Dijkstra’s guide to New Zealand

After spending a wonderful year (Nov 2018 -Oct 2019) exploring New Zealand with my family (hubby and 2 kids), I though I would share some tips of must see places.

I hope you like it! Disclaimer….this is just my humble opinion and this is just a selection of our favorites!

Before I begin, some other basic tips:
* Facebook groups share a wealth of information:  Backpackers New Zealand / New Zealand Backpackers / Wwoofing New Zealand / NZ Lifestyle Block Farmers / House Sitting New Zealand to name a few!
* It’s easy to set up an ANZ bank account if you have a passport and can give an address (we used our first AirBnB address with no issue)
* Spark is better than Vodafone for data bundels
* Transferwise.com is a great way to move money from/to overseas

* Download CamperMate to see all the campsites available, read the comments per site to get a good feel of the place!
* Bookme.co.nz is a great place to find discounted trips/activities
* Kiwihousesitters.co.nz is a great website to find house sitting jobs, costs $80 to register

Northland

* Waipu Cove
Absolutely stunning beach on the East Coast on the way to Whangarei.   Definitely worth it as a stop over point as you head North.

* Whangarei
Pronounced with an F (Wh=F).  We loved the Whangarei Falls, our first big waterfall we came across in New Zealand and had a lasting effect on us.

*Waipoua Kauri Forest
Big trees….bloody amazing to see and get a seen it-done it photo.  Those guys are huge!

*Hokianga Harbour
Nice ferry crossing from Rawene to Kohukohu to get to Northland.

* Ninety Mile Beach
Not ninety miles long…that is a big lie….but stunning nonetheless.  Don’t take the car plus caravan on the beach unless you want to incurr wife stress and constant watching if the tide is coming in.

* Te Paki sand dunes
Very cool sand dunes to climb up and surf down.  Do not, I repeat DO NOT use your daughters cheap old body board to try and surf down the sand dunes.  You will end up flipping over or stopping half way down looking like a prize twat (but the video evidence is hilarious!).  The correct surf boards are to hire on site.

*Cape Reinga
Very cool to get to the most northern part of New Zealand.  Make sure you fuel up before you get half way there as you’ll end up paying the “tourist rate” at the last fuel station.  Very cool to see the meeting of the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean.  Another cool seen it-done it photo moment.

*Haruru Falls
We stayed at the campsite at the bottom of the falls and hired Kayaks to get up close and personal to the falls, very cool!  Nice campsite too.

North Island

* Kawhia
Well worth searching for an hour to find the right spot to dig a hole in the beach and find your own hot pool.  Go on the beach at the right spot at the right time (the locals will tell you), face the sea and find 1 o’clock and dig just where the tide is going out.  You’ll always have those lazy tourists who watch you search for an hour then come and dip their toes in YOUR pool once you find it.

* Muriwai Beach 
Very cool surfers beach and also an opportunity to see the huge colony of Gannets nesting on the rocks.

* Otorohanga
Nice opportunity to see Kiwi’s (the bird) in the Kiwi House.    They have feeding times where you are pretty much guaranteed to see the Kiwi’s up close in their nocturnal kiwi house (great cheap campsite right next door).

* Pirongia
Nice mountain walks, not that we did them.  We spent a month over Christmas working at a very nice dairy farm overlooking Pirongia and heard stories from people who actually walked.  Fantastic fun to be had at the Boxing Day races in Pirongia.

* Arapuni
Very cool suspension bridge over the power station and also really nice lakes to chill on a hot summer’s day.  We spent a few very nice days at Jones Landing on Lake Arapuni where you could swim out to and island to jump in/swing off.

*Auckland
We’re not city guys but did venture into Butterfly Creek, a cool zoo with all sorts of animals and dinosaurs….great for the kids! Sky Tower is definitely a must see/do and the Skyscreamer is a must…..frickin awesome!!

*Taupo
A wealth of activites to be done in Taupo, for the young backpackers you can do it all.  We loved swimming in the lake and found a lovely campsite within walking distance from the beach (Waitahanui).  The Huka Falls is definitely worth visiting to see the rushing Waikato river at it’s best.

*Hastings
Te Mata Peak is worth visiting with stunning views of Napia and Hastings.  
Splash Planet: a great water park with lots of slides and swimming pools.  
Ocean Beach:  an absolutely stunning beach with big waves!  
Hasting race course regularly holds race days, often with free entry.  
Hawkes Bay Horse of the Year show in March is a must see if you are horsey!

* Wairoa
We had a great day out at the A&P show in Wairoa including watching the rodeo, sheep shearing and show jumping.

* Wellington
We loved the Te Paka museum, it’s free and they have some amazing exhibitions there. Before getting on the ferry you should check out the amazing Seal colony on the coastal road towards Cape Palliser, literally 100s of seals and cubs alongside the road.

