What to See in New Zealand - Top Sights and Attractions

Lush council-run gardens and native forest. The Wellington Botanic Garden in Wellington, New Zealand covers 25 hectares of land on the side of the hill between Thorndon and Kelburn, near central Wellington.

The garden features 25 hectares of protected native forest, conifers, plant collections and seasonal displays. It also features a variety of non-native species, including an extensive Rose Garden. It is classified as a Garden of National Significance by the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture. In 2004 it was listed as an historic area with Heritage New Zealand.

The Wellington Cable Car runs between Lambton Quay and the top of the Botanic Garden, and it is the most direct way to get from the top part of the garden to Wellington's Central Business District. The winding hill paths of the Garden are a popular spot for Wellington residents. It is used for walking, jogging and taking children to the playground, and tourists enjoy meandering through the Garden's many collections via the downhill path to the city.

The Gardens feature a large Victorian-style glasshouse, the Begonia House, the Lady Norwood Rose Garden and the Treehouse Visitor Centre. There is a large children's play area, a duck pond, and glowworms visible some nights along paths in the Main Garden – there are monthly tours during autumn–spring (the Garden is otherwise closed at night). Large sculptures and carvings are located throughout the garden. These are by artists such as Henry Moore, Andrew Drummond, Mary-Louise Browne, Regan Gentry, Denis O'Connor and Chris Booth.

The Wellington City Council organises events during spring and summer months, such as free concerts in the Sound Shell.

The Wellington Botanic Garden is home to several organisations, including:

• Carter Observatory, the National Observatory of New Zealand
• Wellington Cable Car Museum
• Meteorological Service of New Zealand

Museum in Wellington, New Zealand. The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum, located in Wellington. Usually known as Te Papa, it opened in 1998 after the merging of the National Museum of New Zealand and the National Art Gallery. The 17th-most-visited art gallery in the world, an average of more than 1.5 million people visit every year.

Te Papa Tongarewa translates literally to "container of treasures" or in full "container of treasured things and people that spring from mother Earth here in New Zealand". Te Papa's philosophy emphasises the living face behind its cultural treasures, many of which retain deep ancestral links to the indigenous Māori people. The Museum recognises the partnership that was created by the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, te Tiriti o Waitangi, in 1840.

WELT is the Index Herbariorum code for Te Papa.^[2]

Ski resort in New Zealand. Whakapapa skifield is a commercial skifield on the northern side of Mount Ruapehu in Tongariro National Park, New Zealand. It is one of three skifields on the mountain, the others being Turoa, which is on Ruapehu's south-western slopes and Tukino on the eastern slopes. The ski season is generally from late June to late October, depending on snow and weather conditions. The terrain at Whakapapa Skifield is divided up as 25% beginner, 50% intermediate and 25% advanced.

Access to the skifield is by Bruce Road, a two-lane, 6 km (3.7 mi) sealed road. Limited accommodation and refreshments are available at the entry to the skifield, and elsewhere on the mountain. Alpine huts are provided for trampers and climbers. Ruapehu's two skifields are collectively the largest ski resort in New Zealand. Turoa has a slightly longer season, generally opening a week before Whakapapa and closing early November. Both are operated by Ruapehu Alpine Lifts. Chateau Tongariro, which has appeared on several New Zealand stamps, is a feature of Whakapapa village.^[4]

Vast site for native and exotic animals. Auckland Zoo is a 16.35-hectare zoological garden in Auckland, New Zealand, situated next to Western Springs park not far from Auckland's central business district. It is run by the Auckland Council with the Zoological Society of Auckland as a supporting organisation.

Auckland Zoo opened in 1922 experiencing early difficulties mainly due to animal health issues. By 1930 a sizeable collection of animals had been assembled and a zoological society formed. The zoo consolidated during the Second World War and was at that time under the leadership of Lt. Col. Sawer. After the war the collection was expanded, and in the 1950s chimpanzees were acquired to provide tea parties for the public's entertainment, but this practice ceased in 1964. In 1973 the zoo expanded into the adjacent Western Springs park. From the late 1980s to the present day, many old exhibits were phased out and replaced by modern enclosures. In 2011 the zoo opened its largest development, Te Wao Nui, which exhibits native New Zealand flora and fauna.

The zoo is separated loosely into areas defined by the region of origin of the species exhibited, its taxonomy, or by biome. The zoo plays a part in conservation (mainly of New Zealand species), research and education. It has many modern features such as the New Zealand Centre for Conservation Medicine (NZCCM).

