Travel ideas

New Zealand is a country steeped in tradition and Maori heritage, richly decorated with lush landscape, snow-capped mountains and beautiful coastal stretches. Deciding where to travel, what to see and how to plan your trip can be a confusing business. Below is some essential information and suggestions for how to best spend your time in the Land of the Long White Cloud, and recommendations of the best attractions and places of interest to see.

Self-drive

New Zealand is not a huge country – it is comparable in size to Great Britain or the American state of California. Therefore, travelling times to drive around the whole country are practical and realistic. For example, to drive from the country’s capital Wellington in the south of the NorthIsland to Auckland at the top would take 9 hours and 15 minutes. Even on the larger South Island, to drive from Picton in the north to Queenstown in the south would take 13 hours 20 minutes. This therefore makes New Zealand a perfect destination for campervan touring. This method of travel can be more difficult in Australia, as driving distances are much longer. But if you have a couple of weeks to spend in New Zealand, you should be able to see all the main sights of both the North and South Island – many rental hire companies will allow you to transport your campervan across Cook Strait enabling you to explore both islands.

Suggested 8 day touring itinerary – North Island

• Pick up and park campervan after flying into Auckland.
• Explore Auckland’s Kauri and PioneerMuseum, Waitangi Treaty House, and the Bay of Islands.
• From Auckland take a cruise out to Cape Brett Lighthouse, PiercyIsland and through the famous Hole in the Rock.
• Return to Auckland before taking a scenic drive to Rotorua for exploration of the Vintage Railway. Also worth visiting in this area are the breathtaking Karangahake Gorge, the Rotorua thermal region, and New Zealand’s oldest gold mine.
• Drive 6 and a half hours south to Wellington, passing the Wairakei Geothermal Power Station and HukaFalls before stopping to admire the magnificent LakeTaupo. Travel further south to the Tongariro National Park before parking up in Wellington. Here you can explore the sights of the city including New Zealand’s national museum, Te Papa.
• Travel across Cook Strait to Christchurch from Wellington Harbour for a brief glimpse of the South Island. Marvel at the natural wonderland of the Marlborough and Queen Charlotte Sounds and the Kaikoura seal colony.     
• Flight home from Christchurch.

Suggested 9 day touring itinerary – South Island

• Travel from Christchurch to Hokitika to visit the Greenstone Jade Factory, before exploring the natural phenomenon of the Franz Josef glacier.
• Drive down the west coast to Wanaka along the banks of the Haast River. From here, make your way further south to Queenstown to explore the wineries, Lake Wakatipu, and the Lord of the RIngs filming locations.
• Travel southwards to Te Anau to explore the Fiordland National Park with its impressive glacier carved fiords, and the famous Mitre Peak.
• Travel west to Dunedin, en route exploring the Lake Te Anau and the Te Anau-au Caves.
• Once you have arrived in Dunedin, visit Baldwin Street - the world's steepest road!
• Drive just north of Dunedin to visit the Moeraki Boulders, Twizel and Mount Cook.
• Drive back up the east coast to Christchurch for your return flight home. En route visit the Akaroa and Hector Dolphins.

Lodge accommodation in New Zealand

New Zealand is famous for its luxury lodges. Run by local Kiwis, these establishments offer comfortable accommodation in idyllic surroundings. Lodges are traditionally small and intimate, and vary in size from 4 to 20 bedrooms. Situated in various locations such as beachside, wine regions, mountains and in rural privacy - lodges are a traditional and scenic way to stay. Most lodges include full breakfast, drinks and dinner within their price, so you can be sure of accommodation in which your every need is catered for.

Adventure holidays in New Zealand

Queenstown is renowned as the world's premier adventure destination. People flock to New Zealand each year with the intention of bungee jumping, surfing, parasailing and skydiving - it truly is an adrenalin fuelled nation! Below are just a few examples of some of the exhilirating pursuits on offer in New Zealand:

• Zorbing in Rotoua - rolling 150m downhill whilst strapped inside a plastic ball
• White water rafting in Rotorua
• Gliding over the Southern Alps
• Hiking over the Franz Josef glacier
• Sea kayaking in the Abel Tasman National Park
• Bungee jumping with the original Bungee company at the Kawarau Bridge
• River boarding down the Kawarau River

Maori Festivals

There are two major festivals on the Maori calendar - celebration of the Treaty of Waitangi on the 6th February (New Zealand's founding history document that was signed in 1840 between Maori chiefs and the British Crown to confirm the country as a nation) and the Maori Queen's (known as Ngaruawahia) coronation in August. Other celebrations include 5th birthdays (starting school), 16th birthdays (puberty) and 21st birthdays (coming of age).

Maoris welcome their friends, family and anyone who wants to join them in their celebrations (including respectful tourists!) A cultural performance is the main highlight of the activities, followed by hangi - an elaborate meal and drinks.

Maoris do not celebrate Christmas and New Year, but they frequently celebrate spontaneously. For example, if they see a particular day as special, they will decide that they want to rejoice in it.

There are approximately 50 tribes in New Zealand, all of which have festivals and special day sunique to them. Find out from tourist information centres around New Zealand about the local Maori culture.

Lord of the Rings

In 2001 New Zealand became Middle Earth after being chosen as the filming location for Peter Jackson's $640 million epic Academy Award winning trilogy.

A variety of settings throughout New Zealand were chosen for the filming. For example, the hills of Matamata became Hobbiton, the volcanic region of Mount Ruapehu became the ferocious Mount Doom, and Queenstown was the backdrop of the Eregion Hills and the Pillars of Argonath.

Due to the popularity of the films, many New Zealand holiday companies have produced themed packages and tours for fanatics to explore the territory behind the blockbuster.

Places to visit on a Lord of the Rings tour of New Zealand

• Matamata hills - the rich countryside used as the Shire - home of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins. Also the site of Hobbiton, where some of the Hobbit holes are still present.
• Tongariro National Park - the volcanic landscape that became Emyn Muil, the black land of Mordor and Mount Doom.
• Wellington - visit the sites of the Hobbits' hiding place, the river Anduin, Mirkwood and Helms Deep.
• Explore Nelson's Abel Tasman National Park by helicopter to see the inaccessible sites of Dimrill Dale, Chetwood Forest and Eregion Hills.
• Visit Christchurch's Mount Sunday which was turned into Mount Edoras.
• Milford Sound - take a 4WD drive to the Mavora lakes which were used as the location for the Fangor Forest and the Dead Marshes.
• MacKenzie Country - the magnificent area chosen to represent the Pelennor Fields.