Here You Will Find the Best Places in New Zealand to Travel To
New Zealand, what a bright country! Seriously, that is all I could think of everywhere I walked in New Zealand, man the sun is powerful. New Zealand truly is a REMARKABLE country with extraordinary and untamed beauty. I love how little built up New Zealand is, there is so much scenery to see, and beaches, it is incredible. If you can, definitely go check out New Zealand!
Now when it comes to New Zealand, there are two main islands, the north and south islands. The North Island is home to Auckland, and where you would probably fly into for most international flights. Whereas, the South Island, is home to the famous ski town, Queenstown. Both places are beautiful and we will talk about each island and the best places to go in both.
In addition, in this post, you will learn about the best places in New Zealand in the North Island, and the South Island, things to do in New Zealand, the most beautiful places in New Zealand, and so much more!
This post is all about the best places in New Zealand.
Best Places in New Zealand:
The North Island
The North Island is a little more urbanized than the South Island, and is more known for it’s beaches, compared to the South Island which is more known for it’s mountains and ski resorts. The first location in the north island, I would recommend visiting is, Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city. There are really cool shops, restaurants, and bars to go to along Queen street. They have a sky tower, that you can “sky jump” from, but it’s pretty expensive. Also, you can take ferries from Auckland to different islands, such as, Waiheke Island. This island has a really cool beach town with lots of cute and chill cafes. Some other great islands and beaches to visit are Rangitoo Island (great hiking), Kitekite Falls Path (you can hike and swim at), Motutapu Island, and Rotoroa Island.
Piha Beach
The next beach I would take a trip to, is Piha beach. It has black sand, great waves, and Lion Rock. However, while I was there, it was about 60℉, so it was a bit chilly to swim, but was still an amazing site to see. Also, you will need a car to travel here, it takes about 45 minutes and is about 25 miles (40 kilometers) from Auckland, but again worth the drive!
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Long Bay & Anawhata Beach
Next, I would recommend going to Long Bay and Anawhata Beach. Both of these places are not crowded, and are really peaceful, hidden gems. Again, you will need a car to travel to these monuments, Long Bay is about 27 minutes, and 16 miles (25 kilometers) from Auckland. And Anawhata beach is about 40 minutes, and 21 miles (34 kilometers) from Auckland. Also, Anawhata beach, has some really cool rock figures in it’s ocean, that can be seen from the beach, that are pretty cool.
Cathedral Cove
Lastly, I highly recommend going to Cathedral Cove. Cathedral Cove is exactly what its name suggests, a huge cove along the beach. It really is spectacular! Also, there is a nice walk/hike you can take to get to the cove, called, the Cathedral Cove Coastal walk. It is about 1.5 miles and 2.5 kilometers, starting at Hahei Beach, with some decent inclines. I would get to the cove early, because it does attract lots of crowds, and parking can be hard to find. There are so many more sites to see along the North Island of New Zealand, these are just a few places to start with, if you are thinking of traveling here!
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The South Island
Next, we have the South Island! Which is the place to be for all you skiers and snowboarders, Queenstown is awesome! Queenstown is an awesome little ski village with great shops, eateries, bars, and night life. There are many great ski mountains that you can drive to from Queenstown to ski/snowboard at!
Mount Cook & Lake Tekapo
Next, definitely take a trip to Mount Cook and Lake Tekapo. They are both phenomenal sites to see. Mount Cook looks like you’re on a movie set, there is literally nothing wrong with this mountain, it’s flawless. Also, Lake Tekapo is crystal clear, and has the impeccable mountains in the background, which truly are show stopping.
Milford Sounds
Another place I would recommend you go to, is Milford Sounds. It is a beautiful bay surrounded by mountains, waterfalls, scarce black coral, turquoise waters, and amazing wildlife. There are many different boat tours you can take through the sounds.
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Van Life
Next, I would recommend traveling through the South Island in a van. There are loads of different places where you can rent various vans (kind of like RVs but smaller). Also, there are tons of different camp sites throughout the south island that you can spend the night at in your van. This is a nice way to see all the wondrous scenery of New Zealand, and plus there is no public transit that will allow you to travel through the country, so the van is the best way! Many people travel through New Zealand this way, and is how my friends and I did when we were there. It is quite the experience to check off the bucket list!
Spas
Lastly, I would recommend going to one of the spas, because they have hot tubs that overlook the incredible mountains of New Zealand. These places allow you to soak in their outdoor hot tubs and see the views around you. It is really quite beautiful!
Still, there are LOADS of other places, hikes, mountains, beaches, and islands to see from this remarkable country, I would HIGHLY recommend if you have the chance, to GO to New Zealand, you will not be disappointed!
And that wraps up our post about New Zealand. I hope you found this information useful and you will travel to some of these awesome places if you ever find yourself in New Zealand. Thank you for reading and take care!
