# The best places to visit in New Zealand

Fiords, glaciers, geothermal valleys and golden beaches: New Zealand's highlights according to travel bloggers, locals and TripAdvisor.

- 12 votes · 16 items
- Sep 22, 2026 · suitcase_dunedin
- https://even.best/en/l/568/the-best-places-to-visit-in-new-zealand

## Top 10

1. **Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — New Zealand's highest mountain and the Hooker Valley Track.
2. **Queenstown** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Adventure capital on Lake Wakatipu, beneath the Remarkables.
3. **Abel Tasman National Park** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Golden beaches and turquoise bays along a coastal Great Walk.
4. **Rotorua** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Geysers, bubbling mud pools and Māori culture at Te Puia and Whakarewarewa.
5. **Hobbiton Movie Set** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — The Shire from The Lord of the Rings near Matamata. <https://www.hobbitontours.com/>
6. **Waitomo Glowworm Caves** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Boat ride under thousands of glowworms.
7. **Lake Tekapo** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Turquoise lake with the Church of the Good Shepherd and a dark-sky reserve.
8. **Wellington and Te Papa** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — The compact capital with Te Papa, the free national museum.
9. **Tongariro Alpine Crossing** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — New Zealand's most famous day hike, past the Emerald Lakes.
10. **Bay of Islands** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Subtropical bay of 144 islands and Waitangi Treaty Grounds.
11. **Wānaka** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Lakeside town near Queenstown, famous for the lone willow tree and Roys Peak.
12. **Kaikōura** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Coastal town where you can see sperm whales, dolphins and fur seals all year.
13. **Cathedral Cove (Coromandel)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Natural rock arch between two beaches on the Coromandel Peninsula.
14. **Doubtful Sound / Patea** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Remote fiord in Fiordland, quieter and larger than Milford Sound.
15. **Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers** (-1 · ▲0 ▼1) — Glaciers descending towards rainforest on the West Coast.
16. **Milford Sound / Piopiotahi** (-2 · ▲0 ▼2) — Fiord stretching 15 km inland, flanked by cliffs over 1,200 m and Mitre Peak.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.