Category: Sights & Attractions

New Zealand is a great country that provides hundreds of amusing events all year long. One of the reasons why New Zealanders enjoy their country so much is various food and wine festivals. Thanks to the local climate, it allows you to grow various veggies and prepare all sorts of food. The peak of the summer festival season is in February and March, which is when you can get a free campervan for your gourmet road trip and visit the following festivals.

Marlborough Food and Wine Festival 

One of New Zealand’s food festivals with the longest tradition, the Marlborough Food and Wine Festival in Marlborough is held on February 8 (Saturday) this year. Organized at the splendid Brancott Heritage Estate, with a renowned NZ winery, this festival is famous for its wine selection. Wines from almost 50 vineyards add a touch of exclusiveness to this event. Since New Zealand is a melting pot of cultures, there are all sorts of food, from fresh fish to Maori specialties, and traditional European meals. 

Bear in mind that the Marlborough region is set in the South Island. You’ll need to take a ferry from Picton or Wellington, on the North Island, to get there. The car drive and ferry journey together last a bit longer than 4 hours. 

Hokitika Wildfoods Festival

The Hokitika Wildfoods Festival is a bit different from the previously presented event. The main difference is that the food array at this festival largely consists of traditional meals. You can try kebabs from some specific animals, like possums, or crocodile meat. This is only a sneak peek into the menu. There are many other options on the table but it’s not for everyone. 

Hokitika is situated some 350 km away from the Marlborough region, i.e. around four and a half hours by car. If interested in this event, think about renting a free transfer car for this trip. This year, the festival is held on March 7 (Saturday).

North Canterbury Wine and Food Festival

Held in the eastern part of the South Island, the North Canterbury Wine and Food Festival is a smaller but exclusive summer event. It usually displays a large number of specialities from local and international menus. You can taste anything from local veggies, on the barbecue, to spiced Chinese noodles, and chilly German sausages. Also, there are dozens of wines from local wineries, like the region-grown chardonnay. 

This festival provides various fun activities for kids, as well, so you can bring your entire family here. It’s held on March 8 (Sunday). 

Havelock Mussel and Seafood Festival

One of the favourite summer food festivals in New Zealand, the Havelock Mussel and Seafood Festival is organized in the little town of Havelock. Situated in the northmost part of the South Island, both the town and festival attract the most renowned seafood producers from the entire country. Equally important for the seafood industry, chefs, and visitors, it’s a unique place where everybody makes profits. 

This year, it will be held on March 14 (Saturday). If possible, bring your family here a few days earlier and stay in one of the local accommodations to explore the beautiful Marlborough Sounds. 

New Zealand is a country of magnificent differences, especially in food specialities. From traditional local meals to different European and Asian cuisines, everybody can find something for their taste buds at NZ food festivals. The climate provides great conditions for wine production, as well. Are you ready to treat your taste buds?

New Zealand has a rich cultural and historical heritage, and along with numerous activities offered, it attracts millions of tourists every year. This country is an unparalleled travel destination where you can find fun things almost anywhere you go. With clear and dark skies, the slightest light pollution, and location in the Southern Hemisphere, you don’t need any special stargazing equipment to enjoy the breathtaking celestial bodies. If you want to visit some of the most astonishing stargazing hotspots, find a free transfer car or campervan and get ready to be blown away by New Zealand’s night sky. 

Mt John Observatory

Tekapo is a lake in the South Island of New Zealand. It is one of the most secluded places on the planet, but with the busiest night sky. As a result, it became home to Dark Sky Project, providing a whole diverse range of unique stargazing experience to hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. To bring closer the night skies of New Zealand to the visitors, a new astronomy center was opened last year, containing a 125 years-old Brashear telescope along with other astronomical multimedia options. 

You should definitely book a tour at the world-renown astronomical center Mt John Observatory to get the most out of your visit to this place. This way you won’t only enjoy the sky full of stars, but also the amazing landscape, in addition to hearing the stories about the Southern Skies from the renowned astrophotographers. 

Shakespear Regional Park

A 45-minute drive from Auckland will take you to the nature park Shakespear Regional Park. This place is one of the most popular ones in New Zealand among both international and domestic travelers. Containing three walk trails, Heritage Trail, Lookout Track, and Tiri Tiri Track, you can discover the amazing heritage of this region. Moreover, organizing the night hike will allow you to admire the wonderful scenery of the clear dark sky and the sandstone cliffs sheltering the Bay. 

Apart from being heaven for astronomers, this place is also ideal for watching the sunrise and sunset. During the day, you may encounter some of the most endangered species since the Shakespear Open Sanctuary has a rich wildlife. If you are lucky enough, you will get to see the little spotted kiwi as this park is their only home on the mainland. 

Rakiura National Park

The third-largest island of New Zealand, Stewart Island is mostly known for the majestic sunsets and the Aurora Australis, the southern lights. The best spot for enjoying the lights is from the Rakiura National Park. New Zealand’s newest park contains nature and scenic reserves, forests, but also native birds such as kiwi. 

When you take a night tour to the park for some rare kiwi spotting, at the same time you can have a look at the Aurora Australis. The incredibly low levels of light pollution and the clear night sky create the best environment for smooth and undisturbed stargazing experience.

