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All New Zealand

The Atlas Obscura Guide To New Zealand

116 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in New Zealand

Updated March 16, 2023

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Collage of the tunnel at Tunnel Beach, Dunedin, New Zealand, showing the beginning, a look backwards up the tunnel, and a view of the beach at the end of the tunnel. (Wikimedia Commons)
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Unusual Attractions in New Zealand

Matamata, New Zealand

Hobbiton

The real life Hobbiton, this sheep farm has been forever transformed since being built for The Hobbit film series.
Waitomo Glowworm Caves.

Waitomo, New Zealand

Waitomo Glowworm Caves

Tubing through a cave lit with glowworms is a magical underground experience.
Milford Sound, Fiordland National Park, New Zealand

Milford Sound, New Zealand

Milford Sound

Dolphins, ancient clams and hundreds of waterfalls make this one of the world's top tourist destinations.
Castle Hill.

Castle Hill, New Zealand

Castle Hill

The Dalai Lama named this New Zealand landscape the "Spiritual Center of the Universe."
Lonely tree amongst mountains in Wanaka.

Wanaka, New Zealand

That Wanaka Tree

A solitary tree has grown up all alone on Lake Wānaka, backdropped by the beautiful Southern Alps.
The Tree Church

Ohaupo, New Zealand

The Tree Church

One man's dream has turned into this naturally growing chapel made of almost nothing but trees.
Devil's Bath

Waiotapu, New Zealand

Devil's Bath

This electric green sulphur lake in New Zealand looks like a cartoonish radioactive dump site.

Lake Tekapo, New Zealand

Lake Tekapo

A perfect turquoise lake colored with glacier dust.
See All 116 Things To Do in New Zealand

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in New Zealand

Taupo, New Zealand

Taupo McDonald's Airplane

Eat your Big Mac in a DC-3.
Bunsen Cafe

Christchurch, New Zealand

Bunsen

Enjoy coffee and cake while viewing antique medical equipment at this unique cafe.
The Springfield Doughnut.

Springfield, New Zealand

Springfield Doughnut

A giant doughnut was given to the small New Zealand town of Springfield to promote "The Simpsons Movie."

Wellington, New Zealand

Hiakai

This fine-dining restaurant features native New Zealand ingredients and Māori cooking.
See all 8 Places to Eat in New Zealand
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Nature 20
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Water 11
Art 10
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Film 7
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Roadside Attractions 6
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Stories About New Zealand

The Tamil Bell, the broken crown of a ship's bell embossed with Tamil script, has fascinated and perplexed scholars for more than a century.

The Mystery of New Zealand's Tamil Bell, an Archaeological 'UFO'

The strange bronze artifact perplexed scholars for more than a century, including how it traveled so far from home.
by Petrina Darrah
February 8, 2023
The Milky Way and curtain-like auroras fill a clear southern sky off Nugget Point, at the edge of New Zealand’s remote Catlins. While the island nation is too far north to see the aurora australis regularly, aurora-hunters flock to the Nugget Point lighthouse area for its dark skies and unobstructed view off the South Island’s southeastern coast.

Aurora Hunters Capture the Wonder of the Northern (and Southern) Lights

A curated collection of images shows why this natural phenomenon has fascinated and inspired humans for millennia.
by Gemma Tarlach
December 21, 2022
New Zealand's challenging Hollyford Track—including a stretch known as the Demon Trail—follows a river valley past stunning views of the surrounding mountains.

Along New Zealand's Demon Trail, a Family Hunts for True 'Wildness'

A couple and their young daughter hike the South Island's Hollyford Track, enduring rough terrain and vicious sand flies for a glimpse of an untamed world.
by Phillip and April Vannini
November 28, 2022
Frying Pan Lake, one of the world's largest hot water springs, Rotorua, New Zealand.

New Zealand, Off the Beaten Path

Atlas Obscura’s Senior Trips Program Manager, Becca Glatz, speaks about our amazing trip “Natural Wonders of New Zealand’s North Island” and the country in general.
Sponsored by Atlas Obscura Trips

Podcast: The Livestock Living at the End of the World

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
by The Podcast Team
May 26, 2022
The mushrooms typically appear on their own or in a very small cluster.

Get to Know New Zealand's Hugely Popular, Thrillingly Blue Mushroom

It is a key part of local culture, and looks like it was colored with a crayon.
by Jessica Leigh Hester
November 2, 2021
The Milky Way above Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve.

Under New Zealand's Dark Skies, Insects Recover and Humans Reconnect with a Lost View

The massive South Island stargazing reserve is a respite from light pollution for many species, including our own.
by Petrina Darrah
September 15, 2021
New Zealand's tuatara are the last members of Rhynchocephalia, an order of lizard-like reptiles

New Zealand's Slow-Moving 'Living Fossils' Have the Fastest Sperm Among Reptiles

Discovering the trait may help scientists protect the tuatara, which has been around since the dinosaurs.
by Tess McClure
September 13, 2021

Lists Featuring New Zealand

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Elephants playing in the mud at Elephant Nature Park.
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