Bagintravel
Download
Queenstown

Travel guide · North and South Islands

Travelling to New Zealand

Fjords, glaciers, volcanoes, beaches and the Middle-earth of The Lord of the Rings, at the other end of the world. We tell you when to go, what to see on each island and what to eat.

Updated 19 October 2026 · How we make our guides

  • Best time: from September to May
  • Where to eat: the neighbourhood café
Photo: Unsplash

New Zealand in 30 seconds

  • The months with the fewest warnings to travel to New Zealand are from September to May.
  • Drive on the left.
  • To eat like a local: the neighbourhood café. Don’t leave without trying: Lamb, Hāngī, Green-lipped mussels.

New Zealand in November

Yes: November is a good time to travel to New Zealand. Our data shows no weather or seasonal warnings that month.

November is one of the months when people search most for travelling to New Zealand: book early. More destinations for November

When to travel to New Zealand

The months with the fewest warnings to travel to New Zealand are from September to May.

  1. Jan no warnings
  2. Feb no warnings
  3. Mar no warnings
  4. Apr no warnings
  5. May no warnings
  6. Jun with warnings
  7. Jul with warnings
  8. Aug with warnings
  9. Sep no warnings
  10. Oct no warnings
  11. Nov no warnings
  12. Dec no warnings

More destinations for those dates: where to travel in January · where to travel in February · where to travel in March · where to travel in April

  • from June to August

    Winter on the South Island

    Snow in the mountains, passes that need chains and the Milford Sound road sometimes closed by avalanches.

    What to do: It’s ski season in Queenstown and Wanaka; for hiking and lakes, November to April is better.

What to see in New Zealand

The cities and areas most worth your time, with their highlights. Open each one for all the places, where to stay and its day trips.

  • Auckland
    North Island

    Auckland

    The City of Sails: a harbour, dormant volcanoes and islands like Waiheke a ferry ride away.

    • Sky Tower
    • Auckland War Memorial Museum
    • Maungawhau / Mount Eden
    • Auckland Art Gallery
    Auckland guide
  • Queenstown
    South Island · Queenstown

    Queenstown

    The adventure capital, on the shores of Lake Wakatipu and surrounded by mountains.

    • Skyline Queenstown
    • Queenstown Gardens
    • TSS Earnslaw
    • Kawarau Bungy Bridge
    Queenstown guide
  • Wellington
    North Island

    Wellington

    The capital: Te Papa museum, a cable car, cafés and plenty of wind.

    • Te Papa Tongarewa
    • Wellington Cable Car
    • Wellington Botanic Garden
    • Zealandia
    Wellington guide
  • Christchurch

    Christchurch

    The garden city of the South Island, rebuilt with great creativity after the 2011 earthquake.

    • Botanical Garden
    • Cardboard Cathedral
    • Heritage tram
    • Punting on the Avon
    Christchurch guide
  • Rotorua

    Rotorua

    Geysers, coloured lakes and Māori culture, with a whiff of sulphur in the background.

    • Te Puia
    • Wai-O-Tapu
    • Māori village and hāngī
    • Redwood forest
    Rotorua guide
  • Milford Sound

    Milford Sound

    The country’s most famous fjord, with walls plunging into the sea and waterfalls everywhere.

    • Fjord cruise
    • Mitre Peak
    • Stirling and Bowen Falls
    • Milford Road
    Milford Sound guide
  • Wanaka

    Wanaka

    A calmer Queenstown, beside a lake and at the gateway to Mount Aspiring.

    • That Wanaka Tree
    • Roys Peak
    • Lake Wanaka
    • Mount Aspiring National Park
    Wanaka guide
  • Taupo

    Taupo

    The country’s largest lake, in an ancient volcano, near the Tongariro Alpine Crossing.

    • Lake Taupō
    • Huka Falls
    • Mine Bay Māori Rock Carvings
    • Tongariro Alpine Crossing
    Taupo guide
  • Dunedin

    Dunedin

    A city with Scottish roots, with the Otago Peninsula and its wildlife close by.

    • Railway station
    • Otago Peninsula
    • Baldwin Street
    • Larnach Castle
    Dunedin guide
  • Bay of Islands

    Bay of Islands

    A subtropical bay with 144 islands, dolphins and the story of the country’s birth.