Auckland Zoo is a full institutional member of the Zoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA), and received ISO 14001 accreditation for its Environmental Management System in 2007.^[9]

Footbridge over a powerful waterfall. The Huka Falls are a set of waterfalls on the Waikato River that drains Lake Taupō in New Zealand.

A few hundred metres upstream from the Huka Falls, the Waikato River narrows from approximately 100 metres across into a canyon only 15 metres across. The canyon is carved into lake floor sediments laid down before Taupō's Oruanui eruption 26,500 years ago.

The volume of water flowing through often approaches 220,000 litres per second. The flow rate is regulated by Mercury NZ Ltd through the Taupō Control Gates as part of their hydro system planning, with Waikato Regional Council dictating flows during periods of downstream flooding in the Waikato River catchment. Mercury NZ have ability to control the flows between 50,000 litres per second (or 50 m3/s) and 319,000 litres per second (319 m3/s).

At the top of the falls is a set of small waterfalls dropping over about 8 metres. The final stage of the falls is over a 6-metre drop, raised to an effective 11m fall by the depth of the water. The falls are a popular tourist attraction, being close to Taupō and readily accessible from State Highway One.

The falls featured in a national scandal in February 1989 when the body of cricket umpire Peter Plumley-Walker was found downstream, with wrists and ankles bound. The resulting investigation exposed the Auckland bondage scene. Dominatrix Renee Chignall was acquitted of his murder after three trials.^[11]

Cathedral in Christchurch, New Zealand. ChristChurch Cathedral, also called Christ Church Cathedral and Cathedral Church of Christ, is a deconsecrated Anglican cathedral in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. It was built between 1864 and 1904 in the centre of the city, surrounded by Cathedral Square. It became the cathedral seat of the Bishop of Christchurch, who is in the New Zealand tikanga of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia.

Earthquakes have repeatedly damaged the building (mostly the spire): in 1881, 1888, 1901, 1922, and 2010. The February 2011 Christchurch earthquake destroyed the spire and the upper portion of the tower, and severely damaged the rest of the building. A lower portion of the tower was demolished immediately following the 2011 earthquake to facilitate search and rescue operations. The remainder of the tower was demolished in March 2012. The badly damaged west wall, which contained the rose window, partially collapsed in the June 2011 and suffered further damage in the December 2011 earthquakes. The Anglican Church decided to demolish the building and replace it with a new structure, but various groups opposed the church's intentions, with actions including taking a case to court. While the judgements were mostly in favour of the church, no further demolition occurred after the removal of the tower in early 2012. Government expressed its concern over the stalemate and appointed an independent negotiator and in September 2017, the Christchurch Diocesan Synod announced that ChristChurch Cathedral will be reinstated after promises of extra grants and loans from local and central government. By mid-2019 early design and stabilisation work had begun.

Since 15 August 2013 the cathedral community has worshipped at the Cardboard Cathedral.^[12]

Maungauika is a volcano forming a headland called North Head at the east end of the Waitematā Harbour in Auckland, New Zealand, in the suburb of Devonport. Known for its sweeping views over the harbour and the Hauraki Gulf, since 1885 the head was mainly used by the military as a coastal defence installation, which left a network of accessible old bunkers and tunnels as its legacy, forming part of the attraction. The site was protected as part of Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park in 1972 and listed as a Category I historic place in 2001. As part of a 2014 Treaty of Waitangi claim settlement the volcanic cone was officially named Maungauika and the reserve renamed Maungauika / North Head Historic Reserve. Maungauika is the Māori word for Mountain of Uika.^[13]

Formal gardens spanning multiple eras. Hamilton Gardens is a public garden park in the south of Hamilton owned and managed by Hamilton City Council in New Zealand. The 54-hectare park is based on the banks of the Waikato River and includes enclosed gardens, open lawns, a lake, a nursery, a convention centre and the Hamilton East Cemetery. It is the Waikato region's most popular visitor attraction, attracting more than 1 million people and hosting more than 2,000 events a year.

Hamilton Gardens is described in popular culture as a botanical garden, but does not technically qualify as a botanical garden. Instead, the site features 21 gardens representing the art, beliefs, lifestyles and traditions of different civilisations or historical garden styles. These gardens are grouped into the Paradise, Productive, Fantasy, Cultivar and Landscape garden collections, and there is space for gardens which are still in development.