* Raglan
Another busy beach town, wasn’t our cup of tea (we were there in the summer, soooo busy) and is volcanic sand which is not our preference.

South Island

* Picton
A fabulous boat trip has to be done to see the Malborough Sounds and the wildlife surrounding it.  We were lucky enough to see a pod of 60 dolphins ❤️, it was an afternoon we will never forget.  The are a lot of different boat trips and activities available.

* Kaikoura
The whale watching town….worth doing although just driving a long the coast line is just as beautiful.  It’s very interesting to learn about the 2016 earthquake and how it affected the region.

* Methven
A skiing town in the shadow of Mount Hutt.  This small town comes alive when the snow arrives!

* Queenstown
The party place to be.  Everything to do and see but comes at a price…usually a very expensive price.  Not our cup of tea but it is beautiful there nonetheless.  

* Moeraki Boulders
A must see, one of nature’s wonders.  90 million year old bolders. Definitely a seen it-done it photo opportunity.  Get your tide times right!

* Ross
Do not miss this place!  Go to The Empire Hotel pub (and campsite) if you want to experience true Kiwi hospitality.  Did I say it was unmissable? Twice…. so go see it to believe it!

* Franz Josef Glacier
Prepare to walk a fair distance to see the ever-decreasing glacier.

* Haast Pass
Very steep and windy roads through the Mount Aspiring National Park.  Scary moments to drive but doable in good weather.

* Arthurs Pass
Definitely doable as long as there is not too much snow. Check weather reports.

* Lewis Pass
Even more doable than Arthurs Pass, the mountains aren’t as high.  Check weather reports.

* Lake Sumner National Park
We got as far as Lake Taylor (it is a further hike/4×4 track to Lake Sumner) but wow by far the best place we have camped in whole of New Zealand.  A real treasure if you like being in the middle of nowhere with no signal, no electricity and no people!  Disclaimer: we went in the winter, hence had the place to ourselves (and sunshine!).

* Christchurch
Definitely the place to be for all sorts of reasons.  Our favourites were: 
Air Force Museum of New Zealand – a fab collection of planes and history to get up close and personal to.  You can sit in the cockpits of old planes and the PoW section is great!
Quake City Museum – to learn about the devastating earthquakes in 2010 and 2011.  
Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial – a memorable place to visit and respect and remember all the lives lost.
Orana Wildlife Park – fab day out with the animals, to see the animals and feed the animals!

* Reefton
A very cool gold mining village…we found some gold flakes whilst panning in the Victoria Forest Park! Panning gear can be hired from Reefton info site.

* Pancake Rocks and Blow Holes
Don’t miss this one!!  An absolutely awe inspiring force of nature in Punakaiki.  The pancake rocks that nobody really knows how they got there and the blow holes take your breath away.  Make sure you check tide times, you need to be there at high tide!

* Gentle Annie Point (and campsite)
Don’t go there, this is a place just for us.  Nothing to see here 😊. There might be rumours of the #3 best campsite in NZ, amazing sunsets and a cool maze but it’s all just a ruze, nothing to see at all 😜

* Murchison
The longest suspension bridge in New Zealand, pretty stomach churning but the kids loved the zip line ride on the way back!  Very cool.

* Okiwi Bay
The drive is worth it to find a very quaint fishing village hidden in the Marlborough Sounds.  Idealic but not the party town.  Stunning bay views.

* French Pass
Even more worth the drive out from Okiwi Bay to French pass…..just have to see it to believe it!  Just stunning.  Don’t be fooled that there will be any kind of civilisation at the end of the road.  Just a beautiful place to visit.

Southland

* Dunedin
Dunedin is very cool, we loved the Dunedin museum with a lot of hands on fun including a butterfly park, Science museum and a planatarium.

* Nugget Point
Very cool walk out to see the nuggets and the coast line is just beautiful.

* Southern Scenic Route
A must do if you want to see the best coastline views on the South Island.  Through the Catlins, past Slope point (the real most Southern point of New Zeeland) and Bluff.  Go see Jackson’s Blow hole, Purakaunui waterfalls and Monkey Island long the way!  Oh and make sure you find a beach in Te Waewae bay to collect fresh mussels from the beach, oh my god they were big and juicy!

* Stewart Island
Worth the trip to see some amazing wildlife and and go on beautiful walks.  Do your research, don’t be like us and choose a walk that looks not too long and ends up being 14km through the bush and mountains with 2 kids in their gum boots and having run the last bit to catch the boat back on time.

* Te Anau
We opted for the boat trip to Doubtful Sounds instead of the popular Milford Sounds.  It was amazing….those boat trips are never cheap but definitely recommended!!

Hope this is helpful 😊

Cheers! Kelly