Top Places to visit in New Zealand in 2024

Thinking about New Zealand itself just gives a sense of excitement as this little place offers a lot for every kind of traveller. New Zealand is majorly known for its adventure activities like bungee Jumping, Water rafting, hiking, skydiving and many more but what people tend to miss out on is New Zealand has equally beautiful and serene attractions like the Milford sound, mount cook, Lake Taupo, Bay of Islands etc. The list goes on and on. There are a lot of top places to visit in New Zealand but the above-mentioned ones are just a class apart. New Zealand is famous for its self diving options because of the well-connected routes across the country and the landscape of this country is no less than a movie set. In fact, if you hire a car in Auckland after your landing, you can travel across to the south island via ferries and drop your car off when you fly out of any city. When it comes to staying, their options start from budget-friendly Air BnB’s to 5 Star properties across the country. Let’s dive into New Zealand and try to pick the top 5 places that one has to check off their bucket list.

1.Milford Sound

This place tops the list of top places to visit in New Zealand. No tour to New Zealand is complete if you don’t visit Milford Sound. This natural beauty rightly takes place as the eighth wonder in the world. Situated on the southwest of the south island, these fords stretch to almost 16kms until they met the Sea. Cruising through these fords is the most popular activity here. It is so popular that it attracts more than one million visitors every year. In an era where we are always glued to our mobiles, The grandeur of these fiords is so majestic that it will take your eyes away from your mobile phones. These fiords are as massive as 1200 meters. This region also receives heavy rainfall and is also considered to be one of the wettest places on earth. Because of the heavy thundershower, water drains from these forests and settles on the saltwater from the Sea giving it the inky black colour. There are hundreds of temporary and permanent waterfalls which just adds to the grandeur of this place.

Milford sound view — Image Credits: Unsplash

2.Bay of Islands, North Island

Just a three-hour drive from Auckland, this beautiful bay of islands is one of the top places to visit in New Zealand. This island consists of close to 144 smaller Islands which are just the perfect spot for sailing and yachting. The rich biodiversity is one of the reasons why this island attracts a lot of tourists. Penguins, whales, dolphins and many other variety of marine animals are abundantly found in the waters near this island. this is also the reason why it is one of the prime areas for fishing. Hole in the rock is one of the most visited spots in the Bay of Islands. You can base yourself in Paihia to do all the activities in and around the Bay of Islands. This is a perfect place for honeymooners to relax

Hole in the rock, Paihia — Image Credits: Unsplash

Franz Josef Glacier

If you are a fan of Lord of the rings then you must the scene when they light the beacons on The White Mountains (Ered Nimrais) which run from Gondor to Rohan. This is definitely a must-visit the place. Franz Josef is one of the very few accessible glaciers. This glacier is about 5km from the nearest town Franz Josef which got its name after the Glacier. People usually take the 1.5-hour hike to reach the terminal of the glacier. The disadvantage of this hike is that you don’t get o walk to the glacier and if you want to take a walk on the glacier then Heli hike or guided ice walk are the best to take. You can treat this as a place where you relax and rejuvenate in your trip. Hot pools here are a must try and you can also visit Fox glacier from this town. And, if you want to try something adventurous then do give skydiving a try here in Franz Josef. Franz Josef is easily accessible by road and you can drive down to this town.

Pro Tip: Don’t forget to take a room with a Mountain view while you stay in Franz Josef.

Rotorua

Home to natural hot springs and mud pools, Rotorua definitely comes off the top places to visit in New Zealand. Rotorua is also a hub for international travellers to know more about Maori culture, the home tribe of New Zealand. Rotorua has a plethora of options to choose from for its visitors. You can make this as a base to cover coromandel and to visit the thermal activity in Wai-o-tapu thermal wonderland. The hot mud pools, clouds of steam and the hot springs acts as natural stress busters and act as a place to relax. Rotorua also homes the largest hot water waterfall in the southern hemisphere. You are not satisfied with the above activities then o take the Polynesian spa while soaking in the beauty of lake Rotorua. It is so beautiful that Conde Nast Traveller Magazine rated one among the world’s top ten Spa’s. If you want to quest your inner adventure-seeking soul then you try out river rafting in the river Kaituna and go on for an Adrenaline pumping jet boat ride in along the Waikato River.

I believe it would really be wrong if one can say that we can describe the beauty of New Zealand in one blog. I hope this little attempt of mine was of some use in helping you decide the Top Places to visit in New Zealand and if you want more help in creating a New Zealand trip package from India then do log onto www.pickyourtrail.com to get your customised itinerary.