: Beautiful artisan pieces in ceramic, wood, glass or metal.
Jewellery Contemporary or traditional Māori designs.

Kiwiana

Celebrating New Zealand’s cultural quirkiness, Kiwiana items make great souvenirs – or great gifts. You’ll have fun explaining the cultural importance of a tomato-shaped ketchup bottle! Reproductions of popular Kiwiana items are readily available in gift shops.

Shopping Precincts

Each town and city has its own shopping areas, but there are some highlights you should schedule into your itinerary. Auckland’s Newmarket, Ponsonby Road, Parnell and city centre, along with central Wellington, are renowned for boutiques, while Dunedin’s George and Princes streets are great for art galleries and designer fashion. Christchurch offers fashion in the central city, Victoria Street and the stylish suburb of Merivale. Outside main centres, Napier (Hawke’s Bay), New Plymouth (Taranaki) and Cambridge (Waikato) are great shopping destinations. You’ll find world-class shopping in surprising places – keep an eye out for designer fashion in tiny beach towns or slick art galleries among the vineyards. The tiny Waikato village of Tirau has a main street lined with tempting little shops, and the historic small town of Greytown, an hour out of Wellington, is full of designer boutiques and quirky local stores selling everything from handbags, jewellery and art through to gourmet chocolates, antiques, homeware and rare books.

Markets

Markets are a good place to pick up gifts and unique mementos while enjoying the atmosphere and feasting on gourmet treats. You’ll find everything from craft markets to farmers’ markets. Riccarton Market in Christchurch is big, bustling and hugely popular, offering goods from local artisans, while Auckland’s Otara Market is a Pacific-flavoured highlight where you can taste Pacific Island culinary specialities. Others include the Rotorua Night Market, Wellington’s Frank Kitts Underground Market and the iconic Creative Queenstown Arts and Crafts Market. Keep an eye out for harvest markets in late summer or autumn.

If you’ve got a passion for fine food and wine then you’re in for a treat! New Zealand cuisine is guaranteed to satisfy.

In the last few decades New Zealand cuisine has undergone a major renaissance. Drawing on influences from the many different cultures that make up the local population, including indigenous Māori cuisine, New Zealand’s dining culture has emerged innovative and sophisticated.

Part of New Zealand’s secret lies in its fortuitous geography. The diverse landscape means that an unusually wide variety of ingredients can be grown here – so the majority of produce is locally grown, as fresh as you please and available to every cook! Add to that 15,000 kilometres of coastline teeming with fish and shellfish and you have the recipe for local cuisine that’s pretty special. Kiwis love to celebrate this fact with a myriad of wine and food festivals from one end of the country to the other.

Multicultural influences and a wide selection of ingredients to draw on make New Zealand a very natural home for the fusion approach to cooking. Blending flavours from around the Pacific Rim, this vibrant style is internationally popular and trend-setting Kiwi chefs such as Peter Gordon have played an important role in its development. While in New Zealand, visitors can follow in the footsteps of other great Kiwi chefs. The country offers a range of food and wine tours, factory/farm visits and cooking schools, while best-selling cookbooks are a great way to take a slice of New Zealand home. Look out for books by celebrity chefs such as Jo Seagar, Peter Gordon, Annabel Langbein, Alison Holst or Al Brown and Steve Logan of the TV series Hunger for the Wild. For a typical Kiwiana item, found in virtually every Kiwi kitchen, grab a copy of the Edmonds Cookery Book – it’s full of classic Kiwi recipes like Anzac biscuits and pavlova.

Wildlife sanctuaries, destination spas and boutique lodges topped off with glamorous charter yachts, designer shopping and gourmet cuisine – welcome to your ultimate luxurious holiday in the Land of the Long White Cloud!

Indulgent Breaks

If you’re after a truly unique escape right in the lap of luxury you’ll cherish five-star New Zealand. A vital part of any luxe holiday is perfect accommodation. New Zealand has a range of top international hotel chains with first-class amenities familiar to any well-travelled visitor, while the country’s unforgettable lodges and retreats offer a very special alternative. Arrive at your exclusive lodge via boat and indulge in dishes prepared by an in-house chef while taking in stunning views! During your stay, you can expect impeccable service and expert local knowledge from your hosts. Or choose an intimate boutique hotel, where each room is individually designed – options range from old convents to restored homesteads.

After waking up utterly relaxed, it’s time to explore. Browse the designer boutiques of chic cities such as Auckland and Wellington, book a private wine guide in Marlborough or embark on a luxury boat cruise in Fiordland. A must-do luxe activity is flight-seeing. Discover the landscape from the air or combine flight-seeing with adventures such as skiing, ice climbing or island hopping. Then unwind on the greens of one of New Zealand’s internationally lauded golf courses or on the massage bed at a destination spa before heading to a world-class restaurant for dinner.

Of course, you’ll want to travel in style! A range of private transport options are on offer, from chartered fixed-wing planes, helicopters or yachts to limousine transfers. And rest assured that you can leave the planning to the professionals. Look for a specialist in luxury travel and all you’ll need to do is compile a wish list – your custom-designed trip will make it all come true!

An Exclusive Grade

Qualmark rates all styles of accommodation with a star grading system, but the New Zealand Luxury Lodge rating is in a league of its own. Offering the finest locations, facilities and service – these properties measure up to the strictest of criteria. Such properties are not common, but that is part of the appeal.

