The best cities and towns in New Zealand to visit

May 18

The urban hubs in New Zealand worth exploring

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New Zealand isn’t a place you go for the city life. For the most part, our towns are just transit points; where you fly in and out of, before you can get in a car and drive to the beautiful parts of the country.

Those beautiful places are widespread and far flung, meaning that most of our cities and towns don’t work particularly well as bases for exploring the wider area over several days (aside from Rotorua and Queenstown, both adventure hubs with plenty of activities on offer). At most, one or two nights is enough for most towns.

While you’re there, though, you might as well have a good time. Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch — our three biggest cities — have the best dining in the country. Auckland in particular has a budding crop of Pacific chefs showcasing cuisine from the Pacific islands.

Elsewhere, there are quirky, historic, and

Auckland

New Zealand’s largest city

The Māori name for Auckland is Tāmaki Makaurau, which roughly translates to mean the place desired by many. Despite such a romantic name, Auckland can be hard to love at first. Indeed, Auckland isn’t my favourite place in New Zealand. It’s unlikely to be yours either.

But – necessity dictates that you will most likely spend at least one night there before or after an international flight. It’s by no means an awful place – in fact, it’s quite pretty as far as cities go – but my guess is that you are visiting New Zealand for the nature, not the city life. And the centre of Auckland feels a lot like cities anywhere; concrete, glass, people rushing to get around, no one stops to talk to each other.

With that said, it is easy to enjoy Auckland when you’re there. I am always excited to catch the ferry to Waiheke Island, despite having gone at least a dozen times. The island is a true highlight of New Zealand, and well worth visiting while you’re in Auckland.

Auckland highlights

Visit Waiheke Island for a day trip of wine and beaches
Go on a whale and dolphin safari in the harbour
Learn about Maori traditions at the Auckland Museum
Rangitoto Island is a scenic 10-minute ferry ride from the city centre. The summit is a very doable hike with great views.

Stay

Rotorua

No one visits Rotorua for the town itself — it’s really just another small New Zealand town. But, the geothermal activity in the area make it one of the must-see places to visit in New Zealand.

In Rotorua, the fabric of the earth feels thin. Steam, hot water, and boiling mud simmer right below the surface, and in many places, burst through. There must be few towns in the world that reek of sulphur the way Rotorua does, or that have scalding steam surging from storm drains. Sulphur-tinged moonscapes, mud volcanoes, and gushing geysers are all evidence of the heat beneath our feet trying to tear holes in the earth.

The bounty of naturally hot water means the area is layered in Māori history and legends – since their arrival in Aotearoa during the great Polynesian migration of the late 13th century, Māori settlers made use of the hot pools for cooking, bathing, and healing.

After Europeans arrived, they too were lured in by the geothermal phenomena. The local Te Arawa people became guides, sharing with visitors their cultural traditions, stories, and hospitality as well as the geothermal landscapes.

To this day, Rotorua is the best place in Aotearoa New Zealand for travellers to get an introduction to Māori culture. It’s still one of the best places to visit full stop. As well as cultural and geothermal attractions, there’s lakeside hiking, whitewater rafting, and mountain bike trails. And the luge.

Rotorua highlights

Enjoy an evening of kapa haka (traditional song and dance) and hāngī (traditional Māori food) at Te Pā Tū
For a more immersive cultural experience, join Whirinaki Forest Footsteps for a rainforest tour
Walk through Waimangu Volcanic Valley
White water raft off a 7 metre high waterfall

How to visit Rotorua

Rotorua is only three hours driving from Auckland, near both Hobbiton and Taupo — for longer North Island itineraries, you can add in all of those stops, along with Tongariro National Park and Waitomo Caves, in the west of the North Island.

For shorter North Island trips, you can do a triangle of Hobbiton, Rotorua, and Waitomo Caves before returning to Auckland.

Wellington

New Zealand’s capital city

There’s a line from Jack Kerouac’s On The Road which is about San Francisco, but could just as easily, in my mind, be about Wellington; “the fabulous white city… on her eleven mystic hills with the blue Pacific and its advancing wall of potato-patch fog beyond, and smoke and goldenness in the late afternoon of time.”

New Zealand’s capital city, population roughly 210,000, is undeniably pretty, with wooden houses stacked on steep hillsides, framed by native bush above and wrinkled sea below. If you’re lucky enough to be in town on a sunny day, it won’t be long before you hear the local refrain; “you can’t beat Wellington on a good day.” They’re not wrong, those locals. It’s hard not to love a city where kaka, our native parrots, screech overhead, coffee is good and strong, and you’re never too far from the coast.

There’s also the fact that more so than any other New Zealand city, Wellington is cool. Wellingtonians are cool, and you’ll see more personal style here than in most other New Zealand cities. Eclectic fashion and hair styles are the norm, as are very discerning tastes in coffee and food. Wellington is the seat of New Zealand’s government, so locals are dialled in to politics (and many work in the numerous government agencies in the Thorndon business area).

