Last Updated: June 17, 2023
As we’ve been to a lot of countries over the years, one of the most common questions we’re asked is “what is your favourite country to visit as a family?”. It’s impossible to choose one, and all four of us usually have a few different answers.
But the one constant that is always in all of our response is New Zealand.
This is one of the rare things we all agree on as a family!
The scenery is breath-taking in New Zealand. You can see why Lord of the Rings was filmed here as it really is like another world.
New Zealand is all about the landscape and countryside and is the main reason most people visit. So if you’re kids love nature and exploring, New Zealand is the place for you.
There are also great activities for all ages, from thrill seekers to film enthusiasts. And the people are some of the friendliest we’ve met.
So if there is one place we think every family should head to in their lifetime, it’s New Zealand!
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Best Time for Families to Visit New Zealand
New Zealand was a big factor when we planned our RTW Trip, as we wanted to ensure we didn’t find ourselves there in winter. New Zealand is a southern hemisphere country (so the opposite seasons for us being from the UK).
Summer (December-February) is the most popular and expensive for accommodation and vehicle hire etc. but for good reason as you get the warmest temperatures.
Winter (June-August) gets very cold and snows a lot, but is also quiet, the costs are cheaper and it is unique in it’s offerings.
Autumn (March-May) and Spring (September-November) or the ‘shoulder seasons’ have a bit of both; decent weather (although a bit temperamental), not too busy, but also not completely quiet.
We got into New Zealand at the end of Spring in November and then travelled around it for about 5 weeks just nudging into the summer season. And this proved to be a really great time and we would highly recommend this time of year to go.
Entering New Zealand as a Family
Disclaimer: This is not official advice. All advice is from our own experiences and research. Whilst we strive for accuracy, entry requirements can change at short notice and you should always check your country’s and New Zealand’s official governing bodies for up to date and accurate information.
After a looonggg closure during the Covid-19 pandemic, the New Zealand boarder has finally opened up again (yay!) and is now allowing international visitors.
And, as of 19th September 2022, you no longer need to prove your vaccination status. However, there are still some hoops you might need to jump through. So for all the detail head to the New Zealand’s Government Covid-19 website. Take your time and read it carefully to get the detail right.
Entering New Zealand is relatively straight forward for the majority of passport holders, particularly European, American and Australian citizens.
You don’t usually need a visa for short tourism visits, but may need to apply for a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) before you arrive. You’ll need to do this for each of your party including kids. It can be done either online or through the app (it is cheaper through the app). This needs to be done at least 72 hours before you arrive.
You usually need to pay International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) when you arrive and your passport will usually need to have 3 months validity from your exit date. As always, check your home country’s and New Zealand’s official governing bodies for accurate requirements.
The Kiwis are very protective of they’re conservation and wildlife. And rightly so as it is incredible. So there are strict bio-security restrictions when entering.
When entering most countries, we usually don’t think to much about customs and just tick the ‘nothing to declare’ boxes and waltz through as generally we don’t usually have anything we need to state. But we wouldn’t advise doing this in New Zealand.
Not only are the fines hefty, but it’s important to be responsible to ensure you don’t take anything in that can upset the eco system there.
The customs form will explain it all, but it’s likely you will have something that you may need to declare or get checked. Anything ‘wooden’ for example needs to be declared, and, yes, that included our kids toy catapult!
But the good news is the customs check process is usually pretty painless and they allow as much as they can through once checked.
And if you declare goods then you will probably actually get through quicker as the declared que is usually shorter. Customs are also a lot more ‘trusting’ of people who have had the common sense to declare their goods and not try to just stroll through.
New Zealand Itinerary for Families
Once you are in New Zealand it is time to explore.
But although you maybe keen to get exploring that amazing countryside, you may want to consider easing yourself into it.
New Zealand is far away from pretty much everywhere, even if you come in from Australia it is still a bit of a trek. And if you are coming from anywhere else you will likely experience a bit of jet lag.
We came in from China, which was about a 12 hour flight, and we really felt tired for the first couple of days.
If you’re going to hire a vehicle to get about (and even if you’re not) we would advise not rushing into it and having a few nights in a hotel to get used to any jet lag. You don’t want to step off a plane and then straight into a vehicle driving in a country your not used to whilst still tired.
