Discovering New Zealand’s Greatest Cities

This article is a guest post by our friends at Transfercar, a car rental Australia service that provides connects travelers with rental car relocation needs, enabling free rental car use between cities in Australia and New Zealand.  Keep an eye out for future posts on how to use their service in combination with hotel and airline points for more free travel ideas!

New Zealand’s Greatest Cities

New Zealand enjoys a reputation as one of the most beautiful countries in the world.  Whenever the subject comes up, however, most of the conversation turns to the stunning coastal areas, the beautiful sounds, the dense forests, or the awe-inspiring wine regions.

The cities of New Zealand unquestionably get a bum deal. They are some of the best on the planet, having to suffer only because the rest of the country is a cut above most other locations, too.

With that in mind, it is time to show some love to the very best cities in New Zealand, and remember that they, too, go a long way to making the country such a great one.

Wellington

New Zealand’s capital city calls itself the capital of cool. Is that a fair reflection or desperation for attention? We are happy to announce that they are definitely on the right track with that description. On a global level, too, not just in terms of New Zealand itself or the Southern Hemisphere.

Photo taken from Wellington Botanic Garden lookout in Kelburn, Wellington, New Zealand, looking East. Wellington Cable Car parked over the maintenance pit at Kelburn station. Doors are open. Kelburn Park is undergoing resurfacing in preparation for Cricket season. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Wellington Zoo and the Museum of New Zealand are both great places for culture and heritage while the Wellington Cable Car starts at the city’s main shopping street and heads high above it. For great views, the latter is somewhere you simply have to head.

Stay at the Cambridge Hotel, a stunning heritage building, and grab something to eat at the Boulcott Street Bistro. The city is right at the south of the North Island, perfect for taking the Cook Strait ferry to South Island.

Auckland

Alternatively, you might head to the top of North Island to Auckland, one of the most modern and desirable cities in the world. More than just a city, Auckland gives you access to stunning nature reserves, woodland, nature trails, and some of the most historic places in the whole country.

Auckland waterfront at night (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Auckland is another great zoo city, but your first choice should be a trip to the observation deck of Sky Tower, New Zealand’s tallest building. While you’re there, have a dining experience with a difference, whether it is gourmet food or a simple sandwich and a coffee.

Sky City has a hotel, too, but The Langham is a great place to stay if you want to get away from spending all of your time in Auckland in one city.

Christchurch

You cannot do a ‘discover New Zealand’ piece and not talk about the South Island. Christchurch is our city of choice, especially given the work that has gone into rebuilding the city following 2010s devastating earthquake.

Make a trip to Christchurch all about the great outdoors, with botanical gardens, fountains, and open spaces almost everywhere you look. The Christchurch Art Gallery, with its distinct shape and mirrored exterior, is also a great place to head.

Stay at The George Hotel in the centre of the city. The food on offer there is divine, but to try something a little different head to Tiffany’s, just a short distance away.

You still have time to discover the countryside, glaciers, snow-capped peaks, and everything else that makes New Zealand great, too. Just don’t forget these amazing cities!