100 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.

Milford Sound, New Zealand

Milford Sound

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

Castle Hill, New Zealand

Castle Hill

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

Wanaka, New Zealand

That Wanaka Tree

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

Ohaupo, New Zealand

The Tree Church

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

Lake Tekapo, New Zealand

Lake Tekapo

A perfect turquoise lake colored with glacier dust.

Waiotapu, New Zealand

Devil's Bath

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

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Unique Food & Drink in New Zealand

Stinging Nettles

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

Gunpowder Rum

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

Tim Tam Slam

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

Fairy Bread

A rainbow of flavor that harks back to childhood.

See all 14 things to eat in New Zealand See all 14 things to eat in New Zealand

Atlas Obscura Trips

Wings & Wonders: Birds of New Zealand

Explore the spectacular birdlife, biodiversity, and natural wonder of Aotearoa alongside seasoned conservationists.

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Stories About New Zealand

The Tiny Town Where Corrugated Iron Becomes Building-Sized Art

In Tirau, New Zealand, a classic construction material takes on a life of its own.

"Old Man of the Sea," a sculpture of a fisherman in a flotsam boat, built by Simon Pringle for the 2016 festival.

A New Zealand Festival Turns Detritus Into Offbeat Art

Amateur sculptors are invited to grab some driftwood and make a masterpiece.

The chubby, moss-colored, papaya-scented kākāpō.

How One Man and His Dog Rowed More Than 700 Kākāpōs to Safety

In the late 19th century, Richard Henry laid a blueprint for modern conservation in New Zealand.

by Sabrina Imbler

February 19, 2020

Once upon a time there was a cemetery here, in Tangier, Virginia.

From Indonesia to Ingonish, Some Bones Won't Stay Buried

As seas and storms erode coastlines, cemeteries are giving up their dead.

by Jennifer S. Holland

October 28, 2019

A <em>toheroa,</em>showing off why its name means "long-tongue" in the Māori language.

The Vanishing Act of New Zealand’s Iconic Clam

Once, toheroa were endless. Now, they're all but gone.

by Naomi Arnold

August 27, 2019

Sinbad the kākāpō, who sired his first chicks this year through artificial insemination.

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

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