20 reasons to visit New Zealand, now that we finally can

After two years of being the poster child of Covid border closures, New Zealand will finally reopen to fully vaccinated holidaymakers from 60 nations, including the UK, from May 1.  

Vaccinated Britons and children under 17 will be able to visit from the very specific time of 23:59 on the first day in May without needing to isolate on arrival. However, they will be required to take three Covid tests: one before departure (PCR, LAMP or rapid antigen), another rapid antigen test on arrival, and a third on day five or six.

The extensive testing rules may well feel like a small price to pay for those desperate to rediscover the delights of down under. From island vineyard tours to stays in lakeside luxury lodges and even crowd-free skiing, here are 20 brilliant ways to experience New Zealand this year.

20 reasons to visit New Zealand

Heli hike on nice ice 

Most classic New Zealand itineraries incorporate the Franz Josef glacier – it’s impressive to look up at this long, sparkling tongue that slips from the Southern Alps. But skimming over it by chopper, landing high up on the ice and cramponing across the glacier’s constantly shifting surface is even better. Expert guides will lead you over new crevasses, into caves and through dazzling blue-ice tunnels. Ice wall climbing, with expert tuition, is possible too. 

A 19-night Best of New Zealand self-drive with Trailfinders (020 7084 6500; trailfinders.com) costs from £2,073pp excluding flights; a Franz Josef Heli-hike costs around £260pp. Heli ice climbs cost from £322 (franzjosefglacier.com).

Relive movie magic

New Zealand’s natural drama has famously attracted filmmakers – and will appeal to visitors too. Fun tours of Hobbiton combine well with paddleboarding into glowworm caves, panning for gold, dolphin watching, fly-fishing and jet boating. Young film buffs will love a Weta Workshop, a creative studio in Wellington which was involved in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Here you can go behind the scenes of the Wellywood industry – from makeup to special effects – before sculpting your own monster.  

Weta Workshops cost from £26 (wetanz.com). A 20-day tailor-made Family New Zealand trip with Original Travel (020 3582 4990; originaltravel.co.uk), featuring Weta and Hobbiton tours, costs from £5,490pp including flights .

Raise a glass to some world-class wine

From fruity pinot to refreshing sauvignon, New Zealand does wines exceedingly well. Only a quick ferry ride from Auckland, Waiheke – aka ‘Wine Island’ – is renowned for quality reds; a tasting tour in a classic car makes a classy day-trip. Alternatively, plot an oenological odyssey, combining Waiheke with wineries in Hawke’s Bay and Blenheim (where you can cycle between vines) as well as lesser-known producers in Central Otago; at Lake Tekapo, stay at a lodge run by wine buffs to learn about local tipples.

One-day Waiheke Classic Tours cost from £114 (waihekeclassictours.com). A 21-day Food & Wine self-drive with Audley (01993 838820; audleytravel.com) costs from £8,345pp including flights.

Tramp Tongariro and beyond

New Zealand’s Great Walks are excellent for keen, multi-day hikers but those wanting more laid-back, recreational rambling will find quality short trails too. For instance, the volcano-traversing Tongariro Alpine Crossing is often touted as the world’s best one-day walk. Combine this with other short tramps – the Pouakai Crossing (like Tongariro but without the crowds), goldminer’s Moonlight Trail, Waimangu Volcanic Valley, Abel Tasman coast and the Hooker Valley below Aoraki (Mt Cook) – for a gentler hiking journey.

A 24-day New Zealand on Foot self-drive including Tongariro, or Pouakai plus other day walks, with Silver Fern Holidays (01636 813544; silverfernholidays.com) costs from £4,595pp including flights.

Hit the road in a motorhome

It’s not necessarily cheaper to campervan around NZ than to stay in hotels, but it’s certainly appealing. Think empty highways, a sense of freedom and the chance to sleep amid A-list wilderness (the Department of Conservation runs 200-plus campsites). For on-the-road camaraderie, pre-booked sites and a big adventure, join the Caravan and Motorhome Club’s cavalcade of campers, which will explore from the Bay of Islands to southerly Invercargill and all points between.