Tongariro Crossing

Known as the best one-day trek available in New Zealand, Tongariro Crossing takes place near the volcanic terrain of the active volcano Mount Tongariro. The landscape of this area is largely dominated by the three active volcanoes: Mt Tongariro, Mt Ngauruhoe and Mt Ruapehu. The hiking trail will lead you through amazing texture and scenery. As it is one of the busiest tracks in the whole country, you should book one of many available guided tours of the area and stargaze without any disturbances. 

You can sign up for a tour starting with a walk to the best spot for watching the sunset over the mountains or to start a tour around 2 AM, explore the volcanic terrain, and then head off and watch the sunrise and the birth of a new day. Whichever tour you choose, you won’t regret it as this is truly a one-of-a-kind adventure. 

Zealandia

Zealandia is a wildlife sanctuary in Wellington. Set in a city, it is the first not only urban but also natural Ecosanctuary with diverse flora and fauna. The major focus is on conservation and through this project, they have managed to reintroduce over 20 different native species which were missing from New Zealand for more than 100 years. 

During your visit to this blissful oasis, you can book a tour Zealandia by Night were guided by torchlight, you can explore the sanctuary in search of its wildlife as well as numerous constellations in the clear sky. 

Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve

Last but not least is the jewel in New Zealand’s stargazing crown. Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve is an enormous area in the Aoraki National Park that was declared an International Dark Sky Reserve back in 2012. Awarded with the golden status, meaning there is not even the slightest light pollution, this is an iconic stargazing paradise. 

The sky is so clear that celestial bodies stretch out as far as the eye can see. Astronomers will be able to see some of the most amazing and inherent constellations to the Southern Hemisphere such as the Southern Cross, the Magellanic Clouds and the Milky Way. 

Whichever of these places you select, you certainly won’t regret it, as all of them provide unforgettable stargazing experiences. Get a free car and enjoy what nature of New Zealand has to offer. 

Before humans arrived, New Zealand was a world of birds and plants. New Zealand has an impressive list of selling points, including stunning coastal scenery, breathtaking mountain ranges and the refreshingly down-to-earth Kiwi charisma. It is also home to some of the most unique birdlife in the world, with more than 60 endemic species. Get your free transfer car and let’s explore the best places for birdspotting that this beautiful volcanic archipelago has to offer. 

Pukaha Mount Bruce National Wildlife Centre

The Pukaha Mount Bruce National Wildlife Centre, located in a segment of an ancient forest around 30 kilometres north of Masterton, is a breeding sanctuary for some of New Zealand’s most threatened bird species. This place offers a great educational experience – but also a lot of fun.

You can enjoy the frolics of kaka (bush parrots) at the feed stations, talk to a takahe (a big, bright blue, grass-eating flightless bird), see kiwi poking through leaf-litter in the nocturnal house, and follow different forest trails in search of stitchbirds, saddlebacks and kokako. 

Cape Kidnappers

Cape Kidnappers, named by Captain Cook after local Maori tried to abduct a member of his crew, is a marvelous sandstone headland east of Hastings, in Hawke’s Bay. It is home to the most numerous (and most accessible, for that matter) gannet colony in the world. 

Getting to the gannet colony is half the fun – you can reach it on foot, by kayak or sitting on a tractor trailer. The Australasian Gannet belongs to the booby family, which includes pelicans, shags and frigate birds. Adult birds have a wing span of up to two metres and weight two kilograms on average. Although they appear a bit clumsy on land, gannets are amazing flyers and conduct impressive high dives into the water to catch fish. These birds nest over summer, with the first chicks hatching in November and the last chicks departing the colony in May.

The Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony

The Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony, in South Island’s Waitaki District, provides its visitors with a unique opportunity to see the world’s smallest penguin. Blue penguins can be found around the coasts of New Zealand and southern Australia, but they are as close to human activity as they can be in Oamaru. These adorable birds nest around the harbour area and the colony gives you a chance to observe them arriving home from the sea and returning to their nests.

Every evening, large groups of penguins gather offshore and wait for the sunset. When the night falls, they start swim towards the shore below the viewing stands. Once they reach the shore, they quickly go up a steep bank, and then rest for a while at the top. After that, they cross the parade area heading towards the nesting sites, where they are greeted by hungry chicks and mates.

Stewart Island

Stewart Island, about 30 km south of the South Island and largely untouched by humans, is a paradise for bird watchers, teeming with different New Zealand’s native and endangered species, including the iconic kiwi, which outnumber people by 50 to 1.

The Stewart Island Brown Kiwi (or Tokoeka), with the population estimated at 20,000, is an omniturnal bird (active during both the day and night). The Island’s Southern Sanctuary of offers a truly unique kiwi-watching experience, so you can find these birds literally on your doorstep. They live in forested areas and forage for food on the beach, and the residents share their gardens with them and other native birds. Summer evenings around Oban township resound with the melodies of cheeky weka strut and kākā.

Ulva Island, a brief water taxi ride from Stewart Island, is a predator-free open bird sanctuary and a must-visit place for those on the lookout for native birds. Covered in pristine forests, the island is home to the species as rifleman, fantail, tui, as well as the endangered saddleback.

From the elusive kiwi to some of the rarest endangered species and renowned bird recovery programs, a New Zealand birding holiday offers a pure backdrop of breathtaking beauty. To enjoy it to the fullest, you’ll need to travel across much of the three main islands. For this reason, renting a free car can be of a great help, making your experience wallet-friendly and comfy.