Encounter Māori culture

Chatham Island is the historic home to the Moriori Maori tribe, who have inhabited the island for over 800 years. Here you can immerse yourself in the culture of this ancient people, learn their legends, traditions and customs. The Moriori are a people with a unique culture, and a visit to Chatham Island will provide a unique opportunity to observe how they preserve their ancient rituals and arts.

History and Archaeological Finds

Chatham Island is rich in historical artifacts that testify to a long-standing culture and civilization. You can find ancient petroglyphs left behind by long-extinct peoples, as well as other archaeological finds that provide a better understanding of the island’s history and its primitive inhabitants.

Natural beauty

But Chatham Island is not just about history and culture. The island is also famous for its unique natural beauty. Here you’ll find protected areas, majestic cliffs and beautiful sandy beaches. Walking along the island’s scenic routes will allow you to enjoy stunning views and marvel at its natural diversity.

The charm of Chatham Island

Chatham Island is a place that mesmerizes with its uniqueness and atmosphere of mystery. Here you can immerse yourself in the richness of culture and history, enjoy the beauty of nature and feel the warmth of local hospitality. Chatham Island is a historical and cultural treasure trove of New Zealand, and a visit to it is sure to leave an unforgettable impression on every traveler who wants to get to know the country in all its diversity.

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Explore the beaches

Arriving on Waitangi Island, you’ll be greeted by the immaculate white-sand beaches and turquoise waters of Oneroa Bay. Oneroa is the largest village on the island and is home to many cozy cafes and gift stores. You can stroll along the promenade, enjoying the stunning views and basking in the sunshine. If you prefer an active vacation, you can try your hand at surfing or kayaking along the shore.

Winery delights

Waitangi Island is also known for its vineyards and excellent wine. The wineries on the island will surprise you with the variety of grapes and the richness of flavors. You can join a vineyard tour, learning more about winemaking traditions and tasting local wines. Waitangi’s most popular wine variety is cabernet sauvignon, but you should also try wine from merlot, chardonnay, savignon blanc and other varieties.

Nature Adventures

Waitangi Island offers a wealth of opportunities for outdoor adventure. Hiking and cycling routes wind through scenic valleys, forests and coastline, providing stunning views and photographic opportunities. Interesting trails await you, leading you to amazing sites such as the Onetahuri Caves and the giant trees of Kaui.

Cultural Vacations

Waitangi Island is also rich in its cultural history. Waitangi is inhabited by a multicultural community and offers a unique atmosphere where traditions from different cultures come together. You can visit local art galleries showcasing the work of local artists and craftspeople, or attend events and exhibitions to immerse yourself in local culture and creativity.

Waitangi Island is the perfect vacation destination where you can enjoy the beauty of the beaches, taste fine wines and satiate yourself with natural adventures. Whether you’re a wine connoisseur, an outdoor enthusiast or simply looking for a secluded spot for a romantic getaway, Waitangi offers a wealth of unforgettable experiences. Stay tuned to learn more about New Zealand’s other exciting islands and enjoy the enchanting beauty of this amazing country.

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With an area of 285 km2, the Great Barrier is the 4th largest island in the main New Zealand archipelago, much smaller than Stewart Island, the 3rd largest with an area of 1,683 km2. It is also smaller than 900 km2 Chatham Island, which is outside the main island chain. The Great Barrier is also the centerpiece of its own small archipelago, and some of the smaller islands, such as Kaikoura Island, near the port of Fitzroy, can also be visited.

The sedimentary basement rocks of the island are overlain by ancient volcanic rocks, forming jagged peaks, cliffs, bluffs and ravines. Captain James Cook named it Great Barrier Island because it formed a barrier between Hauraki Gulf and the Pacific Ocean – it is not a “barrier island” in the usual sense of a long sandy island near the mainland.

Copper, gold and silver were once mined on the island, and there are still traces of this and other past economic activities. The whaling station at Whangaparapara caught humpback whales from 1956 to 1962 and was New Zealand’s penultimate whaling station.