    • Waitangi Treaty Grounds
    • Russell
    • Paihia
    • Hole in the Rock
    Bay of Islands guide
  • Tongariro

    Tongariro

    New Zealand’s oldest national park: volcanoes, emerald lakes and the country’s most famous mountain crossing.

    • Tongariro Alpine Crossing
    • Emerald Lakes
    • Mount Ngauruhoe
    • Mount Ruapehu
    Tongariro guide
  • Hobbiton

    Hobbiton

    The hobbits’ village from The Lord of the Rings, still standing among the green hills of Matamata.

    • Hobbit holes
    • Bag End
    • Windmill
    • Matamata
    Hobbiton guide
  • Franz Josef

    Franz Josef

    A glacier that comes down almost to the temperate rainforest of the West Coast, to see on foot or by helicopter.

    • Franz Josef Glacier
    • Glacier walk
    • Fox Glacier
    • Lake Matheson
    Franz Josef guide
  • Abel Tasman

    Abel Tasman

    Golden beaches, turquoise water and coastal trails in New Zealand’s smallest national park, ideal by kayak.

    • Abel Tasman Coast Track
    • Split Apple Rock
    • Anchorage Bay
    • Tonga Island
    Abel Tasman guide
  • Lake Tekapo

    Lake Tekapo

    A turquoise lake on the South Island, with a little stone church, lupins in spring and one of the starriest skies in the world.

    • Church of the Good Shepherd
    • Dark-sky reserve
    • Mount John
    • Lupins
    Lake Tekapo guide

Day trips and activities

What’s most worth booking from each city. We take you straight to the best-rated tour on GetYourGuide, with its reviews and dates.

From Auckland

From Queenstown

From Wellington

From Christchurch

From Rotorua

From Milford Sound

From Wanaka

From Taupo

From Dunedin

From the Bay of Islands

From Tongariro

From Hobbiton

From Franz Josef

From Abel Tasman

From Lake Tekapo

Some links are affiliate links: if you book through them, Bagintravel may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

What to eat in New Zealand

To eat like a local: the neighbourhood café, and order brunch or lamb or the catch of the day. And don’t leave without trying:

  • Lamb

    Roast, the country’s Sunday dish.

  • Hāngī

    Meat and vegetables cooked underground on hot stones, the Māori way.

  • Green-lipped mussels

    Large and meaty, from the country’s coasts.

  • Fish and chips

    On the beach, wrapped in paper.

  • Pavlova

    Meringue with cream and fruit; Australia and New Zealand both claim it.

  • Hokey pokey

    Vanilla ice cream with chunks of crunchy honeycomb toffee.

The typical dish of New Zealand, at home

Pavlova
Photo: Hazel Fowler · Public domain

Pavlova

Meringue that’s crisp outside and like marshmallow inside, with cream and fresh fruit (kiwi, strawberries, passion fruit). New Zealand and Australia both claim to have invented it, in honour of the ballerina Anna Pavlova.

  • Serves 8
  • 2 h

Ingredients

  • 4 egg whites at room temperature
  • 220 g sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of cornflour
  • 1 teaspoon of white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla
  • 300 ml whipping cream
  • Kiwi, strawberries and passion fruit

How to make it at home

  1. Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks and add the sugar a spoonful at a time until you have a glossy, firm meringue.
  2. Gently fold in the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla.
  3. Spread the meringue into a 20 cm circle on baking paper, with the edges slightly higher.
  4. Bake at 120 °C for 1¼ hours and leave to cool in the switched-off oven with the door ajar.
  5. Just before serving, top with whipped cream and fruit.

The trick: It cracks as it cools: that’s normal, the cream covers it.

The typical food of each city, with a recipe

Curious facts about New Zealand

What guidebooks don’t tell you and will help you understand the country better.

  • There are far more sheep than people.
  • The kiwi is a flightless bird and also the nickname for New Zealanders.
  • Many landscapes from The Lord of the Rings were filmed here, and you can visit Hobbiton.
  • Commercial bungy jumping was born in Queenstown, at the Kawarau Bridge.
  • It was the first country in the world to give women the vote, in 1893.
  • The haka, the Māori dance, is performed before All Blacks matches.

