Oceania
Two main islands of mountains, fjords, volcanoes and beaches, with Māori culture part of everyday life and most trips run as a self-drive loop.
The FCDO has no advisory against travel to New Zealand.
Source: UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office — the definitive source. Check it close to your travel dates.
Flight cancelled or delayed because of this? Your rights under UK261 / EU261 →
Two main islands of mountains, fjords, volcanoes and beaches, with Māori culture part of everyday life and most trips run as a self-drive loop.
New Zealand is about as far from Britain as it is possible to travel, and it rewards the effort with a lot of variety in a small space: two main islands where subtropical harbours, steaming geothermal valleys, glaciers and fjords are a domestic flight or a day's drive apart. We think it suits a first trip of three weeks or more, split between the islands, and it works well for families and walkers because the outdoors is so well organised.
Auckland, Tāmaki Makaurau, is where most long-haul flights land: a harbour city built over volcanic cones, with ferries to the wineries and beaches of Waiheke Island and the young volcano of Rangitoto. North of the city, the Bay of Islands holds the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, where the Treaty House, the carved meeting house Te Whare Rūnanga and a ceremonial waka taua (war canoe) tell the story of the 1840 treaty. Our Auckland guide covers the city in detail.
geothermal country and the place we would pick for a first encounter with Māori culture. Te Puia spans 70 hectares of the Te Whakarewarewa geothermal valley on the edge of Rotorua, with the Pōhutu geyser, mud pools and the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute, where carving and weaving are taught.
the capital, compact and windy, on a harbour at the southern tip of the North Island. It is also the ferry port for the South Island.
the sunny top of the South Island: the Marlborough Sounds behind Picton, the vineyards around Blenheim, and the golden bays of the Abel Tasman Coast Track, one of the Great Walks.
a long, wet, thinly populated strip between the Southern Alps and the Tasman Sea, with rainforest, wild beaches and the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers. The TranzAlpine train crosses the mountains to Greymouth from Christchurch.
the South Island's biggest city and its main international airport, with the Canterbury Plains, Lake Tekapo and Aoraki/Mount Cook, the country's highest mountain, within a day's drive.
lakes and mountains, the busiest adventure-sport base in the country and a ski town in winter. From here roads and coaches run to Milford Sound, and three Great Walks, the Milford, Routeburn and Kepler tracks, start within reach.
The Department of Conservation (DOC) runs the Great Walks, the best-known multi-day tracks, with huts and campsites that must be booked in season. Bookings for the 2026/27 season opened in May 2026 and popular dates go quickly. The Milford Track's season runs from 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2027, and most Great Walks charge international visitors more than New Zealanders (Kepler Track huts, for example, are NZ$132 a night for an international adult in season). Weather changes fast in the mountains and on exposed coasts: check the forecast, tell someone your plans, and use the AdventureSmart guidance.
The single reason many travellers come back — the food culture worth reshaping a trip around, and the dishes to seek out region by region.
Lamb, just-caught seafood and a flat white — clean, green island cooking, with the Māori hāngī at its heart.
Wait beside a hāngī as it's opened after hours in the ground and you'll understand New Zealand's table at once: baskets of lamb, chicken, kūmara and pumpkin lifted steaming from a stone-lined earth pit, smoky and falling-apart tender — in Rotorua the geothermal ground does the cooking itself. This is young, clean, ingredient-led food on a pair of islands where nowhere is far from the sea and the green pastures raise some of the finest lamb on earth.
The coast keeps giving: plump green-lipped mussels, Bluff oysters in their short season, crayfish pulled from the water at Kaikōura, and fish and chips unwrapped from paper on a windy beach. A Sunday roast of lamb remains the centrepiece, and the café culture is world-class — locals will tell you the flat white was invented here. Marlborough's zippy Sauvignon Blanc put the country on the wine map, and pudding is, of course, the pavlova — a cloud of crisp meringue and cream crowned with kiwifruit — best enjoyed without mentioning that Australia claims it too.
Auckland
From the downtown ferry terminal, boats cross to the wineries and beaches of Waiheke Island and to Rangitoto, the young volcano in the Hauraki Gulf.
Bay of Islands
Where the Treaty of Waitangi was first signed in 1840: the Treaty House, the carved meeting house Te Whare Rūnanga and the waka taua (war canoe).
Rotorua
70 hectares of the Te Whakarewarewa valley, with the Pōhutu geyser and mud pools, and the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute, where carving and weaving are taught.
Abel Tasman, Fiordland and beyond
The Department of Conservation's multi-day tracks, with huts and campsites to book in season. The Milford Track's 2026/27 season runs from 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2027.
Christchurch to Greymouth
KiwiRail's Great Journeys train crosses the Southern Alps from Christchurch to Greymouth on the West Coast.
Canterbury
The country's highest mountain and the lakes beneath it, within a day's drive of Christchurch.
There are no non-stop flights from the UK. The main one-stop routes run through Asia, the Gulf or the United States: Singapore Airlines flies from London via Singapore to both Auckland and Christchurch; Qatar Airways flies London to Auckland via Doha (it notes that some of its Doha–Auckland flights stop in Australia, in which case passengers need a valid Australian visa); and Air New Zealand connects with British Airways, United or Virgin Atlantic in Los Angeles, San Francisco or Houston, which means a US ESTA for the transit. Allow well over a day door to door. Compare fares to Auckland or Christchurch.
