chloedickensonLast Updated on 3rd July 2024
I’ve made it no secret around these parts just how obsessed I am with New Zealand and today’s post is all about my top 15 travel experiences in New Zealand.
Our almost-3 months there were honestly some of the best times of my life and looking back, I really can’t believe how much we managed to see, do and experience while we were there. It’s a trip that I’ll forever have fond memories of, especially as it’s the place where we began our trip around the world.
If you’re looking for some NZ wanderlust or you’re making your own bucket list of things to do while you’re there, here are my top 15 favourite travel experiences in New Zealand!
Top experiences in New Zealand – Hobbiton
Our visit to the Hobbiton Movie Set was without a doubt one of my favourite travel experiences in New Zealand.
It was so unbelievably magical and surreal and the attention to detail that went into making the set was just out of this world. I’ve written an entire post and guide about our trip to Hobbiton, including all the best things to see and do while you’re there!
It’s definitely not the cheapest thing we did while we were in New Zealand but it was one of the most fun and I’d highly recommend paying a visit there; regardless of whether you’re a LOTR or Hobbit movies buff or not!
Travel tip: book your tickets to Hobbiton here!
Housesitting in the North Island
Our housesitting adventures in the North Island were another one of my favourite experiences in New Zealand. It was unlike anything else I’ve ever done before and it’s an experience that I’ll always be immensely grateful for.
I’ve talked more about what our housesitting antics entailed here but ultimately it was a surreal and life changing experience that I’ll cherish forever.
Having the responsibility of looking after numerous animals including 20 chickens, 4 cats, a dog, 5 sheep, a goat, plus many more taught me invaluable life lessons about looking after your own livestock and ‘living off the land‘. It’s yet another experience that I’d recommend you having a go at, at least once in your life and there’s really no better place to do it than New Zealand!
Milford Sound Road/Cruise
Another one of my absolute favourite travel experiences in New Zealand was driving along the Milford Sound Road and then embarking on a cruise along the Sound itself.
It’s arguably one of the most spectacular, naturally beautiful places I’ve ever been and a place that I can’t recommend enough if you’re ever in South Island New Zealand.
The drive to get to Milford Sound is just as breathtaking as Milford Sound itself, with the likes of the Homer Tunnel, the Chasm, Mirror Lakes, plus so much more to keep your eyes open wide in wanderlust!
Travel tip: book your Milford Sound Cruise tickets here!
Getting a new tattoo in Queenstown
To celebrate my love for New Zealand, Matt and I both got a new tattoo each when we were in Queenstown.
My beloved silver fern leaf takes pride of place just above my aeroplane tattoo on my forearm and I absolutely adore it; it’s a true symbol of how much New Zealand means to me and the tattoo parlour where we got it was so much fun and the staff were so friendly! If you’re in the market for a new tattoo in Queenstown, I’d highly recommend visiting Otautahi Tattoo 😉
Seeing Mount Cook for the first time
Seeing Mount Cook for the first time in all its natural glory is definitely an experience I’ll never forget, especially considering we thought we were going to have to miss out on seeing it as it was so cloudy the day before and the morning when we drove to it.
It’s a place where pictures and videos just don’t do it any justice; you really need to see it in real life for yourself to appreciate just how impressive and imposing it is!
Experiences in New Zealand – Velocity Valley
I’ve never been one to be afraid of heights but when I was up there on that 43m-high crane platform, ready to take a leap of faith and complete my bungy jump, I genuinely don’t think I’ve ever been so terrified in my life!
However, once I’d done it, I felt a sense of achievement unlike anything else before and now I’m desperate to do another one!
Velocity Valley is a perfect place in New Zealand to experience thrills and adventure and we spent a whole day there bungy jumping, ‘freefalling’, ‘swooping’ and whizzing around a man-made lake on a speedboat. It’s definitely one of the best things to do in the North Island and one of my favourite experiences in New Zealand altogether!
Travel tip: book your tickets to Velocity Valley here!
Living in a campervan
I’ve written an awful lot about our campervan road trip around New Zealand, as well as all the invaluable life lessons I learned while living in a van and the more I think about it, the more it really was one of the best things I’ve ever done.