Rest & Relax

Geothermal bathing, Maori massages, day spas and wellness sanctuaries – if you plan to spend some (or all!) of your holiday indulging in a spa experience, see the Spas & Retreats section.

At the far end of the South Pacific Ocean lies New Zealand, a nation that is geographically removed yet right up with the play when it comes to great cuisine, fine wine and good shopping. Here in Godzone, Kiwis love to live the good life – and you’re sure to fall in love with it!

The New Zealand lifestyle is relaxed, easy-going and enjoyable, and there’s plenty of great ways to experience it. This section offers information on living large in New Zealand. If you’re in the market for the absolute best of what the country had to offer, treat yourself to the luxury lifestyle on offer at the country’s best lodges, resorts and destination spas.

You don’t need an unlimited budget to eat well in New Zealand, though. It’s still primarily an agricultural nation that turns out some of the best produce in the world, and local chefs prepare it with the culinary skills to do it justice, meaning that New Zealand’s varied and excellent cuisine and fine wines are always to hand.

Need to relax? Small, quiet New Zealand is an excellent place to unwind and de-stress. Get those tense shoulders to one of the country’s excellent spas and melt away those cares! Once you’re ready to face the world again, hit the shops and boutiques in both large cities and small country towns to discover the exclusive, the fashionable, the delicious and the unique.

From urban exploration, heli-hiking, city and coastal strolls to guided walks and New Zealand's famous Great Walks, you’re spoilt for choice here.

Incredible scenery, pristine fresh air, and space to let your mind unwind from everyday stresses – go beyond the road for a taste of New Zealand’s unique wilderness areas. With more than 8 million hectares (11.5% of the country) preserved in the national park system – featuring 12,000 kilometres of walking tracks and 1000 huts for overnight stays – you need to pull on a pair of hiking boots to truly discover New Zealand at its pristine natural best. Trails range from short scenic walks to multi-day hikes, or even ice or mountain climbs for the experienced.

Explore independently, or join a guided tour or walk – a good option for those less experienced in the outdoors and those wanting to try a more intense trekking experience. Taking the hassle out of organising food and transport, these also offer the advantage of an experienced escort who can explain local features and wildlife.

New Zealand offers amazing opportunities to get back to nature within just minutes of virtually any of its urban areas. A huge variety of short and medium-length walks are accessible by road, and some trails provide access for disabled visitors.

New Zealand is an outstanding destination for skiers and snowboarders. A good snow base and warmer temperatures make spring skiing a big draw. There are commercial and club fields offering downhill skiing and snowboarding, cross-country skiing and terrain parks. Larger fields offer dedicated areas for learners, while extreme skiers and snowboarders will enjoy heli-skiing in remote locations.

The majority of New Zealand’s ski areas are located in the South Island, but there are a couple in North Island’s Ruapehu region and one in Taranaki. Renting or purchasing quality equipment is easy in cities and ski resorts, although most ski areas also rent gear on the mountain. The main ski areas are on Mount Ruapehu in the North Island and in Canterbury, Mackenzie, Wanaka and Queenstown in the South Island – all of which become busy ski resorts during the winter months. Options are available to suit snow enthusiasts of every skill level; go gently with ski school lessons and well-groomed runs at major commercial ski areas, or go wild with exciting off-piste options or a heli-skiing trip to untamed snow country.

Weather Info

Go to www.metservice.co.nz and click on the ‘Mountains & Parks – Ski Fields’ link for tailored reports on New Zealand ski areas, entered daily by the ski areas during the season. The MetService offers a mobile service for daily or one-off alerts and mountain condition reports sent directly to your mobile. On the About page, click ‘SMS Texting’ and ‘TXT4SNOW’ for more details. If you don’t have the internet, phone MetPhone Mountain & Ski Info for mountain forecasts (from 7am) and AA highway reports. Calls to these services incur a per-minute charge. MetPhone Mountain & Ski Info phone numbers: Central North Island 0900 999 15; Nelson Lakes 0900 999 02; Canterbury 0900 999 26; Southern Lakes 0900 999 81.

Taking a scenic flight (or flight-seeing) is an excellent way to experience the full majesty of the New Zealand landscape. In the North Island, flight-seeing offers a unique view of the iconic volcanoes of the Ruapehu region, Mount Tarawera, or White Island in the Bay of Plenty. It is also an excellent way to get a sense of the breathtaking Bay of Islands, or to visit the islands of the Hauraki Gulf.

In the South Island, the striking glory of the Southern Alps can be revealed on a flight-seeing expedition that skims across glaciers and skirts around massive mountain peaks. New Zealand’s tallest mountain, Aoraki Mount Cook, in the Mackenzie region, is a must-see from the air, and Wanaka, Queenstown, Te Anau and Milford Sound are also bases for spectacular alpine flight-seeing expeditions. In Southland, visitors can catch a flight that whisks them south to land on a Stewart Island beach.

Heli Adventures

There are numerous ways to combine the thrill and convenience of a helicopter flight with other popular activities. Heli skiing adventures deliver skiers and snowboarders deep into the mountains in search of untracked powder, heli-fishing with an expert guide takes participants to remote streams and lakes in search of trout, heli-hiking is a good way to experience the deepest wilderness (and still be back in the comfort of your hotel for dinner!) and heli-dining can mean a high-speed transfer to a Waiheke Island winery or luxurious rural lodge for a sumptuous meal.