Traditions of New Zealand

Customs and celebrations that will help you experience the country like a local.

  • 6 February Waitangi Day

    The national day, marking the treaty between the British Crown and Māori chiefs.

  • June or July Matariki

    The Māori New Year, a public holiday, marked by the rising of the Pleiades.

  • December Christmas in summer

    A barbecue on the beach and the pōhutukawa, the red-flowered “Christmas tree”.

  • Haka

    A ceremonial Māori dance seen at events, weddings and matches.

What not to do in New Zealand

First-trip mistakes that are easy to avoid.

  • Don’t bring in food, seeds or muddy boots without declaring them: biosecurity checks are extremely strict.
  • Don’t fly without an approved NZeTA.
  • Don’t drive when tired: distances are deceptive, roads are winding and you drive on the left.
  • Don’t camp in a campervan where it isn’t allowed: freedom camping has rules.
  • Don’t head into the mountains without checking the weather: it changes very quickly.
  • Don’t touch or feed wild animals.

Before you go

Entry requirements depend on your passport and change: always check them with official sources before travelling.

Closing days

  • Te Papa Tongarewa · Wellington

    Open every day except Christmas Day.

Frequently asked questions about New Zealand

What people search for most before travelling to New Zealand.

What’s the best time to travel to New Zealand?

The months with the fewest warnings to travel to New Zealand are from September to May.

What to see in New Zealand in a week?

The essentials of New Zealand: Auckland, Queenstown, Wellington, Christchurch and Rotorua. How many places fit into your days, and in what order, depends on your dates and how you get around: the Bagintravel app plans your trip day by day in a minute.

What to eat in New Zealand?

Lamb, Hāngī, Green-lipped mussels, Fish and chips, Pavlova, Hokey pokey. To eat like a local: the neighbourhood café.

What is the typical dish of New Zealand?

Pavlova. Meringue that’s crisp outside and like marshmallow inside, with cream and fresh fruit (kiwi, strawberries, passion fruit). New Zealand and Australia both claim to have invented it, in honour of the ballerina Anna Pavlova.

What should you not do in New Zealand?

Don’t bring in food, seeds or muddy boots without declaring them: biosecurity checks are extremely strict. Don’t fly without an approved NZeTA. Don’t drive when tired: distances are deceptive, roads are winding and you drive on the left.

Is it worth travelling to New Zealand in November?

Yes: November is a good time to travel to New Zealand. Our data shows no weather or seasonal warnings that month.

Bagintravel · We travel together

Shall we plan your trip to New Zealand?

Tell us where and in under a minute you’ll have your day-by-day route, with places to stay, transport, expenses and tips. And we go with you in your pocket, offline too.

The app is currently available in Spanish.

Download Bagintravel See how it works

Travel ideas with New Zealand

More guides

Guide reviewed 19 October 2026. Seasonal data, places and areas: the same ones the Bagintravel app uses. Sources and method.

Photos: cover, Unsplash. Auckland, elpinto007 (CC BY-SA 2.0). Queenstown, Diego Delso (CC BY-SA 3.0). Wellington, russellstreet (CC BY-SA 2.0). Christchurch, Bernard Spragg. NZ from Christchurch, New Zealand (CC0). Rotorua, Pseudopanax at en.wikipedia (Public domain). Milford Sound, Wikikiwiman at English Wikipedia (Public domain). Wanaka, Bernard Spragg. NZ from Christchurch, New Zealand (CC0). Taupo, Avenue (CC BY-SA 3.0). Dunedin, User DLiebisch on de.wikipedia (Public domain). Bay of Islands, W. Bulach (CC BY-SA 4.0). Tongariro, Marcus Holland-Moritz (CC BY-SA 2.0). Hobbiton, Jackie.lck (photos · photo sets) (CC BY 2.0). Franz Josef, Jörg Hempel (CC BY-SA 3.0 de). Abel Tasman, Hector Garcia from Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain (CC BY-SA 2.0). Lake Tekapo, Michal Klajban (CC BY-SA 4.0).