Get off the highway and onto the grass with good old-fashioned 4wheelin' fun. 4WD tours, quad bikes, off-road, self-drive - 101 ways to satisfy the motorhead within.
Bungy Jump 101: Find a beautiful place. Check. Build a very tall structure with an elastic cord attached to the top. Check. Fix cord to body, and leap. Wooooo!
Canyoning is a mix of land and water travel, descending picturesque canyons on foot (or rear end), ropes and swimming. Born by adrenalin-seekers, the growth in popularity of Canyoning in New Zealand means gentler trips are increasingly available.
Don overalls and gumboots for a day underground, up and down ropes navigating the maze of tunnels - or go glowworm spotting and enjoy the serenity.
Be it rocks, ice or mountains you want to scale, seek and ye shall find! Rock climbing hotspots exist in both the North and South Islands, and NZ's mountain ranges provide ample opportunity for ice climbers and mountaineers alike.
Put pedal to the metal cycling the length and breadth of New Zealand, or blow your hair back (with a helmet on) navigating NZ's many purpose built Mountain Biking trails.
Of over 3000 glaciers in New Zealand, just a handful are accessible to those not experienced in high-alpine travel. The Franz Josef and Fox glaciers flow toward the sea on the South Island's West Coast, and the Mount Cook region is home to yet more grand rivers of ice.
Galloping down an isolated beach on a trusty steed, sand flying, the salt air whipping in your hair... (admit it, that's how you picture yourself on a horse) Horse trekking is offered all over New Zealand, guided trips catering to both experienced riders and those with less time in the saddle.
Get your luge on! Available in Queenstown and Rotorua, the luge is a series of tracks you zoom down on a small cart. Good family fun, with slow and fast lanes to separate the cruisers from the daredevils.
Fun, crazy and unusual - these activities refuse to be put in a box. If you're looking for something a bit different, you'll find it here.
Dangling from a rope high above the ground get your motor running? Check out your options for ropey adventure with NZ's abseiling and rappelling operators.
New Zealand skiing and snowboarding - party lifestyle resort towns, fun natural terrain, challenging access roads, remote and wild beyond the lifts and classically Kiwi in-bounds. Good times all round.
Walking and trekking the tracks throughout New Zealand is top of the to-do list for many travellers to New Zealand. From gentle, scenic short walks to multi-day adventures, experience Aotearoa on foot and immerse yourself in the bush, beach and wilderness you came to see.
With over 15,000km of coastline to enjoy, New Zealand is naturally quite fond of boats… Boat cruises are a great way to explore NZ's rivers, lakes, beaches and fjords, offering a different perspective on both our landscape and wildlife.
Get deep - explore life beneath the surface with diving, scuba or snorkelling. From the sub-tropical waters of the North Island to the clear, cool waters of the deep South, divers of all abilities can get up close and personal with New Zealand's wrecks, colourful seascape and fish.
Epic river journeys, gentle lake paddles and inland excursions, exploring New Zealand's interior by waterway gives you a fresh perspective on the landscape.
The need for speed is alive and well! Get up close and personal - at pace - with New Zealand rivers and lakes from the confines of a speedy little boat. Thrills, spins and scenery, jet boating is an adrenaline rush appropriate for young, old and everyone in between.
i-SITE is New Zealand’s official visitor information network with over 80 i-SITEs nationwide
Every person who works at an i-SITE is a local travel expert for their home town. They will help you to find quality activities, attractions, accommodation, transport and more. This ensures you will experience the latest and greatest the town has to offer whatever you are after!
Local visitor centres often work on a casual basis. Opening hours vary, and you can't always rely on them being open, but if they are you'll have access to very localised information.
All the camping conveniences can be found here. Expect powered sites, hot showers, serviced facilities and often much more.
Camping with just the bare essentials - expect a non flush toilet that's intermittently serviced. Anything more is a bonus.
Expect no facilities. Generally for self contained vehicles only. Check our notes for details.