So you can just book your rental for a few days after you arrive. Then once you have your bearings you can properly start your adventure!
We did a one way route from Auckland to Christchurch. As we drove, we moved a lot during our trip.
This is our suggested 5 week itinerary. But if you don’t have that much time to play this can be shaved down. You can cut a day or two off places and a lot of the things you can just see in an afternoon passing through if you’re in a particular rush.
We’ve included a suggested 2 week itinerary in brackets, this will be a fairly quick run around and pretty exhausting, but you can leave some things out and cherry pick your favourite if you want a slower pace.
New Zealand is split into two main islands, the North Island and the South Island. You can choose to just do one, but if you do one it is tricky to choose the best.
If you have travelled a long way and have the time, it really is worth heading to both. As they both have they’re own individual charm and incredible sites!
But again, if you’re time restricted, then rather than trying to squeeze both in a with a rushed itinerary it might be better too choose just one. See which sites below are your favourites and then you can see one island your time instead.
North Island: Auckland – Mount Maunganui – Rotorua – Waitomo – Tongariro – Wellington
South Island: Picton – Nelson – Abel Tasman – Kaikoura – Hokitika – Okarito – Lake Pukaki – Queenstown – Moeraki – Christchurch
Auckland – 4 (2) Nights
Auckland is where we flew into and so we stayed in a hotel for 4 nights. The city centre is worth an explore and there are also some really nice spots around the city that just give you a taste of the New Zealand country side.
Mount Eden/Maungawhau is a nice mild walk with amazing views overlooking the city from this dormant volcano’s crater. It’s easily reachable on the city metro, alighting at ‘Mt Eden’ station, then taking a short walk south. Coming in this way you will pass a nice little playground and wander through Tahaki Reserve, until you get to the walk up to the top of the volcano.
Mount Maunganui – 2 (1) Nights
Mount Maunganui is a suburb of Tauranga and is also the name of the actual mountain that resides there, locally known as ‘The Mount’.
It’s an idyllic beach area with The Mount overlooking the see.
You can easily climb up The Mount and back down in an afternoon and is a mild walk all the way. So fine for children who are reasonably good walkers. There’s lots of wild sheep roaming about, which our children found quite amusing.
Rotorua – 3 (1) Nights
You will probably smell Rotorua before you see it! It is an area with very high geothermal activity and due to this has a strong smell of sulphur in the air!
But you will soon get used to the eggy smell and visiting this volcanic wonderland is an absolute must on the North Island.
You can wonder around Kuirau Park to witness some of the volcanic activity. Which is a free public park right in the city centre and also has some free hot spring pools to soak your feet in after the walk.
After you’ve experienced this taster you can head out to the Waimangu Volcanic Rift Valley and trek around the amazing scenery and witness the volcanic activity in all it’s glory.
There is also a beautiful Redwood Forest. You can take the elevated tree walk or just stroll around the forest at ground level if you’re not a fan of heights.
Waitomo – 2 (0) Nights
One of our bucket list items for when being in New Zealand was to see glow worms. And Waitomo Glow Worm Caves is a great place to see them.
There’s a number of caves and experiences with various combo tickets that you can purchase on the day or in advance if preferred.
One thing to note though is that you don’t have to pay to see glow worms in New Zealand. There are quite a few places to see them naturally if you know where to look.
After spending the money on the tour at the Waitomo Caves, we then saw them on our own just a few days later on the South Island. Taking a short hike from one of the campsites we stayed at and seeing glow worms in the night.
The two experiences were quite different. The cave tour had a lot more glow worms and being in the cave meant we didn’t have to wait until nightfall.
But seeing them on our own was great for other reasons.
With the excitement of seeking them out as a family and waiting patiently at dusk then seeing the forest slowly come alive with twinkling lights. With the added bonus it was free!
We’re certainly not saying to give the caves a miss, as we thoroughly enjoyed it. But just be aware that if you’re on a budget you can skip the paid attraction and instead try to find them yourselves in various places!
Tongariro – 3 (2) Nights
Tongariro is the place to do the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. One of the most well known treks in New Zealand.
Unfortunately due to some bad weather we were unable to do it during our visit. But the scenery in the area was incredible even on the smaller walks we went on. But the Alpine Crossing is definitely on our bucket list when we inevitably return to New Zealand.