Small two-berth campervans cost from around £14 per day (spaceshipsrentals.co.nz). A 56-day escorted Ultimate New Zealand motorhome tour (01342 488060; caravanclub.co.uk) costs from £10,499pp including flights; departs Feb 3 2023.

Sweet sleeps in luxury lodges

While it may promise freedom and fun, you don’t have to squeeze into a campervan to see New Zealand. Instead, self-drive between stylish boltholes set in beautiful locations. Boutique Fiordland Lodge is only a stone’s throw from Milford Sound, while secluded Solitaire Lodge sits right on Lake Tarawera – private in feel but perfectly placed for Rotorua’s geothermal shenanigans and Maori culture. Hidden away in the heart of Queen Charlotte Sound, the Bay of Many Coves is the base for wine lovers. From the lodge (accessible by water taxi), you can head out on walks, vineyard tours and peaceful paddles.

A 21-night Ultimate New Zealand Luxury Lodge self-drive with New Zealand Sky (01342 547010; newzealandsky.co.uk) costs from £14,449pp including flights.

Sail Doubtful Sound

Deep in Fiordland, dramatic Doubtful Sound is larger, wider and more remote than much-photographed Milford. An overnight voyage on its peaceful, peak-flanked waters has a proper wilderness feel; hop into kayaks or small tenders for deeper exploration and look out for fur seals, dolphins and penguins, too. Those with more time could spend a week aboard the Milford Wanderer, delving into five of the country’s most isolated and pristine inlets, rich in wildlife and explorer history.

A one-night Doubtful cruise costs from £405pp (020 7084 6500; trailfinders.com). A seven-day Preservation Inlet Discovery Expeditions cruise with RealNZ (+64 3 249 6000; realjourneys.co.nz) costs from £2,131; multiple departures in 2022 but limited availability. 

Spot the wild isle’s native critters 

Some unique animals call this country home. On a wildlife-themed self-drive of the South Island, you can tick off plenty. Start with hiking and birding around Abel Tasman National Park before searching for whales off Kaikoura. Akaroa is penguin paradise (yellow-eyed, blue and loads of littles can be seen) while walks on the offbeat Otago Peninsula might reveal albatross and New Zealand sea lion. The remote Catlins coast is renowned for rare mohua birds; from here, you can sail to Stewart Island for the best chance of seeing kiwi in the wild.

A 23-day Kiwis & Whales Galore self-drive with Wildlife Worldwide (01962 302086; wildlifeworldwide.com) costs from £6,395pp including flights.

Paddle in the city 

Rangitoto Island is an Auckland icon: rising from the Hauraki Gulf, in sight of the city’s skyscrapers, it’s the biggest of the urban area’s 48 volcanic cones, and home to the world’s largest pohutukawa forest. Ferries zip there in 25 minutes but more exhilarating is to kayak across. Paddle by day, looking for dolphins and penguins en route, or wait until late afternoon to hike to the island’s summit where you can watch the sun set, have a barbie on the beach, and then paddle back in the dark, towards the city’s glittering lights.

Sea kayak tours cost from £85 (aucklandseakayaks.co.nz). Just a 10-minute walk away from the city’s famed harbour and best dining spots is Hotel DeBrett which (00649 925 9000; hoteldebrett.com) which offers doubles from £134 including breakfast.

Everestian endeavours across the Southern Alps

New Zealand legend Sir Edmund Hillary learned his crampon craft in the snowy Southern Alps. A centre in Aoraki Mount Cook Village remembers his achievements, but better is to get out amid the mountains. Try a wilderness tramp – dubbed ‘the best trek not in any New Zealand guidebook’ – that wends between high peaks and remote lakes, including a night in a backcountry hut and a wild heli-hike, deep into the Siberia Valley.

Entrance to the Hillary Alpine Centre costs £10 (hermitage.co.nz). A six-day guided Best of Southern Alps Trek with Word Expeditions (0800 0744 135; worldexpeditions.com) costs from £1,730pp excluding flights; departs October 2022-March 2023.

