No matter your interests, or the time of year you visit, Aotearoa New Zealand has incredible experiences waiting to be discovered…
Aotearoa New Zealand is a year-round destination, replete with visitor experiences that encompass culture, adventure, nature, food and relaxation. Crisp spring mornings and the colourful foliage of autumn offer their own unique delights to discover, while clear winter nights offer ideal conditions for a relaxing dip under the stars in a geothermal hot tub and might even deliver a glimpse of the Aurora Australis.
The country’s diverse microclimates, from the sub-tropical far north to the snowy slopes of the Southern Alps, offer a wide variety of activities. In the same winter trip you could stroll along a Coromandel beach, take advantage of the Queenstown ski season and experience Matariki, Māori New Year. During the cooler months, you’ll get a greater sense of why iconic spots such as Milford Sound, Lake Tekapo and Hot Water Beach are so special.
Use the map to explore
New Zealand is only fractionally larger than the UK, making it easy for travellers to get around. Renting a car gives you the ultimate freedom to go as you please and set your own pace. Alternatively, embrace slow travel on scenic long distance rail routes such as the Northern Explorer from Auckland to Wellington, the Coastal Pacific for its South Island ocean views or the TranzAlpine that connects Christchurch and Greymouth, climbing over Arthur’s Pass.
Māori Culture
Engage in Māori customs
Te Ao Māori (the Māori world) is underpinned by customs and beliefs such as kaitiakitanga (guardianship). As children of Papatūānuku (earth mother) and Ranginui (sky father), Māori believe we all have a duty of care to act as guardians of the natural world. Engage with Māori culture in an authentic, respectful, and enriching way through Māori-owned businesses across New Zealand. Watch spellbinding performances like kapa haka (ceremonial performance) and the artful spinning of weighted poi. Listen to waiata (songs) recounting stories of the past. Learn about ancestors embodied as local mountains, lakes, and rivers. Discover the importance of storytelling through Ta Moko—the art of facial and body tattooing that records a person’s ancestry and achievements.
Discover Rotorua with Māori guides
On the outskirts of Rotorua, visit the Māori Arts and Crafts Institute at Te Puia. Receive a customary greeting at a pōwhiri welcoming ceremony and learn about traditional crafts such as carving and weaving. Afterwards, admire the mud pools and geysers of the Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley. Free up a day to hike through a wildlife-rich native forest of totara and rimu trees, learning about their cultural significance to the Māori en route to pretty Whirinaki Falls. In the evening, devour a hangi dinner at Mitai Māori Village. There, witness warriors arrive by canoe on the Wai-o-Whiro stream and enjoy a cultural show.
Sail the Sounds with a Māori family
Learn more about Māori myths and legends as you explore Marlborough Sounds, an area of exquisite drowned river valleys from which forested hills rise steeply. Join skipper Pete and his wife Takutai, boarding their classic two-masted launch for a memorable cruise. The vessel, Tutanekai, is named after a high ranking yet illegitimate Māori. According to legend, he and his half-brothers had fallen for the same woman, Hinemoa. Entranced by her beauty, they attempted to win her heart, but it was Tutanekai’s enchanting flute playing that secured her affection. The scenery that you’ll experience promises to be equally mesmerising.
Visit Te Papa Tongarewa
Located on Wellington waterfront, Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand’s national museum. Its Māori name translates as “our container of treasured things and people that spring from Mother Earth here in New Zealand”. It’s through these treasures that you’ll get a sense of what it means to be Māori. Enter the museum’s marae atea and wharenui, a traditional meeting space that signifies unity and welcome, embodying the nation’s multi-cultural identity. Learn how the ancestors navigated their way across the Pacific in double-hulled sailing waka and explore aspects of Māori history through musical instruments called karetao-puoro that double as moving figures.
Natural phenomena
Witness the whale migration
From March to October, humpback whales migrate north from the Antarctic, bound for the warmth of tropical waters. Take an educational, conservation-focused and environmentally-sensitive whale watching tour from Kaikōura on the South Island. It affords the chance to understand the whales’ seasonal journey, as well as the opportunity to spot resident cetaceans such as sperm whales, dusky dolphins and endangered Hector’s dolphins. Rarer encounters with southern right whales and pods of pilot whales are also possible in the colder waters associated with low season. Other wildlife sightings, such as fur seals and seabirds such as the royal albatross, are an added bonus.
Look up at dark skies
Autumn and winter are the best seasons to appreciate New Zealand’s dark skies. The Milky Way is visible almost anywhere in the country; in officially recognised Dark Sky Reserves like South Island’s Aoraki Mount Cook and Stewart Island’s Rakiura you might witness the Aurora Australis. Darkness plays a significant role in Māori heritage; during Matariki, the Pleiades star cluster rises to welcome a new year. In Northland, learn about the significance of certain kauri trees in the Waipoua Forest to Māori beliefs. Meanwhile, in Wellington take a guided night tour of Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne, an urban eco-sanctuary dedicated to the preservation of native species.
Experience cinematic seasons
New Zealand’s striking terrain has long attracted the attention of film directors. Movies such as The Lord of the Rings and The Power of the Dog unfold against a backdrop of epic scenery. Year-round, immerse yourself in cinematic landscapes across the country and create your own story. The off-season teases endless possibilities. For instance, after wet weather, low clouds shroud Doubtful Sound and rainfall swells its waterfalls, giving it a moody and mysterious air. Alternatively, in the soft light of a winter’s day, it’s hard to top the sight of the Southern Alps mirrored in the still waters of Lake Pukaki.
