90 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in New Zealand - Atlas Obscura

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, New Zealand

Waitomo Glowworm Caves

Tubing through a cave lit with glowworms is a magical underground experience.

michelle

Added by michelle

Milford Sound, New Zealand

Milford Sound

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

Added by michelleferlito

Castle Hill, New Zealand

Castle Hill

The Dalai Lama named this New Zealand landscape the "Spiritual Center of the Universe."

Bananaface

Added by Bananaface

Wanaka, New Zealand

Lone Tree of Lake Wanaka

A solitary tree has grown up all alone on Lake Wanaka, backdropped by the beautiful Southern Alps.

Blindcolour

Added by Blindcolour

Lake Tekapo, New Zealand

Lake Tekapo

A perfect turquoise lake colored with glacier dust.

Added by Kilkennycat

Ohaupo, New Zealand

The Tree Church

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

Josh

Waiotapu, New Zealand

Devil's Bath

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

EricGrundhauser

Added by EricGrundhauser

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Unique
Food & Drink
in New Zealand

Stinging Nettles

Gastro Obscura

Fruits & Vegetables

Stinging Nettles

Boil away this plant's poisonous hairs, and you're left with a tasty, spinach-like leaf.

Gastro Obscura

rachelrummel

Added by rachelrummel

Tim Tam Slam

Gastro Obscura

Ritual & Medicinal

Tim Tam Slam

The world's least practical and most delicious edible straw.

Gastro Obscura

rachelrummel

Added by rachelrummel

Gunpowder Rum

Gastro Obscura

Gunpowder Rum

A spirit that toasts a time when proofing your liquor meant setting it aflame.

Gastro Obscura

Gautham Krishnaraj

Added by Gautham Krishnaraj

Fairy Bread

Gastro Obscura

Fairy Bread

A rainbow of flavor that harks back to childhood.

Gastro Obscura

Ella Morton

Added by Ella Morton

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Explore New Zealand

Launch Map

New Zealand Leaderboard

Places Added

Places Edited

Places Visited

Recent New Zealand Activity

amusak19 wants to go to Lone Tree of Lake Wanaka

delilahhart updated Lone Tree of Lake Wanaka

tuxedo14 wants to go to World's Loneliest Tree

gbilliedawn has been to The Tree Church

gbilliedawn has been to Fred and Myrtle's Paua Shell House

Stories
About New Zealand

Kākāpō's recovery has been slow but steady.

A Breeding Breakthrough for New Zealand's Chubby Night Parrot

Chicks born by artificial insemination offer new hope for the endangered kākāpō.

by Isaac Schultz

Two unfortunate moa fleeing a Haast's eagle.

When the Māori First Settled New Zealand, They Hunted Flightless, 500-Pound Birds

The magnificent moa is no more.

A feral pig messes with the nest of a white-capped albatross on Auckland Island.

The Livestock Living at the End of the World

Things get hairy when you plop pigs on a subantarctic island.

by Abbey Perreault

Tāne Mahuta

One of New Zealand's Most Majestic Trees Is in Danger

Tāne Mahuta is one of the oldest kauri trees in the world.

by Sarah Laskow

The sudden disappearance of a country of 4.7 million people.

Why Is New Zealand So Often Left Off World Maps?

An island nation's call for help.

by Natasha Frost

The "Six O'Clock Swill" at a bar in Victoria, Australia.

The ‘Six O’Clock Swill’ Was an Hour of Drunken Anarchy

How Australia and New Zealand’s restrictive alcohol laws fostered a culture of binge drinking.

by Natasha Frost

A present-day view of the Chatham Islands gives a clue to the island's traditional name, meaning "Misty Sun."

The Sad Story of the Moriori, Who Learned to Live at the Edge of the World

How the remoteness of the Chatham Islands forged a resilient people.

by Natasha Frost

If you want free cheese, make haste to New Zealand. And get ready to pay with your time.

Complete This 2,000-Piece Puzzle to Win Free Cheese

Dairy has never been so puzzling.

February 23, 2018

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