Ride the Otago Rail Trail

In the past decade New Zealand’s famed Great Walks have been joined by 22 Great Rides, a 2,500km signposted network of magnificent, multi-day, mostly off-road cycle trails. These include everything from the easy Te Ara Ahi route, rich in Maori history, to the testing singletrack of the Old Ghost Road. The Otago Central Rail Trail, the country’s original Great Ride, is a beaut: 152km of flat, traffic-free cycling via mountainous countryside, restored bridges and tunnels, old mining sites and welcoming wineries and cafés.

A four-day guided Otago Rail Trail trip with Intrepid (0808 274 5111; intrepidtravel.com) costs from £695pp excluding flights; multiple departures 2022. More information: nzcycletrail.com.

Get multi-active in Abel Tasman

Fringing the northern edge of South Island, Abel Tasman National Park is where turquoise waters meet golden sands, native forest and colonial history – and the sun shines more than anywhere else in New Zealand. Ancestors of the Wilson family first settled here in 1841. Eight generations on, the Wilsons now run trips between their beachfront lodges within the park, combining sea kayaking, hiking, swimming and boat rides with home cooked food, wine and stories.

A three-day guided Walk & Kayak trip costs from £798 (abeltasman.co.nz). A 22-day New Zealand Multisport small-group trip with G Adventures (0207 313 6953; gadventures.com), including a day in Abel Tasman, costs from £3,679pp, excluding flights.

Super scuba the Poor Knights

New Zealand offers an immense variety of diving, from wrecks and kelp forests to sub-tropical reefs. The Poor Knights Marine Reserve, off North Island’s north coast, is one of the warmest spots, and truly world-class. Head for the Blue MaoMao Arch site, where huge schools of blue maomao mingle with kingfish, snapper and nudibranchs; in summer, manta rays, turtles and orca might be seen. Combine this with other North Island dives including the Bay of Islands, Cathedral Cove and the wreck of the Rainbow Warrior.

Two Poor Knights dives cost from £119 (diving.co.nz). Dive Worldwide (01962 302087; diveworldwide.com) offer tailor-made multi-dive self-drive itineraries.

Ride the rails

You don’t really use New Zealand’s trains to get places – you use them to see places (ideally from the buffet car, glass of sauvignon in hand). The country’s big three journeys are slow and spectacular. The Northern Explorer, from Auckland to Wellington, cuts through Tongariro National Park; the Coastal Pacific meanders from Picton to Christchurch, between mountains and shore; and the TranzAlpine links Christchurch and Greymouth, across the Canterbury Plains and over the Southern Alps. Chuck in the scenic Interislander ferry, to cross the Cook Strait, and this is public transport at its best.

A 19-day New Zealand Explorer rail-focused trip with Tailor Made Rail (020 3322 7741; tailormaderail.com) costs from £2,259pp, excluding flights.

See by sea 

Few cruise ships circumnavigate New Zealand, but they do sail in from Australia. You can combine these two long-haul favourites that have been out of reach for so long by setting off from Sydney. Detour to Tasmania, then surge across the Tasman Sea to approach New Zealand like an old-school explorer. The first ports of call are Milford, Doubtful and Dusky Sounds – a terrific trio, whose waterfalls and wildlife are best seen by boat. It’s then on to historic Dunedin and Akaroa (where penguins might be seen), the wineries and walking trails of Marlborough and Art Deco Napier before docking in buzzy Auckland.

A 12-day Australia & New Zealand cruise with Norwegian Cruise Line (0333 2412319; ncl.com) costs from £1,281pp excluding flights; departs December-March.

Ski an off-piste playground 

The Southern Hemisphere offers skiing when the Northern Hemisphere is bathing in the summer sun (the season runs June-October). The resort of Treble Cone, near Wanaka, is good. Even better is the crowd-free alpine ski camp, higher up, where days are spent remote ski-touring and nights are spent gazing up in the Southern Hemisphere’s only dark sky reserve. Combine that with carving pristine tracks from heli-access-only Minaret Station, flying over glaciers, and even landing on remote beaches, fishing for crayfish, and then eating the spoils – a kiwi twist on après ski.

