Road trip stops in New Zealand
The places worth pulling over for across New Zealand: the famous ones, the ones locals keep quiet about, and where to sleep on the way.
Plan your road tripThe best stops
- Town
Town · Milford Sound
Milford Sound foreshore
End-of-the-road fjord with Mitre Peak and boat cruises.
- Walk
Walk · Punakaiki
Pancake Rocks and Putai Blowholes
Layered limestone stacks and blowholes on a short boardwalk loop at the coast.
- Viewpoint
Viewpoint · Kaka Point
Nugget Point lighthouse
1869 lighthouse above rocky islets and a seal and bird colony.
- Walk
Walk · Whakapapa Village
Tongariro Alpine Crossing
One of the world's great day walks across an active volcanic landscape.
Walk · Aoraki / Mount Cook
Hooker Valley Track
Flat walk across three swing bridges to a glacier lake.
- Geothermal
Geothermal · Wai-O-Tapu
Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland
The Champagne Pool and Artist's Palette: Rotorua's most colourful geothermal park.
- History
History · Waitangi
Waitangi Treaty Grounds
The birthplace of the nation: Treaty House, a huge waka and a carved meeting house.
Hot pool · Fox GlacierHidden gem
Welcome Flat Hot Springs
Free natural hot pools at the end of the Copland Track, in a remote alpine valley.
- Walk
Walk · Mount Maunganui
Mauao (Mount Maunganui) summit track
Steep 40-minute climb to a summit with views over the harbour, the beach and Matakana Island.
Swimming hole · Takaka
Te Waikoropupū Springs
Crystal-clear freshwater springs on an easy bush loop, among the clearest water ever measured.
- Viewpoint
Viewpoint · Cape Reinga
Cape Reinga lighthouse
The end-of-the-road lighthouse where the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean meet.
- Beach
Beach · Piha
Piha Beach and Lion Rock
Black-sand surf beach under Lion Rock, the west coast's best-known stop.
Hidden gems
Quieter places that are worth the detour.
- Beach
Beach · TāwharanuiHidden gem
Tāwharanui Regional Park
Predator-fenced sanctuary park with white-sand beaches and farm walks.
Hot pool · WaiotapuHidden gem
Kerosene Creek
Free, warm stream with a small waterfall and natural bathing pools in the bush.
- Beach
Beach · PupongaHidden gem
Wharariki Beach
Wild west coast beach with dunes, arch islands and caves, reached by a 20-minute farm walk.
- Hot pool
Hot pool · PuketitiriHidden gem
Mangatutu Hot Springs
Two free hot tubs on a bluff above the Mohaka River, with a DOC campsite beside them.
- Town
Town · OkaritoHidden gem
Okarito (Ōkārito) village and lagoon
Tiny seaside village with a big lagoon, kayak trips and kōtuku.
- Lake
Lake · MossburnHidden gem
Mavora Lakes
Remote beech-forest lakes reached by gravel, used as Lord of the Rings scenery.
Scenic drive · TaumarunuiHidden gem
Forgotten World Highway (Taumarunui end)
Three-hour back-country drive to Stratford past old farms, tunnels and tiny settlements.
- Waterfall
Waterfall · MarokopaHidden gem
Marokopa Falls
A wide 35 m waterfall at the end of a short, easy walk.
- Wildlife
Wildlife · KerikeriHidden gem
Aroha Island Ecocentre
A small island sanctuary with kiwi walks and camping.
Food stops worth the detour
- Food truck
Food truck · Kaikōura
Nin's Bin
Blue and white caravan selling crayfish, paua and chips beside SH1 since 1977.
- Bakery
Bakery · Fairlie
Fairlie Bakehouse
Cult-status pie bakery on the road to Mackenzie Country.
- Restaurant
Restaurant · Moeraki
Fleur's Place
Seafood shack on Moeraki's wharf, long loved for blue cod and the day's catch.
- Pub
Pub · OnekakaHidden gem
Mussel Inn
Cult roadside pub brewing its own beers, with live music and hearty food.
- Restaurant
Restaurant · Mangōnui
Mangonui Fish Shop
Fish and chips on the Mangōnui waterfront, a long-running Far North institution.
- Ice cream
Ice cream · Hastings
Rush Munro's Ice Cream Garden
Hastings ice cream institution making scoops since the 1920s.
Places to stay
Campsites and holiday parks we’d go back to. See every one by region in campsites in New Zealand and free camping in New Zealand, or the nearest to you in campsites near me and free camping near me.
Campground · Aoraki / Mount Cook
White Horse Hill campground
The camp under Aoraki, at the start of the Hooker Valley Track.
- Campground
Campground · Tāwharanui
Tāwharanui campground
Camp beside the white-sand beaches of Tāwharanui Regional Park.
- Campground
Campground · ColvilleHidden gem
Fletcher Bay campsite
Road-end camp at the top of the Coromandel, with farm views, a swimming bay and the start of the Coromandel Walkway.
Campground · CatlinsHidden gem
Purakaunui Bay campsite
Cliffside camp in the Catlins, a short walk from the beach and waterfall.
Campground · OkaritoHidden gem
Okarito Community Campground
Community-run camp in the tiny lagoon village of Okarito, with great Southern Alps views.
- Campground
Campground · WanakaHidden gem
Aspiring campsite (Matukituki)
Valley campsite at the foot of Mount Aspiring, with a gravel road in from Wanaka.
Campground · Curio BayHidden gem
Curio Bay camping ground
Clifftop camp beside the fossil forest and yellow-eyed penguin colony at Curio Bay.
Hut · WainuiHidden gem
Whariwharangi Hut
DOC Great Walk hut on the Abel Tasman Coast Track.
- Glamping
Glamping · AwaroaHidden gem
Awaroa Glamping
Safari tents in native bush inside Abel Tasman, with a pizza-oven cafe.
Classic road trips in New Zealand
- Queenstown to Glenorchy45 km · 1 day
- Otago Peninsula60 km · 1 day
- Desert Road and the Central Plateau70 km · 1 day
- Crown Range Road100 km · 1 day
- Surf Highway 45105 km · 1 day
- Cape Reinga and the Far North110 km · 2 days
- Milford Road119 km · 2 days
- Banks Peninsula Loop170 km · 2 days
- Around Mount Taranaki180 km · 2 days
- Coromandel Pacific Coast Highway231 km · 3 days
- Arthur's Pass231 km · 2 days
- Napier–Taupō Road and Thermal Valley262 km · 2 days
Plan the drive, not just the stops
Roadtrip works out what the drive costs in fuel for your car, splits it into days with the best stops and places to sleep, and finds the cheapest fuel on the way.
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