10 cities to love in New Zealand

New Zealand or Mãori Aotearoa is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The country geographically comprises two main landmasses ‒ the North and South Island ‒ and numerous smaller islands. New Zealand has many smaller pearls to visit if you have the time and the heart of Phileas Fogg.

10. Matamata, North Island: The Shire, Middle Earth.

The Peter Jackson movies ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘the Hobbit’ set of the Shire is right outside Matamata. There and back again - in a couple of hours:

Visit the life-size hobbit holes in the green shire, take photos, fall in love with the holes and taste a ginger-beer in the hobbit bar and be as nerdy as you want here. I took around a thousand pictures in front of all the little hobbit-holes and I was as excited about the 150 frame as the first. The Shire is a visit to make time for. Touristy but quaint. You get a guided tour around the setting and are presented to the different homes of the different Baggins, Underhills, and Big-feet. As if you didn’t know which home belongs to what hobbit… Please.

The shire is located in a beautiful green dairy farming landscape around the Waikato town of Matamata.

The Shire, Hobbiton

The Shire, Hobbiton

9. Rotorua, North Island: The breathtaking nature - in more ways than one

Rotorua has magnificent nature. It is famous for its volcanic activity and for how its landscape has been shaped and colored by it. 

Check out the parks and make time to visit one of the area’s many hot springs. 

New Zealand is never really hot so it is always the perfect weather to enjoy and relax in one of the naturally occurring hot springs. Whether you prefer the luxury of the man-made versions or the simplicity of the naturally occurring pools, they are not hard to find, and worth a visit.

And while you’re in town, Rotorua is famous for its Maori villages and cultural performances which is a fun experience if you do not mind the artificiality of being a tourist attraction. Let yourself be entertained for a few hours with visits to traditionally built houses, play the games that the Maori children played pre-Cook-invasion, and have a traditional meal while enjoying Haka performances.

Rotorua

Rotorua

Rotorua

8. Napier, North Island: Art Deco

Napier is the coziest amazing little city in New Zealand. Its architecture is unique. After a 7.8 earthquake destroyed most of the city in 1931, the city was rebuilt mostly in the art-deco-style, trendy in the 1930′s. This is celebrated in February at Art Deco weekend with a party like it’s 1930.

Napier is located in Hawke’s Bay on the eastern coast of the North Island. 

It's quaint, cozy and cute and everyone says hi and waves when you meet them on the street.

Napier is known for their sea and wildlife. Its National Museum is home to the largest display of sea life in New Zealand, where you can see sharks, and swim with them. Finally, Cape Kidnappers, located just outside of Napier, has the largest colony of gannets in the world.

7. Tongariro Crossing,  North Island, Mordor

Tongariro National Park is a volcanic park with important Maori sites located in the middle of the North Island. It is more or less in the middle of nowhere. You need a car to get here because it is located far from everything. Don’t fear getting lost, because there are no other roads so the chance of taking a wrong turn is slim.

Tongariro National Park is a world heritage site, and when visiting you have a chance to see spectacular and unique volcanic landscape. 

For overnight stays, it depends on your budget but Whakapapa Village is an excellent, and kind of only, choice. Here accommodation ranges from beautiful chateaus’ with views over the landscape to camping spots inside the woods. Remember to register with the visitor center when you set out for the crossing. The weather changes very rapidly here and one minute you are walking in the sunshine while the next it will start to snow, even in the middle of February. 

When visiting the Tongariro National Park you get a chance to see three volcanoes, Mt Tongariro, Mt Ngauruhoe and Mt Ruapehu. Mt. Ngauruhoe is also known as the Mt. Doom from LORT. Also check out the iconic lakes: Emerald Lakes, the Blue Lake, and the Tama Lake. 

While staying in Whakapapa Village don’t miss out on the nature around the area. Walkabout all alone without meeting anyone for days and experience the peacefulness of nature, with mist and clouds hanging low, and gives the feeling of spirits and ghosts.

Tongariro National Park

Tongariro National Park

6. Kaikoura, South Island, New Zealand

Kaikoura is a town located on the East coast of the South Island. The Peninsula extends into the sea south of the town, and the resulting upwelling currents bring an abundance of marine life from the depths of the nearby Hikurangi Trench. This makes it an excellent place to explore the big mammals that live in the sea.

You can go swimming with dolphins or seals, or just watch the seals at the eastern edge of the town where a large colony of Southern Fur Seals has made their home territory. It is about a 10-15 minute walk outside of the city. It is best to see the seals during low tide, as the ocean gives way to a rocky base which you can walk for quite some distance. The main attraction is the Sperm Whale. There are plenty of ways to encounter this animal, just ask around until you find your choice.

