Located in the subtropical far north of New Zealand, Northland is known for its coastline, maritime history, and cultural significance.
Long summers and mild winters make it a destination to enjoy year-round. The Bay of Islands, with its 144 islands, sheltered waters, and small coastal settlements, is a centre for boating, fishing, golf, and exploring the region.
Northland is also home to Waitangi, one of New Zealand’s most important historic sites. It was here in 1840 that Te Tiriti o Waitangi (The Treaty of Waitangi) was signed by representatives of the British Crown and Māori chiefs, establishing the agreement that remains central to New Zealand’s history and identity.
A visit to Waitangi offers one of the best introductions to the country's story.
Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, is where most journeys begin.
Set between two harbours, it offers some of the country’s finest accommodation, dining, galleries, and cultural experiences, including opportunities to learn about Māori history and culture.
Within an hour of the city, the landscape changes quickly, from the black-sand beaches and rainforest of the West Coast to the acclaimed vineyards and restaurants of Waiheke Island, and the beaches, walking tracks, and coastal scenery of the Matakana region.
Auckland provides a natural introduction to both New Zealand’s urban life and its outdoors.
The Waikato is one of New Zealand’s most important agricultural regions, known for its dairy farming, rolling countryside, and the Waikato River, the country’s longest river.
The region also holds an important place in Māori history and identity, including Tūrangawaewae Marae at Ngāruawāhia, the principal marae of the Kiingitanga movement.
At its centre is Hamilton, a growing city and commercial hub for the region and home to the highly acclaimed Hamilton Gardens. A collection of 21 garden styles from around the world, spread across a 54-hectare public green space. Nearby Cambridge is known for its strong equine heritage, tree-lined streets, and rural character.
The Waikato is also home to Hobbiton, the film set created for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, which has become one of New Zealand’s most visited attractions.
Rotorua sits in the heart of New Zealand’s North Island and is one of the country’s most significant cultural and geothermal regions.
The area is known for its lakes, forests, and geothermal activity, from steaming valleys and bubbling mud pools to natural hot springs.
Rotorua was also New Zealand’s first tourism centre, with the historic Government Gardens reflecting the town’s early development as a destination.
Today, it remains an important centre for Māori culture, with opportunities to learn about traditions, history, and contemporary Māori life.
Beyond its geothermal landscape, the region offers walking and cycling trails through the famous Whakarewarewa Redwoods Forest, while the surrounding lakes are a defining feature of the landscape.
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Lake Taupō
Located on New Zealand’s central North Island plateau, Lake Taupō is the country’s largest lake, formed by a supervolcanic eruption nearly 26,000 years ago.
The region is known for its remarkable variety of landscapes. To the south lies the volcanic terrain of Tongariro National Park, with alpine deserts, ski fields, and mountain walks. Elsewhere are native forests, geothermal valleys, hot springs, and the powerful Huka Falls.
Taupō is also regarded as one of the world's great fly-fishing destinations, with its rivers and streams attracting anglers from around the globe for generations.
Dominated by the near-perfect volcanic cone of Taranaki Maunga, the Taranaki region is one of New Zealand's most distinctive landscapes. The mountain rises almost directly from the sea, creating a dramatic backdrop to rolling farmland, black-sand beaches and a coastline renowned for its surf breaks and spectacular sunsets.
The region is centred on New Plymouth, a vibrant coastal city known for its contemporary arts scene, award-winning gardens and acclaimed dining. Taranaki is also the gateway to Egmont National Park, where a network of walking tracks leads through ancient rainforest to alpine landscapes surrounding the mountain. During summer, the city's celebrated Festival of Lights transforms Pukekura Park with illuminated gardens, large-scale light installations, and evening performances, making it one of New Zealand's most distinctive seasonal events.
With its blend of natural beauty, rich Māori heritage, striking architecture and a growing collection of luxury accommodation and private experiences, Taranaki offers a quieter, less-travelled perspective of New Zealand that rewards those seeking authenticity and a strong sense of place.
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Hawke's Bay
Hawke’s Bay lies on the sunny east coast of New Zealand’s North Island, around 430 kilometres south of Auckland.
The region is home to Cape Kidnappers, one of the country’s most highly regarded golf courses, along with some of New Zealand’s finest accommodation, from clifftop lodges overlooking the Pacific to vineyard retreats and riverside estates.
Hawke’s Bay is New Zealand’s oldest wine region and was recognised as the 12th Great Wine Capital of the World. A maritime climate and diverse range of soils have made it particularly well suited to Bordeaux-style reds, Syrah, and Chardonnay, for which the region is widely known.
Located east of Wellington and separated from the capital by the Remutaka Ranges, Wairarapa is one of New Zealand’s most established rural regions.
Known for its vineyards, farmland, and coastline, it offers a quieter pace than many of the country’s better-known destinations.
The villages of Martinborough, Greytown, and Featherston each have their own character, while the region’s food and wine scene is centred around Martinborough, one of New Zealand’s leading wine-growing areas, best known for Pinot Noir.
With its open landscapes, historic towns, and easy access from Wellington, Wairarapa provides a different perspective on the lower North Island.
Sitting at the southern end of the North Island, between green hills and a natural harbour, Wellington is New Zealand’s capital and the world’s southernmost capital city.
Compact and easy to explore, it is known for its mix of culture, history, and food. The city is home to Te Papa, the Museum of New Zealand, and is recognised for its café culture, restaurants, and coffee.
Close to the city, Zealandia offers a unique conservation success story, where native birds and forest have been restored within a protected urban sanctuary.
Wellington combines city life and nature in a way few capitals can
Located at the north-eastern tip of New Zealand’s South Island, the Marlborough Sounds is a network of sheltered waterways, forested hills, and secluded bays formed by ancient river valleys flooded by the sea.
