Top Attraction 1
Glacier walking, Franz Josef or Fox Glacier. Explore stunning blue glacier ice and crevasses on a half- or full-day glacier walk, led by knowledgeable and safety-conscious guides. All the gear, including crampons, is provided.
Top Attraction 2
Waipoua Forest, Northland. Stroll through the vertiginous canopy of tangled foliage in this mighty Northland kauri forest, where sights such as New Zealand’s oldest living kauri tree – the mammoth Tane Mahuta – are, quite simply, unforgettable.
Top Attraction 3
Adventure sports. Whether you like your adrenaline via bungee, surfboard, zorb, or with an ice pick, New Zealand has a variety of outdoor adventures sure to get your blood pumping.
Top Attraction 4
Māori culture. New Zealand’s Indigenous culture can be experienced by attending a traditional kapa haka (song-and-dance show) performed at venues nationwide; at a hangi feast; and on guided walking tours of local marae (open courtyards) and meeting houses.
Top Attraction 5
Whakaari/White Island, Bay of Plenty. See the pure, raw energy of nature at work 48km (30 miles) off the coast at this marine volcano. Access is strictly forbidden since the tragic eruption of 2019, but scenic flights are available.
Top Attraction 6
Thermal Wonderland, Rotorua. Visit Rotorua to see New Zealand’s most vibrant and colourful thermal parks such as Whakarewarewa, Hell’s Gate and Waimangu. Wai-O-Tapu has several highlights, including the Lady Knox Geyser, the bubbly ‘Champagne Pool’ and the brilliantly-hued silica terraces.
Top Attraction 7
New Zealand food and wine, Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough. Tempt your taste buds with cuisine inspired by the freshest of locally gathered produce, perfectly matched to a selection of fine regional wines.
Top Attraction 8
River adventures, Queenstown. The South Island’s adventure-sport capital makes a fabulous base for getting out on the water. Speed along the Shotover River in a jet boat or experience some thrilling whitewater rafting.
Top Attraction 9
Waitomo Glow-Worm Caves, the Waikato. Venture underground on a guided tour to see limestone stalactites and stalagmites. The highlight is an awe-inspiring boat ride through enormous caverns, radiantly lit by millions of tiny glow-worms.
Top Attraction 10
Rakiura National Park, Stewart Island. Discover this seldom-explored 170,000-hectare (420,000-acre) paradise of wondrous beauty – a dense wilderness of podocarp rainforest, granite peaks, freshwater wetlands and deserted beaches which are a refuge for New Zealand’s rarest birds.