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New Zealand, Aotearoa, Land of the Long White Cloud. Whatever you call it, travelling New Zealand is an adventurous, nature-loving, cultural tour de force through some of the finest countryside you’ll find in the world.

Be a beach bum during the long summer evenings or ski your heart out during the northern hemisphere summer — it’s all here waiting for you.

New Zealand is a country located in the South Pacific Ocean, making it part of Oceania. Its nearest neighbours, Australia and the Pacific Islands of Fiji, New Caledonia and Tonga (among others) aren’t actually that close – you need to fly for around three hours to reach another country.

New Zealand is made up of two principal islands – the North Island (Te Ika a Maui) and the South Island (Te Wai Pounamu), as well as hundreds of smaller islands. New Zealand’s geography is diverse – you’ll find mountains, lakes, rivers, deserts, forests, beaches and glaciers. Just about whatever you want to find, you’ll discover it in New Zealand.

Also see: Important things to know about New Zealand

Adventure sports are a popular pastime in New Zealand – bungee jumping as a commercial enterprise was started there by AJ Hackett, and the country enjoys a good safety record for bungee jumping. You can also try skydiving, luging or zorbing, as well as the more traditional winter sports of skiing and snowboarding.

Since the epic Lord of the Rings trilogy was released on film, tens-of-thousands of people have flocked to New Zealand to spot their favourite backdrops. While Lord of the Rings tours exist, the best way to see the sights is to hire or buy your own vehicle and grab a copy of The Lord of the Rings Location Guidebookhttps://amzn.to/39er3VB to guide you.

Also see:

Getting to and from New Zealand

Flying and cruising are the only two options for arrival in New Zealand. Most international flights arrive into Auckland Airport, with a smaller number flying into Christchurch. If arriving from Australia, there are several more options to popular holiday spots.

New Zealand’s national flag-carrier, Air New Zealand, is part of the Star Alliance network and has the best wine-list in the sky — including in economy class. They have interesting budget options for trans-Tasman flights, but have an innovative line of customer service on the long-haul, ensuring that you’re well served on longer flights.

The airlines servicing NZ have some great cheap flight deals for both domestic and internationals mainly to Australia and the Pacific Islands. COVID-19 has greatly reduced the options, but they are starting to come back again.

There are several cruise-ship harbours in New Zealand, with Auckland’s being the most modern and closest to the city centre.

Best Travel Options in New Zealand

New Zealand is quite spread out, and many of teh best attractions are ‘off the beaten path’. Because of this, it’s best to hire a car or camper — we almost always use Spaceships — see below.

Book a Spaceship Camper

If we’re aware of it, we’ll update promotions in the tabs below. You can also compare all campers in New Zealand, Australia and the campers and motorhomes in the UK to see if Spaceships is right for you.

We have detailed tips and comparisons for Spaceships New Zealand, Spaceships Australia, and Spaceships UK.

We’ve hired Spaceship Campers since 2011 (and most recently for Easter 2022), so we’ve seen a lot of them! If you have questions that aren’t answered here, please ask in the comments.

Book now and travel before September 2022 and get the Winter Warmer pack:

  • Free Winter Warmer Pack to stay extra warm on colder nights
    • 2x hot water bottles (hotties)
    • 1x Thermos for hot tea, coffee or soup wherever you go
    • Extra duvet, snuggle up with this fluffy and warm duvet
    • 3x Extra gas canisters to heat some more soup or water for the hot water bottles
  • Unlock free days: every 5 days you book unlocks 1 free day.
    • Book 5 days, pay for only 4 days
    • Book 10 days, pay for only 8 days
Get the Spaceships Winter Warmer Pack

Autumn is a great time to explore the outer space of the UK or Europe. Book now and get 10% off campervan & motorhome hire.

  • Pick up and drop off in London or Edinburgh
  • Travel between 1st September 2022 and 31st December 2022
Book your UK Spaceship Camper or Motorhome

Here’s the most-recent Spaceships Australia deals.

Train travel is fine around Auckland and between Auckland and Hamilton on Te Huia. Other train journeys are scenic and slow: designed to showcase amazing scenery rather than commuter speed. Enjoyable!

Coaches and busses or flights are the most effective way to get between cities and regional centers if you don’t have access to your own vehicle.

See: How to get around New Zealand podcast

New Zealand travel resources

Book accommodation in New Zealand and travel insurance for New Zealand through us — we love it when you do that!

Check out our New Zealand in four weeks itinerary podcast or browse the articles below.

Six practical tips for your first time in Wellington

I often feel like Wellington doesn’t get the attention it deserves among New Zealand’s great cities and towns. And it’s a shame, really. Because, as cliché as it is to say, Wellington really does have something for everyone.