Wellington – 3 (1) Nights
If you’re getting the ferry across to the South Island then you will head over from Wellington, which is a great last stop on the North Island.
For the kids, you can take a relatively easy hike up and around Mount Victoria (or cheat and drive to the top!).
And, for Lord of the Rings fans, you can seek out the ‘Hobbit Hideaway’ nearby where one of the famous scenes was filmed.
Wellington is also home to Te Papa Tongarewa (Museum of New Zealand) where the kids will enjoy with some really good exhibits.
Our toddler particularly like climbing around in the Whale Heart!
It also has a small earthquake simulator.
This was good practise for the kids to practise what to do in an earthquake. It has a little intro video with instructions on what to do and then simulates the earthquake whilst the kids crawled under the table prop for practise.
Nelson – 3 (1) Nights
Once you get over to the South Island you can head over to Nelson. A great coastal town with a glorious beach.
You can do the easy hike to ‘The Centre of New Zealand’. A steep but short little hill walk which gives you a 360 view of Nelson and the ocean. It was used as a central survey point in the 19th century hence the name.
Abel Tasman – 3 (1) Nights
Abel Tasman is huge coastal national park with numerous ways to explore. You can hike, kayak or take water taxis around the lengthy costal routes.
If you want to read more details, you can read our post on how we took our eldest on a two day hike across part of the Abel Tasman Coat Track.
Kaikoura – 3 (2) Nights
Kaikoura’s main attraction is it’s sea life.
There are often whales around here and many dolphins. We had always wanted to swim with dolphins and Swimming with wild dolphins off this eastern coastal town was simply magical.
To do it in the wild was so rewarding and you can rest assured that you’re doing it in a very responsible manner.
It was one of the best things we’ve ever done travelling, so if you go to Kaikoura, DO THIS!
Hokitika – 1 (0) Night
Hokatik is a beach town and the main reason we went here was to hunt for Pounamu aka Greenstone or New Zealand Jade. You can search the beach for this precious stone.
It’s pretty difficult to find, but it’s a lot of fun even if you don’t.
We collected a huge bag of various green stones in the hope that at least one was. But alas, after having them examined by a local jeweller just up the road, none were confirmed as Pounamu.
Our eldest then took part in a stone carving class of the Pounamu which you can usually book online. If you have managed to find your own Greenstone you can take this to the class to use, but if not they will usually provide some to carve.
Okarito – 1 (0) Night
Just up the road from Hokitika is Okarito. Whenever we visit a new country our eldest always wants to try to see the national or most iconic animal of the country we are in.
Whether it be Tigers in India, Komodo Dragons in Indonesia or, in this case, Kiwi Birds in New Zealand.
Kiwi Birds are notoriously rare and very difficult to find. There are a few areas where they are slightly more abundant in New Zealand and Okarito is one of them.
We were hoping to get a tracking guide whilst in the area, but unfortunately due to some bad weather the tour was not operating the night we were there. But me and my eldest decided to go it alone and hiked into the woods in the night (as Kiwi Birds are nocturnal) in the hope we would spot one.
I had little hope due to the chances being slim. But it was still a fun adventure non-the-less sitting silently and getting excited with every rustle we heard. But, unfortunately not actually spotting one on this occasion.
Lake Pukaki – 2 (1) Nights
Lake Pukaki was one of our favourite places to stay. This was just a chill out spot for us, but the waters and scenery were breath-taking.
And nearby there is Hooker Valley Track. Another hike we were unable to do due to the weather. But with the hike passing rivers, lakes, mountains and glaciers it is another excuse (as if we need one) to go back to New Zealand for another try one day!
Queenstown – 4 (2) Nights
Queenstown is home for the adrenaline junkies!
One of the first places to introduce the bungee jump and with may other activities you can participate in around the city. Nadia decided to go for the ‘Nevis Bunjy‘. With our eldest being slightly too small to try it himself on this occasion, but was able to watch from the suspended platform!
Queenstown is also home to the ‘greatest burger in the world’, although this is debatable. We tried one and it was an amazing burger, but the jury’s still out if it was our best we’ve ever had.