From the 1880s to the early 1930s, much of the island’s kauri forest was logged. Parts of the island were converted to farmland, although to a lesser extent than on mainland New Zealand. Most of the island is now in a regenerating natural forest dominated by kauri trees, with a few patches of original, uncut kauri forest, mostly in the far north. Unfortunately, the kauri trees are threatened by kauri die-off and it is important for hikers to stay on the trails, stay away from kauri roots, and clean their shoes before and after visiting a section of the forest. Over 60% of the island is protected land managed by the Department of Conservation.

Although the island has introduced predators – two species of rats, mice and feral cats, dogs and pigs – it is fortunately free of some of the other pests common on the mainland, such as stoats, weasels, ferrets, possums and deer. This means there is a little less pressure on local endangered species, including the kaka (parrot), brown teal (duck), black petrel (seabird), chevron skink, Hochstetter’s frog and rare plants.

About 1000 people live permanently on the island. The main employment is in tourism, agriculture and services. There is no regulated electricity and most houses use solar panels and batteries to generate and store energy. Wind and water turbines and solar water heaters are also used. The island is administered by Auckland Council as part of the Auckland Region.

Great Barriere Island has online visitor information and an information center at Clarice Airfield.

Attractions in Great Barriere

Take a look at the view from above. As it is an island, the views at Great Barriere are spectacular.

Glenfern Sanctuary, 20 Glenfern Rd, Port Fitzroy. Daily from 10:00am. A forest and wildlife sanctuary surrounded by a fence for protection from predators. Follow the 2km Glenfern loop through remnant, regenerating and re-planted forests, with sweeping views of Hauraki Bay and bird life. A highlight is climbing to the crown of a mature kauri tree. You can also visit the manicured grounds around the hotel, including the 1901-built Fitzroy House. Free.

Milk, Honey & Grain Museum, 47 Hector Sanderson Rd, Claris. Run by an amateur, but has interesting exhibits about the island’s history. Gold coin per person.

Okiwi Park, 1616 Aotea Rd, Okiwi (near the school). There aren’t many attractions on Okiwi, but it’s a lovely park with lawns, large native trees, a lovely creek, children’s artwork illustrating flora and fauna, a gas BBQ, a bike path for kids, and a restroom in the garden. Mabey Road end. Great place for a picnic or a 30 minute walk.

Beaches

The island has beautiful beaches: long sandy surf beaches on the east coast overlooking the ocean and sheltered bays and coves on the west coast.

Awana, Aotea Rd. One of the best surf beaches.

Harataonga, Harataonga Road. Descend from the campground (where the locals camp) by either taking the right bank of the creek, over the bridge and through the paddock without getting your feet wet, or the left bank, crossing the creek twice.

Kaitoke Beach (from Ocean View Rd in the middle of the beach or Sugarloaf Rd at the southern end). Will you love the juxtaposition of dark mountains against this sparkling white beach? Find the mermaid pools in the cliffs at the south end. Has constant surfing.

Medlands Beach, Sandhills Road. If you like privacy, this might be just what you need. It’s one of the busiest beaches, but many visitors are lucky enough to not see a soul for the good hour it takes to walk from one end of the beach to the other. If you want a shorter walk, drive to the north end of the road, cut through the dunes, and walk north to the creek, beyond which is Sugar Loaf Head. Find the hole in the rocks. An even shorter hop across the dunes in the middle, looking at or climbing Memory Rock if you have nimble legs, and look at the mermaid pool on the seaward side (low tide). Has reliable surf conditions.

Okupu Beach, Camerton Road. A lovely beach on the west coast where dolphins are often off the shore. There is a public BBQ – bring your own meat and drinks for an epic sunset. This is generally not a surfing beach.

Palmers Beach (continue walking from the creek at the north end of Kaitoke Beach). Hammerhead sharks can sometimes be spotted, usually from an airplane.