Interested in more wildlife? Kaikoura offers easy access to open-ocean seabirds such as albatrosses, petrels, and shearwaters. Get your goggles and go explore.

Kaikoura

Kaikoura

5. Queenstown, South Island

After spending a month driving around and exploring all New Zealand has to offer we were craving city life. Everything in New Zealand is sleepy and closes early in the countryside. It was hard to find anything to do after eight most nights and even the gas station closes at six. Coming to Queenstown was like coming to Saturday-night-fever heaven. The clubs were pumping and the nightlife was everywhere. During the days Queenstown is the place for extreme sports. Rafting, Bungee jumping, skydiving, paragliding.. you name it and this is the place to do it. 

Queenstown is on the Lake Wakatipu which means there are plenty of options for water sport or just relaxing in the chilly lake water and tan. The area also offers beautiful nature and trekking opportunities. The Ben Lomond Scenic Reserve offers a cable-car ride to the top, but for the active, you can find several trails leading to the top which both gives you a bit of sweat and some beautiful scenery. Arthurs point and Glenorchy are other great places for trekking and encountering the spectacular New Zealand nature.

Queenstown

4. Arrowtown, South Island

The town you didn’t know existed but will love is Arrowtown. This is the most charming little historic settlement located just outside of Queenstown. It is located in gorgeous nature with plenty of trekking opportunities around town. Stop by the Arrow River and see for your self if you can find any gold hidden here. There are several gold mining sites to check out if you feel lucky.

The town was build in 1862 as a gold-mining town as a result of the Otago gold rush. Today it is filled with people who are proud of their heritage and eager to preserve it.

When you stroll down the city center on Buckingham Street you see that the town probably hasn’t changed it much. There are many gold-rush things to do like getting your photo taken in old-fashion clothes and setting from the 18-century miner's town. Most of the town evolves around this mining heritage, which has a quirky charm to it. Stop by the Lakes District Museum with its display history and life in a goldfields town and wander by the Chinese settlement by the Arrow River. 

Arrowtown

Arrowtown

3. Te Anau & Milford Sounds, South Island

Here you can explore some of New Zealand’s most beautiful natural landscapes: the Fiordland Te Anau and Milford Sounds, or Piopiotahi, as the Mãoris call it. Located in the South West of New Zealand’s South Island, within Fiordland National Park. It has been said to be the world’s top travel destination in an international survey in TripAdvisor, and it is breathtakingly beautiful.

While in Milford Sounds, get yourself on one of the many boat cruises and enjoy the surroundings, get a picture of a seal colony, a dolphin or maybe even a penguin if you are lucky.

Milford Sound

2. Wanaka, South Island, New Zealand

It is a town in the Otago region of the South Island situated at the southern end of Lake Wanaka, and gateway to Mount Aspiring National Park. If you like hiking, stunning scenery and pristine nature, Wanaka ought to be a stop on your travels around New Zealand. This city’s surroundings are great for hiking and adventures.

Lake Wanaka offers some of the best hiking in New Zealand, ranging from 30 minutes to 5 days, but hiking to the majestic Rob Roy Glacier is what the vast majority of tourists visit when going there. The track is an ideal entry point to Mt Aspiring National Park – an area of spectacular alpine scenery, snowfields, glaciers, sheer rock cliffs, and waterfalls.

If you are less of a walker, there are many small tracks as well that leads to beautiful nature, such as Blue Pool Track. It leads through silver beech/tahina to a swing bridge overlooking the pools at the mouth of Blue River. Large brown and rainbow trout can often be seen feeding in the pools. Whatever your fitness level, age, or eagerness, there will be a walk for you.

Wanaka

1. Auckland, North Island

Auckland was the first city we visited when we first came to New Zealand, and we loved it. People were so friendly and welcoming. When we were walking on the street in the suburban area we stayed in people were greeting us when they walked by. It felt amazing and we felt so welcomed. And when you go to paradise, of course, one of your stops must me Mount Eden. A volcano located in the middle of the city. Once you’ve reached the top you can enjoy a great view of the city and have a look into the crater of the volcano. Visiting Auckland as our first stop we were hungry for some Māori history and heritage and though it is all over the city we went to the Auckland Museum where they have a marvelous collection including a marae and we got a chance to see the fascinating warrior dance, the Haka-dance performed. From the museum, the Domain is just a short walk away with its stunning collection of flowers and trees. Into beaches, Auckland has a lot to choose from. The black-sand beaches of the West coast or the gold-sand beaches of the North coast, all you have to do is go.

Auckland

Auckland

Auckland

Auckland

* All Photos are private and taken by me.