A travel guide to New Zealand.

What the guide covers

The New Zealand guide is organised into destinations across the two main islands. On the North Island it ranges from Auckland and the Bay of Islands to the Coromandel Peninsula, Hobbiton and Waitomo, Rotorua, Taupō and Tongariro, Napier and Hawke's Bay and Wellington. On the South Island it covers Marlborough and Nelson and Abel Tasman to Kaikōura, Christchurch and Akaroa, Aoraki/Mount Cook and Tekapo, the West Coast and the glaciers, Queenstown, Wānaka, Fiordland and Dunedin and the Otago Peninsula.

Each destination brings together the towns of the region, what to do in each, attractions with their own pages, when to go and how to get there. Destinations are added to the country page as they are published: while a destination is being prepared, it does not appear in the list.

Regions and groups

New Zealand is divided into 16 regions and the Chatham Islands Territory, which has its own council. The guide organises towns according to these 17 divisions. To make travel easier, they are grouped into six clusters: Auckland and Northland, Central North Island, Southern North Island, Northern South Island, Canterbury and West Coast, and Otago and Southland.

Region and place names are shown as they are used in the country, in English, in Māori or in both languages, such as Aoraki/Mount Cook. When there is an established form in Portuguese, it is used, such as Ilhas Chatham and Baía das Ilhas.

How to travel around New Zealand

The North and South islands are linked by ferries between Wellington and Picton, which carry passengers and vehicles, and by domestic flights. Most visitors arrive via Auckland, Christchurch or Queenstown and travel the country by car or motorhome, driving on the left; there are also long-distance buses and three long-distance trains: the Northern Explorer, the Coastal Pacific and the TranzAlpine.

The time zone is UTC+12, and UTC+13 in daylight saving time from September to April; the Chatham Islands are 45 minutes ahead. New Zealand is in the Southern Hemisphere: summer runs from December to February and winter from June to August.

Māori names

Māori (te reo Māori) is an official language and many places have a Māori name or a dual name. The macron over a vowel, as in Taupō and Wānaka, indicates a long vowel, and wh is often pronounced like f: Whakatāne is pronounced something like fakatâne. Kia ora is the most common greeting, used for both hello and thank you.

Why there are no prices

Outside Brazil, the guide does not show tour or ticket prices because they change frequently. When there is an entrance fee, charge or mandatory reservation, such as for the Great Walks, the text notes it, and the cost should be checked before travelling.

How the content is made

Information for each place is researched from official sources such as Tourism New Zealand, regional councils, the Department of Conservation which manages parks, and UNESCO, and is checked before going live.

The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it. Photos sent by travelers appear separately, as travelers' photos.

If you find any information that differs, write to us: fixing it is quicker than it seems.

All of Cidade Turismo

The guide started in Brazil and now also covers other countries, always with the same organization: routes, destinations and cities.

About Cidade Turismo: who we are, how the content is made and the guide's numbers →