Whangapoua, Mabey Rd. Long sandy beach. The graves of the 1894 Wairarapa shipwreck are at the north end of the beach, and there are some interesting stone pits for about 100m. 500m south of the dune crossing.

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It is New Zealand – the birthplace of bungee jumping and a unique place for fans of all kinds of jumping from bridges, bungee jumping, riding on mountain rivers at high speeds, climbing high into the mountains and diving into the depths of the sea …

The northern tip of South Island is the famous Marlborough wine region. Thanks to the maximum number of sunny days and the local climate, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is preferred by many New World wine connoisseurs. In the region, one winery is constantly replaced by another, and each offers a variety of ways to diversify your vacation, from biking to the vineyards and tastings to participating in the harvest and wine production.

As a gastronomic addition, there is also the crumbling town of Havelock, which since the end of the XIX century has won the title of the world capital of mussels and retains it to this day. Small-populated, quiet, drowning in greenery, the village on the shore of the bay daily exports tons of green mussels to the whole world.

A former Scottish colony, the town of Dunedin has preserved the architectural heritage of Victorian England. The gem of the town is the old railway station, whose corridors and halls are roamed by costumed characters who transport passengers back several centuries. From here you can take a steam train trip through the picturesque gorges. Another attraction of Dunedin is the steepest street in the world: with a length of 359 meters, the difference in height between the beginning and end of the street is 80 meters! Those who dare to climb up, enterprising townspeople offer to buy a certificate confirming the “ascent”.

Our next stop is the city of Christchurch, which took the brunt of a powerful earthquake in 2011. Many parts of the city have still not been rebuilt, and the Cathedral was the main victim. Symbolically, the name of the city means Christ Church.

The main wealth of Christchurch is a unique botanical garden with collections of rare, existing only in the conditions of the New Zealand climate, flowers, trees and plants.

At the entrance you are greeted by an immense tree, velvety to the touch, with powerful branches spreading out in all directions; a river runs through the whole territory, which you can continue your sightseeing by boat or kayaks; important birds, the real owners of the territory, fly and walk around… Idyll.

But, enough about the cities. Still, the main thing for which one heads to the South is beyond them. We are approaching the self-proclaimed eighth wonder of the world, the Fjordland National Park, which occupies the entire southwestern part of the island. The head of Fjordland is the picturesque Milford Sound. A grand fjord surrounded by rocky mountains with plunging waterfalls. The fjord was created approximately 20,000 years ago by a glacier heading towards the Tasman Sea. You can explore it in different ways: from the ground, from a bird’s eye view, by water – by kayak or boat. We opted for the latter option and didn’t regret it at all. The feeling that you experience when you connect with the natural perfection can’t be conveyed by any words. Dolphins swim in the water, seals bask on the rocks, mountain parrots kea soar overhead, and the idyllic silence is broken only by the rumble of waterfalls. Surrounded by the mountain ranges of the Southern Alps, blue-white glaciers and untouched forests, this fjord is truly a miracle!

It is not surprising that New Zealanders are friendly and carefree, devoid of aplomb and arrogance, not mercantile. Living in such conditions, it is simply impossible to be different! New Zealanders call their lifestyle kiwi lifestyle, by analogy with one of the symbols of the country – the flightless kiwi bird, which can be found only in this territory. Many other representatives of the local flora and fauna are also endemic, so the official policy of the state is to carefully protect the closed ecosystem.

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Free from predators, the island is one of New Zealand’s most important nature reserves – an area of uncontrolled natural forest regeneration and the center of local bird recovery programs.

It is the only major protected island for birds in the lower North Island.

Kapiti Island History

For over 800 years, Kapiti Island has been inhabited by people. We now know about their history through stories and legends told by their ancestors, as well as through numerous historical sites and artifacts.

Many tribal groups have left their mark on Kapiti Island during its long and colorful history. European interest from Captain James Cook, foreign merchant ships, commercial whalers and immigrant farmers also played an important role.

Learn about the island’s flora and fauna, history and customs with a local Māori guide.

