Top 9 New Zealand Destinations
In 2011, my parents decided to pack us up, and fly to New Zealand for a month. We started in Devonport by Auckland where my great aunt lives in the North Island and drove almost all the way down to the tip of the South Island. We left February 2 and arrived home March 2. December through March is the high travel time for New Zealand as it is their spring and summer though be prepared to meet all kinds of weather. We actually missed the famous 2011 Christchruch Earthquake by a day! All the places I listed below are only a few of the amazing places we got to visit, but these were the ones whose memories stuck with me and I feel really capture New Zealand.
North Island 1. Rainbow Fairy Springs A must see wildlife park to learn and see all about New Zealand’s native animals, mostly birds including the famous kiwi. Fun fact: the people of New Zealand were called kiwis not because of the bird, but the shoe polish. It started in World War II to separate them from the Australians.
2. Wellington Lord of the Rings Tour Who knew one city in New Zealand could have so many film sights. The Rover Ring tours offers a half day (we did this one) that takes you to Hobbiton Woods, Isengard, Fords of Isen, Rivendell, River Anduin, Helms Deep and Minas Tirith and a full day which continues on to Village of Bree and Dunharrow as well as Movie Studio Drive and Wellywood Suburbs ending at the Weta Caves which we actually visited in our own time and I recommend even if you didn’t do the tour. Weta Workshop makes props for a whole bunch of awesome movies.
3. Te Puia You can’t visit New Zealand and not acknowledge the native people of the country. The Maori culture is rich and fascinating and makes you appreciate more the land you are working on. Te Puia is a large Māori Arts and Crafts Institute founded to protect them from disappearing. It also is home to geysers and bubbling mud pools. Another great one is Maori Tours Kaikoura on the South Island. It is a lot more casual and more personal. Our tour guide actually took us to his house afterwards for tea and taught us to sing a Maori song for Friends and Family.
4. Paradise Wildlife Park (North Island) & Orana Wildlife Park (South Island) I couldn’t pick between these two parks as they were both awesome and hosted different epic attractions. At Paradise, we pet a lion cub and saw the lions (who were just one the other side of a chainlink fence!) getting fed. The guys literally just threw chunks of meat over the fence. At Orana, we fed giraffes and there you had the option to go in the cheetah inclosure and sit with them.
South Island
5. Pete’s Sheep Farm Who wouldn’t want to stay at a sheep farm? This adorable family run bed and breakfast is about 30 minutes from Christchurch and and is a good central location for sightseeing in that area. We stayed in the little guest house detached from the main one and there were sheep literally roaming in the yard. Breakfast is included and supper can be on request. We got invited to the main house for dinner one night and afterward watched a rugby game with our hosts and the other guests. You can also see sheep shearing and watch the herding dogs at work. Heads up, you will see a lot of sheep (and sheep shearings) on your trip to New Zealand.
6. Gold Metal Ale This brewery tour in Dunedin is entertaining, interactive and, if you are 18 or older) sample some of the product on sight. Even if you aren’t a drinker, this tour provides some fun history and my sister and I enjoyed it more than the Cadbury chocolate factory tour.
7. Nelson It’s probably weird to just put a city on here, but besides Christchurch, Nelson was the most memorable city we visited. A very artsy town also boasting a bunch of fun outdoor activities including a hike to the Center of New Zealand. You can also visit Jens Hansen, the jeweler who made the rings for the Lord of the Rings movies, and right next door is Flamedaisy, an amazing local glassblowers.
8. Omahu Boulders Mom likes to drag us off the beaten path on our vacations and pulling the car over to look at rocks certainly counts. This stretch of beach is home to perfectly round boulders which were quite fun to see and it was nice to get out of the car for a bit to walk along the beach.
9. Dart Stables Last, but certainly not least was my second favorite part of the trip was riding a horse through the land of Middle Earth. Dart Stables not only has scenic trails bordering a national park, but also ones leading through the locations of Isengard, the Misty Mountains, Wizards Vale, Mighty Methedras, Amon Hen, and Lothlorien. They have trails suited to all levels and their horses are the sweetest. Hope this inspired you to give the little country of New Zealand a chance and keep an eye out for my last post to close out this little series.