A tailormade seven-night Off The Beaten Track ski trip with Mabey Ski (001 604 757 0104; mabeyski.com) costs from £8,500pp excluding flights.

Explore the living earth of Te Urewera

In 2014 the status of Te Urewera changed: no longer a national park, this rare North Island wilderness of indigenous rainforest is now legally recognised as a living being. The local Tuhoe guides of Maori-owned Te Urewera Treks lead walks here, including one-day loops through a river canyon (home to Hineruarangi, guardian of the Whirinaki valley) and planting hikes, which aim to restore denuded areas with native rimu, totara and matai trees. Also possible is the four-day Lake Waikaremoana ‘Great Walk’, which traces the lakeshore, via isolated beaches, backcountry huts, giant podocarps and Maori legends.  

A one-day trek costs from £135 (+64 7 8080911; teureweratreks.co.nz). Stay in beautiful Taupo – around a two-hour drive away. Poronui Lodge (0064 7384 2080; poronui.com) within 16,000 acres of farmland and forest, on the North Island’s extraordinary Volcanic Plateau; double rooms cost from £360 including breakfast. 

Watery, wild wonders 

Sitting between snow peaks and the Pacific, Kaikoura is one of the only places where sperm whales can be seen year-round, as well as dolphins (all year too). Orca can be spotted December-March, humpbacks June-July and occasionally even a mighty blue. Boat trips on hydrophone-equipped catamarans run most days. Alternatively, pull on some neoprene and jump in for the most magical marine encounter: snorkelling with the playful resident fur seals.

Whale-watching tours cost from £78pp (00 64 3 319 6767; whalewatch.co.nz). Seal swims cost from £62 (00 64 3 319 6182; sealswimkaikoura.co.nz). A 20-night Naturally New Zealand self-drive with Windows on the Wild (0208 742 1556; windowsonthewild.com), featuring whale-watching, costs from £2,999pp including flights.

Join the bird bonanza on Kapiti Island

It’s not easy to spot wild kiwi. Stewart Island is your best bet but, if you’re not heading that way, Kapiti Island – a nature sanctuary and marine reserve accessible from Wellington – is a good option. Visitor numbers are limited, giving Kapiti an exclusive feel. With a local guide, learn about the Maori, who’ve inhabited this island for centuries; kayak and snorkel the protected waters; and stay overnight in a safari tent, cabin or classic ‘bach’ bungalow for the chance to see endemic birdlife including bellbirds, takahe, parakeets, weka and, perhaps, little spotted kiwi. 

A 21-night Wildlife Encounters self-drive with Discover the World (01737 214250; discover-the-world.com), visiting Kapiti, costs from £4,459pp excluding flights.

Pacific pleasures 

New Zealand is a really long way to go. So make the most of all that travel by contrasting the country with the equally far-flung South Pacific. After hopping around the Bay of Islands, raising a glass or three of Hawke’s Bay’s finest and going full-throttle in adventure capital Queenstown (try mountain biking, rafting and kayaking), jet to Laucala, a private Fijian island retreat where villas sit amid lush mountains, white sand and coconut palms, and the diving and snorkelling is out of this world.

A 14-night Ultimate New Zealand and Fiji tailor-made trip with Abercrombie & Kent (01242 547760; abercrombiekent.co.uk) costs from £20,795pp including flights.

How to get there

Virgin Atlantic (0344 874 7747; virginatlantic.com) fly to Auckland from London via San Francisco from £981 return. 

Air New Zealand (0800 028 4149; airnewzealand.co.uk) fly to Auckland from London via Singapore from £1,113 return.

Covid rules

Fully vaccinated adults and children under 17 will be able to visit from 23:59 on May 1 without needing to isolate on arrival. However, they will be required to take three Covid tests: one before departure (PCR, LAMP or rapid antigen), another rapid antigen test on arrival, and a third on day five or six. 

More information here.