Two Destinations

Day visitors to the island can choose from two vacation destinations – Rangatira or the northern part of the island or walks of varying degrees of difficulty. Even corporate vacations can be arranged on the island, for this purpose special accommodation facilities with a larger capacity have been created.

Built with a slight gradient, the 4km long northern island track provides easy access to a variety of landscapes ranging from coastal areas to dense forest.

Tourists typically begin their journey in the Okupe Valley, before climbing up steep cliffs to view Cook Strait before returning on a circular route back to the valley.

“This trek offers a new perspective on Kapiti Island, one of our national treasures. The landscapes and vistas in the north of the island are very different from those of the Rangatira Reserve,” says Kapiti Island Conservation Department manager Ian Cooksley.

Rare birds such as kiwi, kokako and others can be seen during the trek.

Okupe Lagoon

The freshwater Okupe Lagoon is home to king spoonbills, herons and the rare brown teal, while cormorants, terns, egrets and oystercatchers can be seen in the coastal area.

The heart of the island is home to takahe, weka, kakariki, tui, kaka, kereru.

The adjacent Kapiti Marine Reserve provides a unique combination of protected marine and terrestrial environments.

Island Permit

The newly constructed track and visitor facilities including accommodation, toilets and security are under the auspices of the Department of Environment, allowing groups of up to 18 people per day to visit the northern part of the island.

The permit system is designed to protect the island’s environment.

Visitors can book passes at the Department of Conservation’s Wellington Information Centre.

Tours and overnight stays can be booked at Kapiti Island Alive.

Relax and indulge in Kapiti’s coastal activities:

• Tempt your taste buds at the Lindale Visitor and Agri-Cultural Center, where you can sample local cheese and ice cream
• Visit the Southwards Car Museum, home to the largest collection of vintage and unusual cars in the Southern Hemisphere
• Focus on food and visit vegetable gardens, a chocolate factory, cooking school and olive groves
• Put your culinary skills to the test at the Ruth Pretty Cooking School. Ruth Pretty is one of New Zealand’s top chefs. At the cooking school she shares recipes, cooking ideas and secrets in the relaxed atmosphere of rural tranquility of Te Horo
• The Tasman Sea coastline offers many outdoor activities including bird watching.

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The North Island is a sort of preamble to the South Island, more populated and dynamic; it is home to the country’s two largest cities: the official capital Wellington and the actual Auckland in terms of activity and size.

Auckland is where we began our exploration of this faraway land, which has prepared us with a lot of amazing discoveries. It is perhaps the only metropolis in the country. Contrasting and free. Skyscrapers and bustling streets are replaced by quiet streets and deserted parks, and the hustle and bustle of the city is replaced by a spirit of adventure on the shores of a beautiful bay, soaked in sea air and the cries of seagulls.

Auckland is home to the tallest building in the country (and the Southern Hemisphere), the Sky Tower. The TV tower can be utilized in many ways. Dine in one of the restaurants, enjoy the views from the observation deck, take a half-hour walk along the open parapet of the tower, secured by a rope, or, finally, jump from a height of 192 meters in free fall. We were among the extremists who tried the last two options. Unforgettable sensations!

When you drive even a short distance outside the city, you immediately enter a different Zealand – farming, quiet, measured and peaceful. Vegetable, fruit and berry farms, pens of alpacas and deer… And endless grazing sheep – one of the firmly established symbols of the country (not without reason: there are about 8 sheep per person).

A real discovery for us were the vast lavender fields, which were stereotypically associated with the French Provence. Turns out, lavender is not only the soul of Provence, but also one of New Zealand’s many jewels.

Fans of the movie probably know that Peter Jackson’s famous Lord of the Rings trilogy was filmed in New Zealand. However, not everyone can imagine that Hobbiton – a fairytale town – actually exists and you can go there.

The iconic place, which became a filming set, is a wonderful village of dwarves, a magical world in miniature. Hobbiton is a huge private farm that caught the director’s eye when he was looking for a movie set.