While it did come with many challenges in terms of eating very little apart from pot noodles, trying to survive with -6° temperatures inside the campervan, as well as dealing with various other things, it was also an eye-opening way of living and something that I’ll cherish about New Zealand forever.
I’m also a whole hearted believer that it’s the best way to see New Zealand and it’s a great way to make the most out of your trip there as you’re able to have your own freedom and see as much of the country as possible.
Having the most incredible stargazing experience
This travel experience doesn’t necessarily have to be something that’s entirely exclusive to New Zealand but it is the place that I had the most incredible stargazing opportunity of my life.
We were camping at a free site on the side of a mountain somewhere and the sky was clearer than I’d ever seen it and was full of millions of brightly shining stars. It was one of the most magical experiences of my life and we were even lucky enough to see numerous shooting stars!
Experiences in New Zealand – staying in a luxury yurt in Kaikoura
As part of a collab with Glamping Hub, Matt and I were very kindly invited to go and stay at this beautiful luxury yurt in Kaikoura while we were in the South Island and it was the most perfect, restorative couple of days.
Despite it not being a ~sight~ or specific ~thing to do~, it was still one of my favourite travel experiences in New Zealand because I’d never stayed anywhere like it before in my life.
It was so lush to enjoy the beautiful accommodation and do very little for 48 hours apart from eat, sleep and watch a whole lot of Netflix.
Seeing wild penguins, seals and dolphins
I’ve spoken quite a lot recently over on my Instagram about how I never really used to be that much of an animal person but travelling around New Zealand and being greeted with the most fascinating wild animals definitely changed my opinion.
Seeing the likes of wild penguins and seals pretty much just at the side of the road was an experience like no other and it’s something that I’ll never forget.
Eating at the top of the Sky Tower in Auckland
One of my favourite memories from when I lived in New Zealand in 2011 was eating dinner at the top of the Sky Tower in Auckland so when I got the chance to go back and do it again with Matt, it felt so lovely.
The revolving floor that allows you to eat lunch or dinner while slowly rotating 360°, with panoramic views all over the city of Auckland is a travel experience in New Zealand that I’d recommend to everyone.
Even if you don’t eat at the top, you still need to head up there on a clear day to see Auckland in all its glory.
Travel tip: book your tickets to the Sky Tower here!
Eating our way around Wellington
I’ve spoken many times about my obsession with food on my blog and if there’s one place in New Zealand to sate your culinary needs, it’s Wellington.
We honestly ate like kings and queens while we were there; on a relatively cheap budget as well and I’m so fond of our memories of eating approximately a dozen different cuisines during our three day trip there!
Attending Queenstown Winter Festival
We just so happened to accidentally time our few days in Queenstown with their annual Winter Festival where there’s an abundance of games, activities, food and drink stalls as well as a stage with live bands and performers on that goes on throughout the night.
It was so much fun and I think it was even better as we happened to stumble upon it totally coincidentally! We got our tattoos in the afternoon, headed back to our campervan for some pre-drinking and then spent the evening hanging out with the locals and dancing the night away; it was absolutely perfect.
Going to the very bottom of the South Island
While this New Zealand travel experience doesn’t sound too thrilling, it was actually one of my favourite memories from our time in the South Island.
Residing at a place called Bluff Point, the southern most point of South Island New Zealand feels a million miles away from the rest of the world (and it’s not too far off tbh)!
We were the only people there when we visited and it felt so surreal and almost eerie to be so far from the Equator and the South Pole at the same time! The scenery around Bluff Point is also absolutely beautiful and is well worth a visit if you plan on driving that far down the country!
Favourite experiences in New Zealand – visiting Waimangu Volcanic Valley
While we were housesitting in the North Island, we managed to make many different day trips and one of my absolute favourite ones was to Waimangu Volcanic Valley.
It’s such an otherworldly and completely fascinating place and as we visited during New Zealand’s winter (like we did with many other places), we had the place almost entirely to ourselves.
The remnants of erupted volcanoes and hot springs make for a truly photogenic place in the North Island and entry tickets are also relatively affordable so I’d definitely recommend a trip there if you’re going to be in the area!
Travel tip: book your tickets to Waimangu Volcanic Valley here!
Pin for later – top travel experiences in New Zealand
Have you ever been to New Zealand? Is it somewhere you’d like to visit one day? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter @imjustagirl_16.
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