Historic Picton, the main gateway between the North and South Islands, sits at the head of Queen Charlotte Sound and provides access to the region by land and sea.
The Sounds are often explored by boat, on foot, or from the water’s edge, with the Queen Charlotte Track following much of the coastline.
Nearby Blenheim is the centre of New Zealand’s largest wine region, Marlborough, internationally recognised for Sauvignon Blanc.
Stretching along the western side of the South Island, the West Coast is one of New Zealand’s least populated regions.
Bordered by the Tasman Sea on one side and the Southern Alps on the other, it is known for its rainforests, rivers, coastline, and history of gold mining.
The region is home to the Punakaiki Pancake Rocks and the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers, where ice descends from the mountains into temperate rainforest.
Small towns and long stretches of undeveloped coastline give the West Coast a character quite distinct from elsewhere in New Zealand.
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Canterbury
Canterbury is New Zealand’s largest region, stretching from the Pacific coast to the Southern Alps.
The landscape is defined by wide plains, braided rivers, high-country stations, and some of the country’s most dramatic mountain scenery.
At its centre is Ōtautahi Christchurch, the South Island’s largest city, known for its gardens, Gothic Revival architecture, and ongoing transformation following the 2011 earthquakes.
To the north, Kaikōura is recognised for its marine wildlife, including whales, dolphins, seals, and albatross.
Canterbury is also the gateway to Aoraki / Mount Cook, New Zealand’s highest mountain, the Tasman Glacier, and the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, one of the largest dark sky reserves in the world.
The Mackenzie Country lies in the heart of New Zealand’s South Island, a landscape of wide open spaces, braided rivers, glacial lakes, and high-country stations.
At its centre are the towns of Lake Tekapo and Twizel, surrounded by some of the country’s most recognisable mountain scenery.
The region is the gateway to Aoraki / Mount Cook, New Zealand’s highest mountain, and forms part of the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, one of the largest in the world.
The clarity of the light, the colour of the glacial lakes, and the scale of the surrounding mountains make the journey through the Mackenzie Country and over the Lindis Pass to Queenstown one of New Zealand’s great road trips.
Milford Sound / Piopiotahi lies within Fiordland National Park and is one of New Zealand’s most recognised natural landmarks.
Carved by glaciers during the last ice age, the fiord is characterised by steep cliffs, rainforest, waterfalls, and deep, dark water. For many visitors, the scale of Milford Sound is best appreciated from the air.
Helicopter flights provide a remarkable perspective of the fiord, surrounding mountains, glaciers, and remote valleys, and are widely regarded as one of New Zealand’s most memorable scenic experiences.
Cruises on the fiord offer a different perspective, bringing visitors close to waterfalls, wildlife, and the sheer rock faces that define the landscape.
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Wānaka
Set on the shores of Lake Wānaka beneath the Southern Alps, Wānaka is one of New Zealand's most spectacular alpine destinations. Framed by mountains, crystal-clear lakes and vast high-country landscapes, it offers an effortless blend of natural beauty, understated luxury and year-round adventure.
The region provides access to exceptional hiking, biking, fly fishing and skiing, while nearby vineyards, luxury lodges and private villas offer opportunities to slow the pace and enjoy the landscape. Wānaka is also the gateway to Mt Aspiring National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage area renowned for its alpine scenery, glaciers and untouched wilderness.
Its relaxed atmosphere, remarkable setting and collection of world-class experiences have established Wānaka as one of New Zealand's premier luxury destinations.
Queenstown sits on the shores of Lake Wakatipu beneath the Remarkables mountain range and is New Zealand’s most visited destination.
Surrounded by mountains, lakes, and rivers, it serves as a base for exploring much of the lower South Island.
Queenstown is also widely regarded as the birthplace of commercial bungy jumping and remains a centre for adventure activities including jet boating, heli-skiing, mountain biking, and hiking.
Arrowtown, a former gold-mining settlement dating from the 1860s gold rush, is known for its historic buildings, tree-lined streets, and connection to the region’s early history.
Queenstown is also the gateway to Central Otago, New Zealand’s southernmost wine region and one of the world’s leading New World Pinot Noir producers, with vineyards stretching across the valleys and basin landscapes that surround the town.
Fiordland occupies the south-west corner of New Zealand’s South Island and is one of the country’s most remote and dramatic regions.
Much of the area is protected within Fiordland National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Area known for its fiords, mountains, lakes, and native forest.
Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound are the region’s best-known destinations, explored by boat, kayak, or on foot.
Fiordland is also home to several of New Zealand’s Great Walks, including the Milford, Routeburn, and Kepler Tracks, which provide access to landscapes that have changed little over time.
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Paroa Bay, Bay of Islands
Russell / Kororareka
Torrent Bay, Nelson Tasman
Split Apple Rock, Able Tasman National Park
Auckland City & Waitemata Harbour
One Tree Hill / Maungakiekie
Hamilton City and Waikato River
Italian Renaissance Garden, Hamilton Gardens, Hamilton
Pohutu Geyser, Te Puia
Tamatekapua Meeting House, Ohinemutu Village
Lake Taupō Māori rock carvings
Tongariro National Park
Cape Egmont lighthouse with Mt Taranaki
Festival of lights, Taranaki
Te Mata Peak
Craggy Range Winery
Cape Palliser Lighthouse
Craggy Range Vineyard, Martinborough
Wellington
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Queen Charlotte Sound / Tōtaranui, Marlborough
Endeavour Inlet, Marlborough Sounds
Lake Matheson
Roaring Billy Falls, Mt Aspiring National Park
Christchurch Arts Centre
Arthur's Pass
The Lindis Pass
The Southern Lights, Aurora Australis, Church of the Good Shepherd, Lake Tekapo
