What to Do in New Zealand? Pick These 10 Cool Things!

Ultimate South Island Road Trip in New Zealand milford sound 2

New Zealand is packed with fun activities and extreme things to do! It is so hard to make a list of ONLY 10 things, but I will try my best!

Here are the best things to do in New Zealand in no particular order:

Top 10 Things to Do in New Zealand

1. Visit Hobbits

North Island in New Zealand 1 Week Road Trip Hobbiton 2

It is time to step into the lush pastures of the Shire!

Take a tour around numerous hobbit holes, mills, and gardens. Your guide will tell you stories about the movie production and you will finish the tour in the famous Dragon Inn with a glass of beer. How does that sound to you? I recommend visiting even if you are not a crazy Lord of the Rings fan, we simply loved it!

How To Plan Your Ideal Trip To New Zealand 25

Here is a great tour to visit Hobbiton from Auckland, which is limited to 16 people so itโ€™s one of the best tours for an intimate experience. Or, you can also take this combo tour where in addition to exploring Hobbiton, youโ€™ll also learn more about Maori culture in Rotorua and Te Puia Mฤori villages.

Price: US$74

2. Immerse yourself in Maori culture

North Island in New Zealand 1 Week Road Trip Tamaki Village 1

Maoris are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand who arrived in New Zealand by canoe between 1250 and 1300 from Polynesia.

It is time to say โ€œKia Oraโ€ (Hello) to Maori culture! Their culture is fascinating and I recommend visiting one of the cultural performances where you will be able to see the best of their diverse traditions, dances, food, and songs. You will participate in all the activities yourself and, of course, you will learn how to dance the Haka dance!

Price: US$102

3. Skydive in Taupo

How To Plan Your Ideal Trip To New Zealand 24

If you have never tried skydiving, this might be THE place to do it! The Lake Taupo area is one of the worldโ€™s most scenic drop zones!

You will reach a speed of 200 km/h in just 6 seconds! Thatโ€™s faster than any car and most amusement rides!

You will jump from over 15,000 feet (~ 4,500 m). The instructors are super professional, so you shouldnโ€™t worry and just enjoy your flight! My instructor had made over 6,000 jumps so I could absolutely rely on him.

Price: US$197

Get a FREE list of recommended travel resources!

Sign up below and find out what tools and resources I use for my trips, and get my super helpful newsletters as well.

    We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at anytime.

    Subscribe here to get up to 35% off your accommodation for your next trip!

    4. Take a cruise of Milford Sound

    Ultimate South Island Road Trip in New Zealand milford sound 1

    Milford Sound is a fjord in the southwest of New Zealandโ€™s South Island. Even if itโ€™s located quite remotely, I highly recommend taking a cruise there!

    During the cruise, you will get the chance to see seals and penguins in the wild, and sometimes you can even spot dolphins, too! You will get very close to many beautiful waterfalls and go all the way to the Tasman Sea on the boat cruise.

    Price: US$93

    5. Hike the Tongariro crossing

    North Island in New Zealand 1 Week Road Trip Tongariro Crossing

    Tongariro Crossing is described as one of the most beautiful treks in New Zealand!

    You will walk through active volcanoes, emerald lakes, alpine vegetation, lava flows, volcanic rocks, and craters and you will see a lot of stunning views! And yes, you will get to take that going-into-mordor type of picture! ๐Ÿ˜‰

    If you are an experienced hiker you can just take a shuttle to the beginning of the trail and explore the beautiful trail on your own terms. However, if you donโ€™t feel so confident you can take this premium guided hike where youโ€™re knowledgeable guide will along alternative paths so you can escape the crowds whilst still experiencing the popular sights.

    Price: US$237

    6. Heli hike or fly over a glacier

    South Island New Zealand helihike Glacier
    Ultimate South Island Road Trip in New Zealand glacier hike 2

    New Zealand is home to thousands of glaciers and some of them are so spectacular, it would be a crime not to visit them! Nowhere else in the world will you see glaciers advancing so close to the sea!

    The scenic flight over the Franz and Fox Glacier was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen! You will have the opportunity to step out of the helicopter for 10 minutes to walk on that perfect untouched snow!

    If you want to discover the glacier by foot with a knowledgeable guide, I definitely recommend doing a hike on the glacier!