The property is private, owned by the Alexander family, and a tourist visit is a well-organized procedure that can only be done under the supervision of a guide. Even a person with no great love for the genre or movie, the whole staged fantasy world is nothing short of mind-blowing. Houses, gardens and orchards, a lake, a mill and even a tavern where you can drink refreshing apple cider.

The thirst for impressions drives us, and we go deeper into the middle of the island, into the natural zone of Wai-O-Tapu, where the greatest number of geysers and mineral springs are concentrated. The small town of Rotorua is located here, which immediately makes it clear that being here, you will obey its natural laws: punctual geysers allow you to observe at exactly the appointed time, on the shaky soil it is better to move by paved paths, in the air there is a peculiar smell of hydrogen sulfide, and bubbling springs are nestled right between houses….

The local national park is organized by several routes, on which you inevitably come across amazing places. Each pool, crater, spring has its own name. “Artist’s Palette”, “Devil’s Coffee Maker”, “Oyster Lake”, “Champagne Pool”…. There are incredible colors all around: due to settling mineral precipitation, trees and bushes are “painted” in unusual shades. You can’t believe that all this was created by nature and not by the masters of special effects.

The earth breathes and puffs, and the processes taking place are hard to comprehend. New Zealand is part of the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire zone, within which there are 328 active volcanoes out of 540 known volcanoes on Earth. Five of the six volcanic zones are located on North Island.

Our next goal is the island-volcano Bely, one of the admittance “to the body”. A half-hour helicopter flight over the boundless expanse of first land, then the Pacific Ocean, and we find ourselves in the very crater of the volcano. The space landscape, clouds of vapors rising from the cracks, boiling black tar mass – everything is so amazing that you begin to doubt: are you on Earth?

There are no animals on the island, the volcano is active, the last eruption occurred in 2012.

Until the early 20th century, sulfur was mined here, but after the disaster that destroyed the plant, mining was stopped, and since then the island has been deserted. Except for brief visits from scientists studying changes in soil, chemical compositions, temperature, and tourists like us.

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Brief characteristics of New Zealand

The area of the country exceeds 268,670 square kilometers (including all incoming islands). The city of Wellington is considered to be the capital. The population of New Zealand is only 4,414,400 people. The state languages are Maori and English.

In the past centuries the lands of the country were inhabited by tribes of Moriori and Maori (Polynesian peoples). Europeans appeared on the islands of New Zealand in 1642. They were members of Abel Tasman’s expedition. However, the development of the territories began only a century later. The arrival of James Cook to the islands is considered the beginning of this process. Later, the strait between the South and North Islands was named after him.

The largest islands of New Zealand are Kermadec, Auckland, Stewart, Antipodes, Campbell, the Bounty Islands, etc. The coastline of the state stretches for 15,134 km. The largest island of the country is considered to be the South Island with an area of 151,215 km. Through it pass the Southern Alps mountains with a maximum point of 3754 meters – Mount Cook. Western areas of New Zealand have fjords, glaciers and bays. The eastern parts are covered by plains with agricultural land.

The South Island is labeled by locals as the mainland because of its vast area. If we consider the smaller islets, the largest of them is Stewart and the most densely populated is Weihek. The islands outside the main archipelago also belong to New Zealand. Only the Chatham Islands have a permanent population.

Weather conditions

The country’s two main islands have a heterogeneous climate. The northern island is influenced by a mild subtropical climate. The southern island is located in the temperate zone, so it is much cooler. The plains of this island are protected from the western winds by the ridge of the Southern Alps. The small islands of New Zealand are characterized by the weather conditions of the tropics, as they are affected by the warm East Australian Current. There is little rainfall during the summer period. The average annual temperature on the North Island is about +16 degrees Celsius and on the South Island it is just above +10 degrees Celsius. Winter in the Southern Hemisphere falls in the months of July, June and August. July is considered to be the coldest month in the country. It is very cold in the mountainous areas at this time. The warmest months are February and January.

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