New Zealand Sightseeing & Touring Holidays 2008

Holidays to New Zealand provide an exciting blend of world class scenery and unique culture. In this travel guide, we tour the North and South islands and list many of the top sightseeing attractions.

To help you plan a New Zealand touring holiday, we visit the Fjordland region, sharing with you our spectacular New Zealand pictures. We also provide a useful city guide to Christchurch and Auckland.

New Zealand Holidays

Find cheap New Zealand holidays and luxury Tahiti cruise deals from Lastminute.com.

New Zealand Map

Click here for a New Zealand map. When touring by car, stick to the speed limits as these are very strictly enforced by police radar!

City of Auckland

New Zealand's North Island is home to Auckland, the country's largest city, with a population of 1.2 million (nearly a third of the entire population). Auckland is an exciting, cosmopolitan city and home of the World famous America's Cup.

Auckland has a very temperate climate too, boasting 245 days of sunshine per year and mild winters. For good restaurants, visit Auckland's attractive Viaduct Harbour Area which has a number of fine dining restaurants, bars and hotels set in an informal atmosphere (picture above).

Although Rotorua is considered to be at the heart of New Zealand's North Island geothermal area, it actually covers a much wider area, the central plateau being in Tongariro National Park south west of Lake Taupo over 100km from Rotorua.

To see some of the most colourful geothermal  examples during your New Zealand holiday, we recommend a trip to Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland (pictured left).

Wai-O-Tapu is located in the middle of the New Zealand's 'Taupo volcanic zone' and only a short drive from Rotorua. The volcanic zone is home to three volcanoes Tongariro, Ngauruhoe and the still-active Ruapehu at 2800m high. Wai-O-Tapu features collapsed craters and mud pots together with water and steam fumaroles. There are 25 main visitor stop-offs in Wai-O-Tapu and clearly signed walks of between 1.5km and 3km are provided. These take from 30 to 75 minutes.

Christchurch Sightseeing

For holidays to New Zealand South Island, start at the city of Christchurch, which is the largest city in the South Island and the gateway to the world famous Canterbury Region.

Christchurch is a lively city renowned for its Theatre, Art Galleries, stone buildings and great shopping. The city has a very 'English' feel to it and is a popular base for New Zealand touring holidays.

Christchurch, New Zealand is also famous for its beautiful parks, the most famous of which is 130 years old, Hagley Park. Hagley Park is the ideal spot to relax during your New Zealand holiday, with a leisurely walk or a slow punt down the Avon River. This park has great facilities for children with a full playground and a large outdoor paddling pool. Hagley Park is also home to the Robert McDougall Art Gallery.

Touring New Zealand is cheap and you'll soon discover that the cost of living is much lower than the UK and Christchurch is no exception. Christchurch hotels and restaurants offer excellent value. We recommend the Heritage Hotel, Christchurch. which has spacious rooms and a Christchurch city centre location, making it an ideal holiday sightseeing base.

Dunedin Sightseeing

Dunedin, New Zealand is located 360km south of Christchurch in the South Island. It's a long drive from Christchurch, taking over four hours, so a stop-off may be needed in Timaru. Dunedin was founded by Scottish migrants in 1848 and still retains its Scottish origins and theme.

Try to include Dunedin and the beautiful Otago Peninsula when touring New Zealand. (The beautiful Otago Peninsula is pictured left).

Sightseeing highlights of New Zealand's Otago Peninsula are Royal Albatross watching together with Sea Lion and Penguin watching at the very end of the peninsula. Please note that the penguins are actually nocturnal, so it's best to travel to the peninsula later in the day if you want to see them during your New Zealand holidays. Also highly recommended is Larnach Castle which offers truly breathtaking views over Otago Harbour.

Queenstown Sightseeing

A "must see" for holidays to Zealand is Queenstown. It's is one of the premier South Island sightseeing attractions and a lively, friendly alpine resort sandwiched between Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkable's mountains. The centre of Queenstown has plenty of character with excellent restaurants and cafés. Queenstown is a favourite with backpackers, hikers and tourists and offers a wide choice of accommodation, most with unforgettable views.

One hour's drive from Queenstown is stunning Glenorchy which offers stunning, spectacular New Zealand scenery. The area around Glenorchy offers snow capped peaks and magnificent lakes. Click here for more Glenorchy pictures. In fact, much of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic Lord of the Rings Trilogy was filmed around Glenorchy, so be sure to visit this area when touring New Zealand South Island. Wanaka also offers beautiful scenery and is within easy driving distance from Queenstown. Wanaka offers superb views over Mt. Aspiring (Elevation 3027m)

Mount Cook Sightseeing

Magnificent Mount Cook at 3753m is New Zealand's highest mountain in New Zealand's Southern Alps. It is a spectacular sight and offers some of the best photographic opportunities during any New Zealand holidays. The approach road is highly scenic and runs parallel to Lake Pukaki. There are actually two other mountains in close proximity to Mount Cook - Mt. Sefton at 3157m and Mt. Tasman at 3498m.

The Mount Cook New Zealand region is popular with mountaineers worldwide. Ascending any of these peaks requires special equipment, mountaineering skills training and planning.

We recommend staying at the Mount Cook Hotel, New Zealand right next to the mountain, offering first class accommodation with a fine dining restaurant directly overlooking Mt. Cook! Various accommodation options are available to suit even budget New Zealand touring holidays.

Stop off at Te Anau when touring New Zealand. Te Anau is the gateway town to Milford Sound in New Zealand's famous Fjordland. Te Anau, set on New Zealand's magnificent Lake Te Anau, has good hotels and offers scenic cruises and seaplane flights across the Fjordland region. Te Anau is about 120km from Milford Sound and the drive offers spectacular scenery and is not to be rushed! Pictured right is Mitre Peak (1682m), one of the most well known landmarks of spectacular Milford Sound, New Zealand. Watch out for Kia's (destructive parrots) on the approach road!

Many companies offer memorable sightseeing cruises along Milford Sound. We recommend Real Journeys for an unforgettable cruise on Doubtful and Milford Sound, New Zealand. Real Journeys provide high resolution pictures of Milford Sound (click on the 'Real Journeys' link above to view).

Milford Sound, New Zealand Sightseeing

Book a Milford Sound cruise during any South Island New Zealand holidays. Be prepared for changeable weather, as Milford Sound is one of the wettest places on Earth with over 6000mm of annual rainfall. The temperature can be as high as 25 degrees Celsius in the summer, or as low as 4 degrees Celsius in the winter. The coolest months are between May and August. When it rains the rock walls stream with water.

Take plenty of insect repellent as Milford Sound is famous for sand flies and they can be a problem at certain times of the year. Cover your arms and legs with long sleeve clothing.