Most people fly into Auckland and out of Christchurch or Queenstown (or the reverse), so the trip runs the length of the country without doubling back. On the North Island we would use Auckland, Rotorua and Wellington as bases; on the South Island, Nelson or Picton for the top, Christchurch for Canterbury and the TranzAlpine, and Queenstown or Te Anau for Fiordland. A campervan or hire car lets you stay in smaller towns in between. Book beds and Great Walk huts early for December to March.
Best Jan–Mar · Shoulder Apr, Oct–Nov
Units
Monthly figures are for North Island (Auckland); other regions of New Zealand vary. See every region, month by month →
Forecast · Met Office · updated 13 Nov · Powered by Met Office data
Typical · climate data
December – March (shoulder: April, October – November)
Units
What to expect — Daytime highs average about 17°C with overnight lows near 12°C — the wettest stretch of the year.
What's best — Mild, then Wet, then Shoulder season.
What to expect — Daytime highs average about 22°C with overnight lows near 17°C, with plenty of rain.
What's best — Warm, then Shoulder season. Dec and Jan are among the best months here (warm, sun and cloud).
What to expect — Daytime highs average about 19°C with overnight lows near 14°C, with plenty of rain.
What's best — Warm, then Mild, then Shoulder season. Mar and Apr are among the best months here (warm, sun and cloud).
What to expect — Daytime highs average about 15°C with overnight lows near 10°C, with plenty of rain.
What's best — Wet, then Cool & crisp.
When to go, region by region
Each month our cards and map show the region with the best weather that month: Jan–May South Island · Jun–Jul North Island · Aug–Dec South Island.
Great Good Not ideal Shown on our cards that month
The seasons are the reverse of ours. December to March is summer and the best time for most trips: our climate data gives Auckland average highs of about 21 to 23°C from December to February, Christchurch about 20 to 21°C and Queenstown about 20 to 21°C, with long days for walking. Heat is never the problem here — highs stay well below 30°C in every region. Rain is: Auckland gets around 80 to 130 mm a month all year, and Queenstown's wettest month in our data is September, at about 240 mm. April and October to November are good shoulder months, cooler and quieter. Winter (June to August) brings Queenstown highs of about 7 to 9°C, which suits skiers but makes the mountain roads and walks harder; Auckland stays mild at about 15°C, though July and August are among its wettest months.
| Area | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Island (Auckland) | 23 | 23 | 21 | 20 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 20 | 22 |
| South Island (Christchurch) | 21 | 21 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 20 |
| Fjordland (Queenstown) | 21 | 21 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 |
Colours as on the month tiles above. Bold: hot, 32°C or more (go early or late in the day). Outlined: very hot, 35°C or more. Wet: 150 mm of rain or more.
To read what you're looking at — the empires and eras that shaped New Zealand's food, art and streets.
Māori culture is part of everyday New Zealand rather than a show put on for visitors: place names, greetings and the language are everywhere. A formal welcome, the pōwhiri, ends with the hongi, the pressing of noses; follow your hosts' lead, and expect each marae to have its own customs. Te Puia in Rotorua and the Waitangi Treaty Grounds in Northland are the two places we would start, and a hāngī meal, cooked in an earth oven, is the classic shared table.
British citizens can visit without a visa for up to six months, but must hold an NZeTA before travelling. It costs from NZ$17 on the official Immigration New Zealand app (more on the website), and you pay the NZ$100 International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy at the same time; allow up to 72 hours for it to be processed, and it lasts two years. Your passport must be valid for at least three months after the day you leave, and border officers can ask to see an onward ticket and proof of funds. Everyone also completes the free New Zealand Traveller Declaration before arrival.
Biosecurity is strict. Declare all food, plant and animal products, and anything used outdoors such as boots, tents or fishing gear; failing to declare, even by mistake, brings an NZ$400 instant fine from the Ministry for Primary Industries. The currency is the New Zealand dollar, issued by the Reserve Bank in $5 to $100 notes and coins from 10 cents to $2. The FCDO does not advise against travel to any part of New Zealand; it notes that the country is in a major earthquake zone, that several North Island volcanoes are active, and that tsunamis can affect the coast. In an emergency, dial 111. Read the latest FCDO travel advice before you go.
Read the FCDO's travel advice for New Zealand Travel Guide – Regions, When to Go & UK Entry before booking and again before you go; it changes, and it is the official word on safety and entry.
We write this guide from official sources only: GOV.UK, national immigration portals, tourism boards, airports and operators, central banks and met services. Rules change, so check the linked pages before you book.
The practical back-matter — safety, earthquakes & tsunamis, drones and the essentials, in one place.
Official UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office guidance is the definitive source — check it close to your travel dates.
The whole country is at risk of earthquakes and its entire coastline is at risk of tsunami, and there are several active volcanoes on the North Island.
On arrival When you check in, look at your hotel's evacuation map and note the nearest high ground or evacuation route.
Coasts most exposed to tsunami Entire coastline, plus some large lakes
National parks, protected sites and religious/heritage venues often have their own rules and permits — always check the specific site before you fly.