The first development of the gardens began in the early 1960s at what was then the city's waste disposal site. The first substantial development, the Rogers Rose Garden, was opened in 1971 in an attempt to block highway development over the site. Since 1982 many newly developed areas have been opened to the public. Additional features of the gardens now include a lake walkway and a waterfall lookout.^[14]

Victorian-era stately home and gardens. Larnach Castle is a mock castle on the ridge of the Otago Peninsula within the limits of the city of Dunedin, New Zealand, close to the small settlement of Pukehiki. It is one of a few houses of this scale in New Zealand. The house was built by the prominent entrepreneur and politician, William Larnach. Since 1967, the castle has been privately owned by the Barker family, and opened as a tourist attraction, as "New Zealand's only castle".

The castle and grounds are open daily to members of the public. The Larnach Castle gardens are one of only five gardens nationwide to have been given the rating of "Garden of International Significance" by the New Zealand Gardens Trust. These were the first gardens in the South Island to receive the title. In 2018, Larnach Castle was designated a New Zealand Landmark by Heritage New Zealand.^[15]

Multi-purpose stadium in Dunedin, New Zealand. The Forsyth Barr Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Dunedin, New Zealand. At various stages of development it was also known as Dunedin Stadium or Awatea Street Stadium, or its non-commercial official name during the 2011 Rugby World Cup and 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup, Otago Stadium. The fully covered stadium is also known colloquially as 'The Glasshouse' due to its resemblance to a horticultural hothouse.

The stadium was opened by New Zealand Prime Minister John Key on 5 August 2011, replacing Carisbrook as the home stadium of the Highlanders team in Super Rugby and the Otago Rugby Football Union team in the domestic Mitre 10 Cup. The stadium hosted four matches of the 2011 Rugby World Cup, and has hosted major music tours, starting in November 2011 with Elton John. The venue will host multiple matches for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.^[16]

Tourist attraction in New Zealand. The Bowen Falls, also known as Lady Bowen Falls, is a popular tourist attraction at Milford Sound, a fiord in New Zealand.

The 9-kilometre (5.6 mi) long Bowen River located in Fiordland National Park supplies the waterfall with water; the Bowen River is also used to generate electricity and supply drinking water to the nearby locality also named Milford Sound. Bowen Falls is one of just two permanent waterfalls that discharge into the fiord, and, at 162 metres (531 ft), it is the tallest. The river and waterfalls were named for Diamantina Bowen (Lady Bowen), the wife of the fifth governor of New Zealand, George Bowen. The governor visited Milford Sound aboard HMS Clio in 1871 and Bowen Falls was named to mark the occasion.

The track from the Milford Sound wharf to Bowen Falls closed in 2002 after a rock face had become unstable. The waterfall was inaccessible for 15 years and could only be visited by boat. On 29 January 2018, a short on-demand boat service (120 metres or 390 feet long) was initiated that overcomes the unstable section. The round trip from Milford Sound wharf to Bowen Falls takes half an hour including the two boat trips.^[17]

Region in Taupo, New Zealand. Craters of the Moon Thermal Area is a region with geothermal activity north of Taupo, New Zealand. It is a part of Wairakei, the largest geothermal field in New Zealand, with a surface area of about 25 km2, which lies in the Taupo Volcanic Zone. The name springs from the many hydrothermal eruption craters, which are in part barren and which have bright colours. Combined with the numerous steam vents, constantly shifting, collapsing and reforming giving the whole area desolate appearance, and the sulphur smell, the whole area has an “unearthly” atmosphere. The craters are a relatively recent feature of the area and appeared as a result of human activity in the region.

The site is Crown Land, administered by the Department of Conservation, with help from the Craters of the Moon Trust, a volunteer organisation that provides information for visitors and passive vehicle security.^[19]

Redwoods Forest is a forest of naturalised coastal redwood on the outskirts of Rotorua, New Zealand, adjacent to the Whakarewarewa thermal area. The 6 hectares stand of Californian Redwoods is part of the larger Whakarewarewa State Forest.

The trees were planted at the beginning of the 20th century as part of a programme to assess the viability of various exotic tree species for commercial forestry in New Zealand. Subsequently these trees have grown faster than in their native homeland due to the richer soil and higher rainfall in the area, reaching over 70 metres (230 ft) height only 100 years later. The tallest redwood in the forest stands at 75 meters tall.

