Incredible wildlife, spectacular scenery, delicious food & wine and intriguing history - explore an island at the world's edge.
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New Zealand holidays
To my friends I describe holidays with Cox & Kings as like 'floating along in a protected bubble without a care in the world!' Knowing that mundane travel matters will be taken care of, accommodation will be of a high standard and the advice given prior to the holiday by your travel consultants will be excellent is the essence of your appeal.Mrs Tooley
There are a wealth of things to do in New Zealand, revolving around the natural landscapes, welcoming cities and glorious food and wine of the region. We’ve split the country into their two main islands – north and south.
New Zealand’s North Island is rich both in Maori and European culture and history, and features dramatic landscapes and coastline. The gateway into the country is Auckland; a vibrant cosmopolitan city built around two vast harbours.
To the north, highlights include Cape Reinga at the very northern tip and the spectacular Ninety Mile Beach; magnificent native forests home to the towering kauri tree; and the Bay of Islands – an area of pristine islands and beaches that was the setting for the peace treaty between the Maori and the European settlers. Further south are the rainforests and beaches of the Coromandel Peninsula, Maori culture in Rotorua, award-winning vineyards in Hawke’s Bay, as well as volcanic geysers and bubbling mud pools. It is also home to the capital city, Wellington, with its excellent dining and wildlife experiences.
The South Island is well-known for its dramatic landscapes, and rightly so. Featuring rugged coastlines, glaciers and fjords, subtropical rainforests and towering mountains, the South Island showcases nature’s ultimate power. Encounter the beautiful Milford Sound, Mt Cook and Franz Josef glacier in the west, remarkable wildlife in the east, and in the north, the Marlborough wine region and Abel Tasman National Park.
The southwestern region of New Zealand’s South Island is perhaps the country’s most scenic and dramatic area, with mountains, fiords, lakes and forests at every turn. Two of the most famous of New Zealand’s Great Walks are in Fiordland – the Milford Track and the Routeburn Track – both providing diverse and dramatic scenery with forests, mountains and steep fiords. Cruises in Milford and Doubtful Sounds, and helicopter flights over the national park are the some of the quickest and best ways to experience this spectacular region.
A combination of soil, climate and water helps New Zealand to produce world-class wines, distinctive for their intensity and vibrancy. Vineyards are found throughout the country, from the sub-tropical Northland to the world’s most southerly grape growing region of Central Otago in the South Island. Visits to these vineyards, accompanied by gourmet meals and wine tastings, can be arranged at many points on a tour of New Zealand, and many lodges hold extensive wine lists.
Visit significant sites to the Maori culture, including the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, where the first signing of the treaty was completed between the British and the Maoris in 1840. Tour the Museum of New Zealand in Wellington and experience a mihimihi (greeting) and a waiata (song) on a marae (communal meeting place). In Rotorua there is an opportunity to enjoy a traditional style of cooking called hāngi, where a shallow pit is dug in the ground, a fire is lit and stones placed on top. Food is wrapped and placed on top of the stones, and then covered in earth and left for several hours.
On the spectacular East Coast, the small town of Kaikoura offers some of New Zealand’s best wildlife experiences, with a year-round whale population, dolphins, seals and albatrosses. The environment is truly spectacular; the village is caught between the rugged Seaward Kaikoura Range and the Pacific Ocean. The main reason to visit Kaikoura is for marine mammal encounters as whales, fur seals and dolphins live permanently in the coastal waters. Whale-watching trips leave the town several times a day and the local seal colony is always entertaining.
See New Zealand come alive in this image and video gallery, showing off some of the best areas that you can visit and explore.
Discover the temperatures and rainfall you can expect when visiting the main areas of New Zealand, along with the best time to travel.
Find out more about what you can expect from travelling in Australasia & the Pacific – from internal flights to accommodation standards and local transport.
Learn more about the airlines we use to fly to Australasia & the Pacific, chosen for reliability and good service; as well as any available upgrade facilities.
Before travelling to Australasia & the Pacific, please read more about the entry requirements for each country, as well as any general health advice.
Get to know our expert Australasia tour consultants, their personal recommendations and favourite hotels around the world.