Moeraki – 1 (0) Night
Moeraki is where you can see the Moeraki Beach Boulders. They are calcite concretions formed around the same time the dinosaurs died out, so pretty old. They’re visually extremely interesting with almost perfect spherical shapes, all of different sizes, but generally pretty huge!
And nearby is Katiki Point Lighthouse and nature reserve. Depending on the time of year you can see wild Penguins and Seals here. Be careful as you walk around here as seals can sometimes be mistaken for rocks, but stepping on one would be a big mistake!
Christchurch – 3 (1) Nights
So after an long, exhausting, but most of all, amazing route, we’re at our final stop of Christchurch. This is where we had to depart with our beloved camper and get back used to staying in static accommodation. Much to the disappointment of the kids.
Christchurch had some great sites to cheer them up though. You can head to the International Antarctic Centre. An educational centre dedicated to life in the Antarctic where you can see various displays. Plus penguins, husky and experience what it’s like to be in a blizzard with what’s basically a real world snow globe!
You can also head to the Willowbank Wildlife Reserve, which has an array of animals wondering around freely as well as in their enclosures. And it also has Kiwi Birds! So after the slight disappointment of not being able to spot one in the wild, we managed to get a glimpse of one here in the nocturnal house.
Getting Around New Zealand as a Family with Kids
National Transport
The best way to get about New Zealand is definitely by road. Out side of the main cities it is very rural and is the main draw to New Zealand. Whilst the country does have trains, it is fairly limited.
So coaches are your best bet for going by public transport. You can go for full tours or break it up journey by journey.
InterCity is a popular bus ad coach company that a lot of tourists go for with various packages as well as singe journey options available.
If you want too fully experience the country having your own wheels is advised. Hiring a car is easy and there are an abundance of car hire companies readily available that you can book before you go or once you arrive.
But we would suggest going one step further and hiring a campervan! This is definitely the best way to see New Zealand and so much fun for the family.
This element of the trip is one of the things that made our visit to this country so magical. So this is definitely the route we think most families should take. You can read our more detailed guide for Family Campervanning in New Zealand here.
Domestic flights are also available, but we wouldn’t recommend this mode of transport.
Firstly you’ll probably end up skipping over great places and countryside on the way as they only go from major town to major town.
Secondly they won’t actually save much time due to the size of the country and taking into account getting to/from the airport and security checks etc.
Thirdly they’re the most expensive way to travel. So stick to the roads would be our suggestion.
If you are going between the North and South Islands you can take the ferry.
You can take this with either with a car, campervan or as a foot passenger, so whatever you’re mode of transport this will be able to accommodate you.
And water taxis re also available for many of the other smaller islands as well.
Local Transport
If you’re driving then this will obviously be your main method of getting about locally as well. But if you’re not or if you don’t want to on some days, then there are other options for getting about.
Some of the big towns and cities have pretty good transport networks.
Auckland has a decent train system and you can easily get hold of an AT HOP card which works like most other top up cars whereby you purchase the card then top it up and then you can swipe on/off trains, ferries and buses.
In the more rural areas, there may be some limited buses, but otherwise taxis are also sometimes in supply.
Uber is also available in New Zealand, but only in some areas so check before you head to each place for how you will get about if you’re not driving in the rural areas.
Cycling is also a great way to get about with cycle hire in ready supply. And walking or ‘tramping’ is one of the best ways to get about the rural areas.
New Zealand Accommodation for a Family with Kids
Accommodation comes in all shapes and sizes in New Zealand. The major towns and cities obviously offer the most choice with hotels and hostels in vast supply.
If you’re driving in a car then getting a tent would be advisable in the warmer months.
This means you can then choose to stay at camp grounds as and when you feel and when static accommodation is in short supply.
Even if you’re taking public transport you may be able to get a light weight tent to carry. Which will just open a lot more doors when looking for somewhere to stay.
If a camping isn’t an option you, then you may be able to find some holiday parks in the more rural areas that have glamping huts or lodges etc. But they will be limited, so best to book these in advance.
If you are campervanning it, well your sorted! You’ve already got your accommodation.
It’s very easy to find camping spots when you have a campervan and ‘Freedom Camping’ means you don’t actually have to find a paid for campsite! We found some absolute beauties whilst travelling around New Zealand.
So just pull up, sit back and let the good times roll!