The edginess of Wellingtonians is also a vague sort of stubbornness.

Wellington sits in the Roaring Forties, a latitude known for delivering howling gales that make wearing floaty dresses or carrying an umbrella nigh impossible. It takes a certain type of person to stick out the weather, hanging in there for the good days when the city is bright with promise.

Wellington highlights

Check out the national museum, Te Papa Tongarewa, which houses a world-class collection of cultural artifacts, artworks, and interactive exhibits. Admission to the museum is free.
Take in a show at one of the many theaters, like the historic St. James Theater or Circa Theater. You can catch everything from musicals to plays by local writers.
Explore Cuba Street, Wellington's bohemian quarter filled with street art, music venues, bars, and eclectic shops. Wellington is a city of coffee lovers, so stop in at one of the hip cafes for a flat white coffee and a sweet treat.
Don't miss Zealandia, the world's first fully-fenced urban ecosanctuary. Just minutes from the city center, you can see native wildlife like kiwis, tuatara, and rare birds in their natural habitat.
Check out the latest exhibits at City Gallery Wellington or Adam Art Gallery, two of the city's leading contemporary art institutions which showcase innovative works by New Zealand and international artists.
For a great day trip, head over the Remutaka Ranges to Martinborough, where you can discover Wairarapa wine.

Queenstown

Adventure capital of New Zealand

Queenstown is New Zealand distilled; an absurd amount of beauty and energy concentrated into one place. Geographically blessed, Queenstown sits at the confluence of Glenorchy and Mount Aspiring National Park, the Central Otago wine region and – west as the crow flies, but four hours driving southwest by land – the legendary Milford Sound and the rugged wilderness of Fiordland.

With so much nearby, Queenstown makes an excellent base for exploring some of the best activities the country has to offer. This is the adventure hub of New Zealand — from here you can jet boat, bungy jump, sky dive or do any number of wild activities.

How to visit Queenstown

You could stay as long as five days in Queenstown, making the most of the many day trips in the area. It’s one of the few places in New Zealand where you can get by easily without a car, as many of the activity providers include transport to the areas where they operate.

If you have two weeks in the South Island, you will almost definitely pass through Queenstown.
From Queenstown, a popular route is to head to Christchurch via Aoraki/Mount Cook and Lake Tekapo.
Alternatively, you can take the longer route from Queenstown to Christchurch via the West Coast glaciers.
For something more off the beaten track, you can do a great road trip around from Christchurch to Queenstown via Dunedin and the East Coast. I love the Catlins area, which is wild and remote — you can see sea lions and penguins here.

Queenstown highlights

One of the coolest day trips you can do is a funyak tour in Mount Aspiring National Park, just beyond Glenorchy. Jet boat up the Dart River, and then kayak back down in the inflatable ‘funyaks.’
Visit the vineyards of Central Otago

Christchurch

Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island, located just above the elbow of the Banks Peninsula.

I always enjoy visiting Christchurch, because it has a good mix of everything.

There are some great places to eat and drink in the city centre (like Rollickin Gelato on New Regent Street, and Grizzly Baked Goods).

There are also plenty of gorgeous green spaces. Known as the “Garden City,” Christchurch is famous for its parks, gardens, and the serene Avon river which runs through the centre.

Christchurch is a key transport hub, acting as a gateway for exploring more of the South Island. You’ll probably pass through at some point, and if you have the time staying for two nights or more means you can get to know the city a little.

From here you can take the train to the West Coast, go on a road trip to Queenstown via Aoraki Mount Cook National Park, or drive north along the coast to Kaikoura.

The best things to do in Christchurch

I loved spending time in Tūranga, the central library. It’s a huge, airy, light building and from the fourth floor you get a great view of Cathedral Square, the historic heart of the city.

Stroll down New Regent Street, famous for pastel buildings and the tram which rolls right through the middle of it.
Lyttelton is a great day trip destination from Christchurch — there are a couple of coffee roasters, walking tracks into the Port Hills, and a cool village vibe.
The He Puna Taimoana Hot Pools are awesome to visit. From the sauna you get a great view of the New Brighton Beach and Pier.

Dunedin

Dunedin is the second largest city in the South Island.

The city has noticeable Scottish heritage — Dunedin is Gaelic for Edinburgh.

Dunedin is famous for being a student city. It’s home to the University of Otago, New Zealand's oldest university. The student population of over 21,000, gives the city an energetic and sometimes chaotic vibe (the students here are famous for burning couches in the street).

Don’t let that put you off, though. There are lots of fun things to do in Dunedin, and the city is a great base for discovering local wildlife like penguins, fur seals, sea lions and albatross.

Dunedin is also a stunning beach destination, with gorgeous spots like St Kilda Beach and Tunnel Beach.

Dunedin is also the jumping off point for exploring epic spots like the Catlins, with the famous Nugget Point Lighthouse.

Dunedin highlights

Visit the Royal Albatross Center to see the world's only mainland breeding colony of northern royal albatross.

Thank you for reading

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