Travelling New Zealand by rental Campervan and Motorhome gives you freedom. Stay by nature, by the beach or use the full facilities provided by hundreds of Holiday Parks and campgrounds. This ranking table doesn't show all campervan companies in NZ, but does show over 90% of them.
New Zealand travel is at its best with your own set of wheels. Rental cars give you flexibility to travel at your own pace and deviate off the beaten path.
A shuttle bus offers short haul bus services that run multiple times a day, often to an activity or attraction.
The wairua (spirit) is strong in this one. Two seas clash on the outer rim while giant forest guardians look over within.
There is no other city in NZ with such an array of close natural wonders. Sometimes hidden behind poor urban design, a small effort yields great rewards.
Go underground to find the gold, when you get out there, let it hang out there, use your tea towel as a loin cloth and drink herbal tea. Can you handle th' Mandel?
The name says it all.
The land of milk and honey. A mecca of dairy coupled with the sweetness of serenity.
Gets up before anyone else. A birthplace of the new. Off the track, hongi a local, share a brew. Kia Kaha!
Smell it before you see it. Rotorua is so hot right now!
Big eruption = Big hole = Big lake
Slip on your shoes, it's walk-o-rama. Vivid colour like a Psychedelic cruise.
Like a masquerade ball; full of pomp, ceremony, fine wine and food. The gannets are cool too.
The Naki is quite the surprise package. Talk with the colloquial locals and unlock a Jack-in-the-Box of the unexpected.
Raw and real. The Whanganui river is a major artery that has fed culture and change, shaping Aotearoa.
Get off the main drag and the story of the ugly duckling will be realised.
Seriously cool that rules with political tools. There's no better place in Aotearoa to get your city fix.
After slinking through the sounds and sipping on some Savs, keep the sounds down 'cos the spy base is in town.
This region is like a hippy with flash shoes. Drunk on sunshine. Replenish, reflect, restock & relax. Then relive the 70's and head down the one way street called Golden Bay, it won't let you down.
A diamond in the rough. Get on the offensive, cover yourself in sandfly repellent and tackle the weather & best scenery in NZ head on.
Squeezed between two giants, a dramatic point where the Southern Alps and Pacific Ocean meet.
Lots on offer here, straight roads make for easy driving but a zig zag approach is rewarded. Good place to get lost in. Watch out for local one eyed rugby fanatics.
Surreal space, if the Dalai Lama wanted to hang out in a southern NZ Tibet, then this is the spot. Get out your incense and get remote.
Like a great road trip movie, wind down the windows, put on your favourite tunes and prepare yourself for a sensory intake of freedom.
The outdoor fitness capital of NZ. You get the feeling every local is capable of giving you 10 one-handed push ups, while holding a coffee in the other. All roads from here lead to goodness.
A beautiful place where the locals have devised any conceivable way to scare you silly.
An oddity that works. The Scots did their best to tame the beast but wildlife still prevails. Get a hip flask of whisky, a kilt and stride the coast with purpose.
Meditative Milford - Get yourself in a zen state as this place is intense. Once the tour buses depart by 4pm, the locals are in their element (including sandflies). Find yourself in a quiet space and do what you need to do to take it all in.
A true blue, quirky mix of heartland and bogan, add a dash of the gay in Gore and gregarious local penguins on lonely beaches.
Not Signed In
Sign in with your username / email and password
Having problems logging in? Contact us for help
Forgot your password? Set a new password!
Create your free Rankers.co.nz account
Create your permanent and unique public username. No spaces permitted.
A username is a name that uniquely identifies you on the Rankers website. Your username, when paired with your password will provide you with access to your account on rankers.co.nz.
Your username may only contain letters and numbers and the underscore character _ . Spaces are not permitted.
Good passwords are important! Enter your password carefully.
Your email will not be publicly displayed.
An email address provides authenticity for your account and allows Rankers to contact you. You'll need a valid email address in order to write reviews. You can unsubscribe from any emails in your account settings.
Your email address will not be shared with any third-parties.
Will be publicly displayed alongside your reviews.
← Marine Studies Centre profile page