New Zealand family holidays

New Zealand Outdoor Adventures and Beaches

Lord of the Rings locations

Visit many of the spectacular shooting locations for the Lord of the Rings trilogy and even stay in a ‘Hobbit house’.

Waiheke Island

Hop aboard the 35-minute ferry from the capital Auckland to Waiheke Island in the Hauraki Gulf to enjoy beaches backed by Pohutakawa trees, known for their seasonal brush-like red flowers. This is a great place to get around by bike and spend languid days on quiet beaches while enjoying good restaurants, modern cafés, local wineries and olive groves.

Bay of Plenty at Rotorua

Get up close to trouts, lakes, volcanoes and bubbling mud inland of the Bay of Plenty (with its lovely beaches and blessed weather) at Rotorua. NZ’s smelliest and most popular tourist attraction is famous for its geo-thermal activity. Walking past spurting geysers and pools of bubbling mud, with that all-pervading stink coming out of the earth, is surreal and kids absolutely love it.

Lake Taupo

After Rotorua, travel south to the Lake Taupo region, at the centre of North Island. Home to a vast freshwater lake made by a volcanic eruption, it’s a resort-style area with activities for all tastes, including trout fishing (NZ boasts the world’s best supply of wild trout), cruises to see Maori rock carvings, walks in the World Heritage-listed Tongariro National Park (which becomes a ski destination in winter), lake-swimming, river-rafting and sky-diving.

Lake Wanaka

On South Island, discover Lake Wanaka, the fourth-largest in New Zealand. Nestled among the mountains of the Southern Alps, it offers all the adrenaline stuff  this country is famous for – rock-climbing, jet-boating, river-sledging, sky-diving and so on. The town of Wanaka has weatherboard buildings and oodles of old-world charm, while the Rippon Vineyard has wonderful wine-tastings,

New Zealand Culture  

Auckland 

Discover Auckland, the ‘City of Sails’, especially the trendy shopping hub of Newmarket with its indie fashion stores and Kaurangahape Road (or ‘K-Road’), where DJs and sculptors, graffiti artists and fashion designers, rock musicians and philosophers hang out and shop for vintage treasures.

Wellington

Spend a day or two in Wellington – the coffee alone makes it worth it, but there are also lovely old wooden houses and a cable-car taking you up to the Cable Car Museum,  Botanic Garden, Carter Observatory with its planetarium, exhibition and historic telescope, and a city viewpoint.

South Island

On South Island, engage with Māori culture and spirituality, including learning about indigenous plants and trees and their medicinal and culinary uses in a half-day tour with Māori Tours Kaikoura. Kaikoura is also a great place for whale-watching