The area, also referred to as "Redwood Memorial Grove", is now protected and has become popular for recreational use, containing mountain bike tracks and the Redwoods Treewalk canopy walkway suspended between the trunks of the redwood trees. Above the walkway, wooden lantern sculptures are also suspended between the tall tree trunks. At night time, these are lit up, and coloured spot lights illuminate some of the forest floor vegetation and tree ferns. The forest is also home to endangered species of birds such as the New Zealand Falcon, North Island Robin and occasionally Whitehead (bird). Since then, on the barren outskirts of the main forest where tourists go biking, hundreds of redwood saplings ranging in age from 1-5 years have been planted there to expand not just the forest but the living space of the animals that nest and live there.^[23]

Sports venue in Hamilton, New Zealand. FMG Stadium Waikato is a major sporting and cultural events venue in Hamilton, New Zealand, with a total capacity of 25,800. Four areas contribute to this capacity: The Brian Perry Stand holding 12,000, the WEL Networks Stand holding 8,000, the Goal Line Terrace holding 800 and the Greenzone can hold up to 5,000 people. The capacity can be extended, however, by temporarily adding 5,000 seats to the Goal Line Terrace area. The stadium, owned by the Hamilton City Council, regularly hosts two rugby union teams:

• The Chiefs in the Southern Hemisphere Super Rugby competition.
• The Waikato side in the country's top provincial rugby competition, the Mitre 10 Cup.

Park in Queenstown, New Zealand. The Queenstown Gardens, located next to the town of Queenstown, New Zealand is a botanical garden which contains a variety of exotic and native trees and plants as well as a large pond and a range of facilities. Some of the facilities in the garden include a children's playground, tennis, lawn bowls, skate boarding, BMX biking, skating, Parkrun, disc golf and ice skating/ice hockey.

There is a variety of trails in the garden with views of the surrounding mountains and of Lake Wakatipu and the Frankton Arm as well as Queenstown itself.

The most visible large tree species in the garden is that of the Douglas fir of which there are many large specimens. This tree also forms a protective forest that surrounds much of the gardens. There is also a Rose Garden just past the tennis court.^[25]

Museum in Rotorua, New Zealand. The Rotorua Museum Te Whare Taonga o Te Arawa is a local museum and art gallery in the Government Gardens near the centre of Rotorua, Bay of Plenty, North Island, New Zealand.

The museum is housed in the former Bath House building which was opened in 1908 and is noted as the first major investment in the New Zealand tourism industry by the government. The Bath House is a half-timbered building that has been called the most impressive Elizabethan Revival building in New Zealand.

The museum is currently closed as of 18 November 2016 due to not meeting stringent New Zealand earthquake standards and will remain so for the foreseeable future.

Rotorua Museum opened in the south wing of the Bath House in 1969; Rotorua Art Gallery opened in the north wing in 1977. In 1988, the museum and gallery combined to form the Rotorua Museum of Art and History.

The museum is run by the Rotorua District Council. It has collections covering fine arts, photography, social history, and Taonga objects from the Māori culture.^[26]

Whangārei Falls is located just on the outskirts of Whangārei on Boundary Road in the suburb of Tikipunga, a popular place for both locals and tourists to visit, go for walks along the edge of the Hātea River, or to have a picnic on the lawns and tables at the top of the waterfall near the main car park.

The Hātea River drops 26 metres (85 ft) over a basalt lava flow. There are many gravel and dirt walkways through the native bush, around the falls and alongside the river, the full walking track to A. H. Reed park and back to the falls in a loop is about one hour.

The falls were originally known as Otuihau, and have been a common picnic spot since at least the 1890s. In the 1920s, the land was bought by Archibald Clapham, who donated around four hundred clocks to a clock museum that became Clapham's Clocks. He bought the land to prevent commercial exploitation of the falls. The Whangarei Businessmen's Association raised funds in 1946 to buy the land on behalf of the citizens of Whangārei and turned it into a public park.^[27]

Geographical feature. Te Whanganui-A-Hei Marine Reseve is in the southern part of Mercury Bay on the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand covering an area of 840 hectares. On the coast of the mainland, it stretches from Cook Bluff in the north-west to the northern end of Hahei Beach in the south-east. Its offshore extremes run from Motukorure Island through Waikaranga Island to Okorotere Island and the northern end of Mahurangi Island.

