All over New Zealand
Buy the Lord of the Rings location guide and look for familiar scenes from the LOTR trilogy.
north island
Cape Reinga and 90 Mile Beach
Swim with dolphins in Paihia, Bay of Islands
Vertigo Climb, Auckland Skytower – Beyond the observation decks, and wear an orange suit to do so.
Take a ferry or kayak from Mission Bay, Auckland to Rangitoto Island and climb to the top.
Waiheke Island – Just 35 minutes by ferry from Auckland, for some great wineries, maybe stay overnight.
Raglan- and catch some wild surf.
Waitomo Haggas tapping holes and tubing firefly caves
Kayak from Whitianga to Cathedral Cove, then hit Hot Water Beach and dig your hole in the sand
Drive from Opotiki to Gisborne, then around the East Cape and back to Opotiki
Hawkes Bay- wineries, East Coast, North Island
Whakatane – Take a scenic flight over White Island, an active volcano.
Rotorua – To see the geysers, hot springs, and the smell, visit Te Whakawerwera for your Maori cultural experience.
Drive to Lake Tarawera near Rotorua, check out the Blue and Green Lakes along the way
Taupo- 12,000ft Tandem Skydiving
Craters of the moon outside of Taupo
Tongariro Crossing: one of the best day hikes in the world, an impressive landscape with volcanoes
Climb Mount Taranaki, West Coast, North Island
Watch the sun rise in Te Araroa, New Zealand’s easternmost place
Martinborough- Wineries- Lower East Coast, North Island
Te Papa Museum in Wellington – You can spend the whole day here learning about New Zealand / Maori culture
south island
Abel Tasman: to relax walking and kayaking through the National Park
Walk the Queen Charlotte track, Marlborough Sounds- Top, South Island
Marlborough- Wineries, Upper East Coast, South Island
Kaikoura: for whale watching and swimming with dolphins
4 Day Hike, Banks Peninsula – East Coast, South Island
Moeraki Boulders – East Coast, South Island for unusual round boulders
Christchurch- Arts Center
Akaroa: to learn a little about the history of French New Zealand
Dunedin: for historic houses, albatrosses, yellow-eyed penguins, and seal colonies
Oamaru: For Old Oamaru Stone Buildings And Penguin Watching
Pancake Rocks and Blowholes- Punakaiki, Upper West Coast, South Island
Mount Cook – South Island
Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers – West Coast, South Island
While viewing the glaciers in the Fox / Franz Josef area, take a cruise to Lake Matheson in the early morning for some amazing photos of Mount Cook’s reflection in the water.
Wanaka: a relaxing place in downtown Otago
Arrowtown – An ancient Central Otago Goldfields town with an ancient Chinese village, 20 minutes from Queenstown
Queenstown: for adventure activities and festive atmosphere
Pipe Bungee Jumping in Queenstown
Drive from Queenstown to Glenorchy – have a beer at Glenorchy pub, after stopping and taking lots of photos while driving
Queenstown- wineries
5-Day Routeburn / Greenstone Track Hike
Walk Milford Track, one of the best in the world.
Milford Sound and Fiordland National Park- Lower West Coast, South Island
Doubtful Sound in Fiordland National Park: Swim with Dolphins
The Catlins- by nature East Coast, South Island
Stewart Island: for nature at the bottom of the South Island
Once you’ve done all of these things, you’ve had a great look around beautiful New Zealand.