8 of the Best Places to Visit in New Zealand: Tour Designer Picks

When you ask me what places to visit in New Zealand, I don’t start with a map. I start with what you want to get out of the trip — culture you can step into, cities that feel easy to explore, and landscapes that leave you in awe.

Over the years, I’ve found there are eight places in New Zealand that stand out. They’re the places I build tours around because each one helps you get to know another side of New Zealand: Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington, Christchurch, Aoraki / Mount Cook, Dunedin, Queenstown, and Milford Sound.

1. Auckland: A Good Place to Start a New Zealand Trip

Auckland is a smart place to start your trip because it lets you settle in and find your rhythm before you immerse yourself in the culture and scenery.

New Zealand is long-haul for most travelers. If the first two days feel like a sprint, the rest of the trip tends to feel like you’re trying to catch up. Auckland helps you avoid the pressure of an overambitious start. You can keep it simple, or you can explore a little more if you’re feeling energized.

If you start your New Zealand travel in Auckland, I recommend you:

Take a short walk, grab a good meal, and get your bearings.
Explore a little or a lot — you’ll quickly learn what pace feels right for you.

2. Rotorua: Māori Culture and Geothermal Landscapes

Pohutu Geyser in Te Puia Park, Rotorua, New Zealand

Rotorua is one of the best places in New Zealand to meet Māori people and learn about their culture.

Rotorua is also known for geothermal activity — steam vents, hot pools, and thermal areas — that shape the way people live. A favorite experience on Collette’s New Zealand tours is visiting a Māori thermal village. You learn how people use geothermal heat to cook food and warm their homes.

This unique experience turns the geothermal landscape into more than a photo stop. It’s something travelers talk about long after the trip.

We also take a guided walk through the redwood forest, so you get a variety of experiences in one place.

Unique Things to Do in Rotorua

Learn about Māori culture in a place where it’s part of daily life.
Explore geothermal landscapes and see the role they play in Māori culture.
Spend time in the redwood forest to balance culture and nature.

3. Wellington: A Capital City with Personality

Wellington is one of my favorite cities anywhere. It’s compact, creative, and easy to explore, with the ocean in front and hills behind.

Wellington is also a great place to slow down for a moment. It has a little something for everyone, making it a great place to spend the day.

If you like food, Wellington delivers. If you like arts and neighborhoods, Wellington delivers. And if you like days that don’t require a complicated plan, Wellington is built for that. Walk, eat, browse, and let the city unfold.

Unique Things to Do in Wellington:

Opt for a Seal Coast outing or a Lord of the Rings-focused day.
Choose a Collette tour that includes the Cook Strait Ferry crossing Marlborough Sounds.

4. Christchurch: See Another Side of New Zealand

Māori waka experience navigating the Ōtākaro Avon River in Christchurch, New Zealand

Christchurch is where you get a different feel for the country — a city that’s easy to spend time in and a good base for a variety of experiences.

One experience I really like here is a traditional Māori canoe ride along the River Avon in a waka. It’s calm, it’s local, and it’s a cultural moment that you get fully immersed in, rather than watching from the sidelines.

You can also choose to visit the International Antarctic Centre for an immersive Antarctic experience, or visit Quake City for more about Christchurch’s story.

Unique Things to Do in Christchurch

Paddle the Avon in a traditional waka.
Visit the International Antarctic Centre.

5. Aoraki / Mount Cook: High-Country Scenery

Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, New Zealand

If you want to understand the scale of New Zealand’s landscapes, Aoraki / Mount Cook is essential. It’s the highest mountain in the country, and the surrounding region puts you into glacier and icefield country.

I’ll say this plainly: some tour providers skip Mount Cook, and I think that’s a mistake. Staying nearby changes the experience.

On Collette tours, we stay at the Hermitage, which is an iconic New Zealand hotel dating back to the 1800s. From there, you can enjoy natural beauty of the mountain and surroundings including nearby Lake Pukaki.

Unique Things to Do in Aoraki / Mount Cook:

This is where Sir Edmund Hillary trained before Everest. If you’re at The Hermitage, you can visit the Sir Edmund Hillary Museum inside the hotel.

6. Dunedin: Something Unexpectedly Scottish

Dunedin gives you something unexpected — it’s a little slice of Scotland in the far south of New Zealand. Travelers can visit Larnach Castle, built in 1871 and often referred to as New Zealand’s only castle.

Dunedin is also home to the Royal Albatross Centre on the Otago Peninsula, the world’s only mainland breeding colony of Northern Royal Albatross. Visits here help support conservation efforts to preserve these amazing creatures.

7. Queenstown: Mountains and Lake Life

Aerial view of Queenstown downtown at twilight sunset, South Island, New Zealand

Queenstown is breathtakingly beautiful and included on all of our New Zealand tours. Some travelers want activity. Others want a lakeside walk and a good meal. Queenstown delivers both.

One experience I always enjoy is crossing Lake Wakatipu on an old steamship to Walter Peak. On Collette’s tour we see the coal-fired engine room, cross the lake surrounded by mountains, and arrive for a farm visit with a meal and a sheepdog demonstration.

Unique Things to Do in Queenstown

Take the steamship across Lake Wakatipu to Walter Peak.
Watch a sheepdog demonstration.

8. Milford Sound: Fiordland

Milford Sound is one of New Zealand’s defining landscapes. It’s often referred to as the eighth wonder of the world, and I understand why — seeing the cliffs, waterfalls, and deep fiord in person is something that photos don’t capture.

This can be a long day, but if you want one Fiordland day that screams New Zealand, Milford Sound is a top choice.

Quick Answers to Common Questions

What Are the Best Places to Visit in New Zealand for a First Trip?

An ideal first trip to New Zealand includes Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington, Christchurch, Aoraki / Mount Cook, Dunedin, Queenstown, and Milford Sound. See our post about traveling within New Zealand for tips on connecting all your destinations.

What Are the Best Cities to Visit in New Zealand?

For city time, prioritize Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch, then add Queenstown for its lake-and-mountain setting.

What Are the Most Unique Things to Do in New Zealand?

On Collette’s tours, we go beyond New Zealand’s tourist attractions with unique experiences like learning about Māori culture and geothermal landscapes in Rotorua, paddling the Avon in a traditional waka in Christchurch, crossing Lake Wakatipu by steamship to Walter Peak near Queenstown, and staying near Aoraki / Mount Cook for glacier country. See our New Zealand tours.