Part of the marine reserve lies off the Cathedral Cove Recreation Reserve, which runs from the northern end of Hahei Beach in the south-east to beyond Cathedral Cove in the north-west. With attractions such as a natural rock archway and neighbouring beaches at Cathedral Cove, the area is very popular with tourists, and receives around 150,000 visitors per year.^[31]

Sports venue in Nelson, New Zealand. Botanical Gardens is a cricket ground and public reserve in Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand.

It is located in Nelson's town belt, next to Botanical Reserve. The trigonometrical 'Centre of New Zealand', Botanical Hill, is located beside the park.

The first recorded cricket match held on the ground came in January 1873 when Nelson played Auckland. The ground later held a first-class match when Nelson played Wellington on 31 December 1883, which Nelson won by 39 runs.

Besides cricket, the ground also saw one of the first rugby matches to be played in New Zealand, between Nelson College and a group of local players on 14 May 1870. After Trafalgar Park's development as Nelson's main sports venue in the 1880s the Botanical Gardens was no longer used for major sports events. The ground, however, has continued to exist, and is used today by Athletic College Old Boys Cricket Club.^[32]

Lake in New Zealand. Mirror Lakes are a set of lakes lying north of Lake Te Anau and immediately to the west of the road from Te Anau to Milford Sound in New Zealand.

At 56 kilometres (35 mi) north of Te Anau, the lakes are about halfway to Milford Sound and the car park right next to State Highway 94 is a popular stop for tour buses on route to Milford Sound.

The lakes are only a 5-minute walk away from the car park along a wheelchair-friendly boardwalk. A wooden viewing platform and short walking track run along the lakes, one of which has a deliberately mirrored sign mounted just above the water's surface, so that the name "Mirror Lakes" is shown correctly in its reflection. On a calm day, the Earl Mountains can be seen reflected in the water.^[34]

Museum in Nelson, New Zealand. The Nelson Provincial Museum, Pupuri Taonga O Te Tai Ao is a regional museum in the city of Nelson, New Zealand. The museum showcases the Nelson and Tasman regions' history, from geological origins to the stories of individuals and families.

Nelson Provincial Museum holds over 1.4 million items of interest, collected during the past 160 years. Exhibitions are shown in a modern building that opened in 2005, costing NZ$5 million, funded by the community, private and public benefactors, the Nelson City Council, Tasman District Council and central government. The collections, professional staff and public research services are housed in the former museum building, which is located in Isel Park, Stoke.^[35]

Waterfall in New Zealand. Sutherland Falls is a waterfall near Milford Sound in New Zealand's South Island. At 580 metres the falls were long believed to be the tallest waterfall in New Zealand. Terror Falls, in the Poseidon Valley, are 750m, and Browne Falls cascades 843 metres down a mountainside in Doubtful Sound, leading some to view that as the tallest.

The water falls from Lake Quill in three cascades: the upper is 229 m tall, the middle is 248 m, and the lower is 103 m tall. A vertical fall of 580 m is made over 480 m of horizontal distance, thus the mean grade of falls is approximately 56 degrees.

The base of Sutherland Falls is a 90 minutes (return) walk from Quintin Public Shelter on the Milford Track.

Sutherland Falls are visible in the background of the eagle scene in Peter Jackson’s fantasy film The Hobbit.^[38]

Theatre in Invercargill, New Zealand. The Civic Theatre is a theatrical venue in the southern New Zealand city of Invercargill.

The theatre is located in Tay Street, in the centre of the city. It is a major landmark in Invercargill, and holds a Heritage New Zealand Category I listing, indicating a building of national significance.

The theatre's imposing building was constructed in 1906 as a replacement for the city's Royal Theatre, which had closed in 1902. The building originally contained both a theatre and the Invercargill City Council's municipal chambers. Most of the council's activities moved from the building in the 1960s, though it still contains the Council Chamber and committee room.

The building was designed by local architect E. R. Wilson (1871–1941) as a two-storey Edwardian Neo-Baroque building. The structure was essentially two separate buildings, with the municipal offices in front and the theatre behind, connected by the dress circle staircase. The theatre originally seated up to 1,350 adults and could be used for either opera or theatre.

From 1919 to the 1950s it was converted for use as both a theatre and cinema. The theatre was renovated in 1984 and extensively refurbished and upgraded in 2004–05, and can now seat 1015 people.^[49]