Head out on a hike
As exemplified by the country’s eleven Great Walks and countless other shorter trails, New Zealand is a trekker’s paradise. Audley guests might consider incorporating the three-day Walk the Hollyford Track excursion into a longer itinerary. At a comfortable pace, this valley hike traverses sand dunes and riverside paths, against a jaw-dropping backdrop of pristine beaches, mirror-calm lakes, tumbling waterfalls and the snow-capped Darran Mountains. Exploring this World Heritage wilderness on foot allows hikers to thoroughly absorb their surroundings. Inject a dose of adrenaline-fuelled fun with a jet boat ride and up the thrill factor with an unforgettable sightseeing flight out to Milford Sound.
Cuisine
Eat local produce
Embark upon a culinary adventure as you sample New Zealand’s signature eats. For instance, on Audley’s Greenshell Mussel tour, cruise the inner Pelorus and Kenepuru Sounds as you learn about how these tasty bivalve molluscs are farmed. The opportunity to sample lightly-steamed mussels accompanied by a glass of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is a highlight. Audley guests travelling to Auckland can also join the City Tastes walking tour. Britomart and Viaduct Harbour are popular with foodies; discover why as you graze your way round the local farmers’ market and call into some of the best farm-to-table cafés and restaurants in these neighbourhoods.
Visit the vineyards
New Zealand’s unique terroir means that it produces some of the best wine in the world. On the North Island, Audley customers are invited to tour the cellar doors of Hawkes Bay whose abundant sunshine and fertile, gravelly soils produce world-class merlot, pinot noir, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc. Alternatively, Waiheke Island is an easy day trip from Auckland. Merlot and Syrah are its most common varietals, but there’s been an increase in whites such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris in recent years. Most of its thirty or so boutique vineyards welcome visitors year-round and nowhere’s very far from the ferry.
Sample craft beer
Follow the New Zealand Ale Trail to discover the beer produced by around 200 craft breweries. Wellington is widely considered the industry’s epicentre but craft beer can be sampled all across the country. Guided tours take a deep dive into the brewing process, while tasting flights provide an opportunity to select personal favourites.
Order a flat white
Creamy and smooth, the flat white is New Zealand’s signature drink, the mainstay of independent roasters which work their magic on fair trade beans. In coffee-obsessed Wellington, sniff out the best cafés as you take Audley’s guided Wellington Food Tour, going behind the scenes to meet the people that know it best.
Relaxation
Enjoy the coast at Coromandel
The laidback seaside towns and unspoilt bays of the Coromandel are an enticing prospect after the faster pace of Auckland, a three-hour drive away. Surf or SUP at popular Hahei Beach. From there, follow a cliff top trail littered with mature tree ferns and pohutukawa trees. Descend a wooden staircase to admire Cathedral Cove (Te Whanganui-A-Hei), whose magnificent ignimbrite arch perfectly frames Ta Hoho, an offshore stump. Close by, Hot Water Beach is a stretch of sand known for its naturally-occurring thermal springs. Time your visit for low tide, when you can rent a shovel and dig yourself your very own hot tub beside the ocean.
Get outdoors in Nelson Tasman
Sunshine lifts the spirits, so where better to find it than in the place that claims more of it than anywhere else in the country? Nelson Tasman’s diversity is reflected in the plethora of restorative outdoor pursuits it offers. Kayak in sheltered bays flanked by craggy limestone cliffs. Hike trails that open up stellar views of mountain lakes and hills carpeted with beech trees. Ride a bicycle in the dappled shade of leafy forests or follow the Tasman Great Taste Trail to orchards, wineries and craft breweries. Off-season events such as November’s New Zealand Cider Festival are another reason to come.
Rejuvenate in Mackenzie
The Mackenzie region is home to New Zealand’s highest mountain and largest glacier. Amid such extraordinary surroundings, getting outdoors is a must. The Church of the Good Shepherd perches on the shore of Lake Tekapo, a site for contemplation. Tekapo Hot Springs also makes the most of this remarkable backdrop, the perfect place to relax with a drink in hand. It also forms part of an IDA Dark Sky Reserve. Serious stargazers should visit the Mount John Observatory in the hills above the lake for a chance to see the Aurora Australis, the Milky Way and a heaven full of glittering stars.
Soothe your muscles in Waitaki
Get outdoors and explore the Waitaki Whitestone Geopark, New Zealand’s first UNESCO Global Geopark. It's home to unique landforms such as the spherical Moeraki Boulders as well as striking scenery such as the karst landscape at Elephant Rocks and the pinnacles and narrow ravines of Clay Cliffs. After a day’s hiking, soothe your muscles in the warm water of Hot Tubs Omarama. Situated in the midst of unspoilt countryside, gaze out over snow-capped peaks or watch the stars brighten the dark sky. Alternatively, escape to a luxurious glamping dome retreat at Valley Views where you can watch the sunset and let the flames of an open fire work their mesmerising magic.
Make it happen
Customise your Kiwi adventure with Audley as you combine a variety of experiences, activities and tours to create a bespoke itinerary that’s uniquely suited to your interests. Why not let Audley’s New Zealand specialists help shape your trip as they share their first-hand knowledge of this fascinating country?
Discover more incredible New Zealand experiences by heading over to the official website.
