New Zealand offers so many different options for visitors – sophisticated city breaks, holidays on the water, wine region tours, or hiking in the hills – the choice is yours. Just for a little fun, here are five attractions you should try and fit into your next visit – some you’ll expect, some may surprise!
Haka – no surprises that the traditional Maori war challenge is a must see when visiting New Zealand. Performances are held each day at the Te Puia, Maori Arts and Crafts Institute in Rotorua. To find out more, visit Tepuia.com.
Hobbiton Movie Set – whether you’re a Lord of the Rings fanatic or just a movie fan in general, taking a guided tour of the Hobbiton Movie Set is a great way to experience Tolkien’s Middle-earth. Set near Matamata in the North Island, Hobbiton is on a working beef and sheep farm, so there’s more to see than the Hobbit’s house. To find out more, visit Hobbitontours.com.
The Mighty Kauri Tree – following on from Australia’s fascination of all things ‘big’, the kauri tree is a native pine, which grows in the sub-tropical north of New Zealand. At 4.4 metres in diameter and 17.7 metres to the first branch, Tane Mahuta (Lord of the Forest) is the largest kauri tree in existence. To find out more about this native pine, visit Kauri-museum.com.
Cadbury Chocolate Carnival – yes, there is a celebration of all things cocoa and it happens in Dunedin in July. Make sure you’re there towards the end of the carnival to experience the Jaffa Race, where giant versions of the candy-coated orange chocolate are hurtled down the steepest street in Dunedin. And if you can’t make it there in July, you can always visit Cadbury World at any other time of the year. To find out more, visit Cadburyworld.co.nz.
Milford Sound – hailed as the most beautiful spot in New Zealand, this is the place where fjords, dramatic waterfalls and snow-capped mountains meet, making for a truly unique natural environment. It has also been named the ‘eighth wonder of the world’ by Rudyard Kipling. To get there, you can catch a boat trip from Queenstown or Te Anua. The small village of Milford Sound has a few accommodation options. To find out more, visit Newzealand.com
