Travel Guide To New Zealand: Key Destinations, Helpful Safety & Travel Tips

The capital of New Zealand is Wellington. It is the most southern city on the north island and offers lots of arts and culture, as well as being the stepping-stone to the South Island. On a rainy day head to Te Papa, which is the national museum. Wellington is nice to explore on foot, and the city centre is actually quite compact - be aware though that it is built at slightly odd angles making it all too easy to lose orientation.

Rotorura is probably one of New Zealand's busiest tourist centers, home to beautiful hot springs and a great spot to experience the world famous mãori culture.

Probably one of the best places to go to is Waimangu Volcanic Valley. It’s a stunning geo-thermal ecosystem with unique bush, rare botany and beautiful geysers and hot springs. The area has several different hikes and walks ranging from a quick 45 minute walk to a more committing 4 hour walk - whichever one you choose, it will be stunning! Before setting off on any hikes, take out travel insurance for New Zealand.

There are also several beautiful lakes and water falls in this area. Rotorura is also a great place to try a traditional mãori feast with its unique cooking technique, the earth oven. Many restaurants around the area offer this (known as Hangi), and you will be delighted by the smoky and earthy flavor.

The South Island is where most adventure travellers head, and here you find everything from stunning beaches and great hikes to glaciers and world class skiing.

Christchurch is the biggest city here and definitely fun to explore, but the most famous town on the island is probably Queenstown.

Set between dramatic mountains and a beautiful lake, this tiny town boasts to be the adventure and adrenaline capital of New Zealand.

The amount of activities on offer here is staggering: bungee jumping, kayaking, white water rafting and hiking, and these are just the first few to come to mind.

Queenstown is also the place to come if you want to party with other travellers, as this small town is quite the travellers heaven. Before setting off on any big adventures though, make sure you have appropriate New Zealand travel insurance.

If Queenstown is just too busy for you, the place to go to is Wanaka. Famous for not having any chain stores at all (apart from one supermarket), this city is very quiet and laid back for most of the year, until the world famous skiing festival starts - which is a blast even if the town gets a little bit busy.

The main thing to do in Wanaka is skiing, with many great mountains close by. You can walk to the valley where 'The Lord of the Rings' was filmed, or you can enjoy a big night out by visiting all four pubs in town.