    You will see lots of spectacular ice in different shades of blue and you will go through ice caves and arches. There will be waterfalls, rivers and quaint snow formations along your way!

    Price: US$277

    7. See glowworms in Tauranga

    North Island in New Zealand 1 Week Road Trip Glowworm Kayaking

    Yes, you read it right โ€“ there are worms glowing in the dark out there and I recommend you see them!

    The whole experience is absolutely magical โ€“ witnessing this natural phenomenon and riding a kayak inside a narrow, high-sided canyon will make you feel like a discoverer in a forgotten land!

    Price: US$135

    8. Try zorbing in Rotorua!

    Zorbing is a super fun activity where you roll downhill inside a ball made of transparent plastic.

    You can go downhill on a gentle slope inside an orb or you can race your friend who will be in another orb!

    North Island in New Zealand 1 Week Road Trip Zorbing

    If that sounds amusing (trust me, it is!), you should definitely give it a try!

    Price: US$57

    9. Hot Water Beach on Coromandel

    Hot Water Beach in Coromandel

    Coromandel is a peninsula that is close to Auckland but is relatively unvisited by foreigners. Most of the tourists skip it and go to Rotorua instead. This is a pity as the peninsula is simply fantastic! Untouched nature, beautiful beaches, and wild forests are waiting for you there!

    Coromandel Hot Water Beach is very special, too. At first, I was surprised to see locals digging in the sand with their shovels, but then I got it โ€“

    There is bubbling thermal water just beneath the surface!

    15 Things To Do in Coromandel Peninsula Sunrise at Hot Water Beach
    Hot Water Beach in Coromandel Peninsula

    They were digging a hole because there are some thermal springs beneath the sand and they can basically create a hot bath for themselves!

    This is one of those experiences that should definitely be on your bucket list!

    If you are visiting from Auckland, I recommend taking this tour that will take you to Hot Water Beach among other great places on the Coromandel Peninsula.

    10. Hike Mount Cook

    What to pack for your New Zealand trip all seasons list 7

    Last but not least, you should definitely see and hike Mt Cook (Aoraki) โ€“ the highest mountain in New Zealand! This is one of the most jaw-dropping mountain ranges I have ever seen in my travels and you should totally add it to your to-do list for the country.

    If you want to do the hike, you can simply ask at the information center and they will help you with trek recommendations. We did the 4-hour one but there are lots of other options!

    If you want to take a guided hike, then I recommend this one whisih starts with a flight from Mount Cook airport over the gorgeous Tasman Glacier Lake and ice formations. Youโ€™ll then land on the Tasman glacier for an epic hiking adventure.


    ๐Ÿง™โ€โ™‚๏ธ Unique attraction:Hobbiton Movie Set
    ๐Ÿช‚ Top paid attraction:Skydiving
    ๐Ÿ›ฅ๏ธ Top water activity:Milford Sound
    ๐ŸŒณ Best hiking treks:Tongariro Crossing
    ๐Ÿ› Unique experiences:Glowworm in Tauranga

    Conclusion

    Ultimate South Island Road Trip in New Zealand fox glacier view 2

    There are so many things to do in New Zealand โ€“ going bungee jumping in Queenstown, whale watching in Kaikoura, visiting one of New Zealandโ€™s wineries and much more โ€“ the list is endless! I tried my best to choose the best of the best TOP 10 activities that are nothing short of epic.

    Starting from pristine beaches and finishing with enormous glaciers and everything in between, New Zealand will take your breath away!

    While you should do much more, this is a good place to start! I hope you took some notes because this is what most people have on their New Zealand bucket list!

    What to pack for your New Zealand trip all seasons list 1

    If you need tips on more epic things to do in New Zealand or recommendations on how to organize a road trip with a day-by-day itinerary and prices and accommodation tips, Iโ€™ve got you covered!

    Or you can always leave me a comments and Iโ€™ll be happy to help,

    Yulia



    Pin it for later!

    Top 10 Best Things To Do in New Zealand pin it 1

    Pin it for later!

    new zeeland things to do

    Disclaimer: Please note that some of the links on this page might be affiliate links, which means that at absolutely no extra cost for you we will earn a small commission for a sale generated through the website. We only recommend the things we actually use ourselves and never accept useless sponsored crap. Thank you so much for supporting this project!

    Leave a comment

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

    Follow @misstourist on Instagram!