Places Not To Miss In New Zealand
Before we begin, New Zealand comes with a warning – Sammy AKA creator of RatPack went for 2 months and ended up staying for 2 years! The place honestly has it all, from metropolitan cities, epic areas of natural beauty, a load of amazing beaches and of course, the wine! If adventure is your things, then NZ is THE place for you.
We’ll be sharing with your our favourite places in New Zealand… including:
- Franz Josef Glacier
- Tongariro Alpine Crossing
- The ultimate mountain views…
- AND of course, how to be cash savvy when it comes to your camper rental!
Ready to be TOTALLY inspired for your New Zealand roadie??
Click images to see more.
The home of the ultimate roadie
It’s no secret that New Zealand is one of, if not THE, most beaut place on earth – have you seen the photos?! It’s insane.
You’ve got the North Island – known for it’s insane coastline and geothermal hot spots. It is also where you’ll find Auckland, one of the major cities in NZ and Wellington, the countries capital.
Then there is the South Island – the larger of the two and home to incredible mountain ranges. It is also where the Southern Alps are located (yup, told you NZ has it all) – so think, skiing, glaciers and insane views. The city of Christchurch can also be found here as well as the country’s largest wine region, Marlborough.
As you can see, there is quiitttteee a lot to see and do, so we’re gonna make life easier for you and narrow down the top places not to be missed.
Getting around
Bus
An epic way to see this beaut country is via the bus service Kiwi Experience – it’s super easy and a GREAT way to meet BackPackers especially if you are travelling solo…
Camper
Buuuuut, if the Bus Pass aint YA thing & you want your own wheels then there is no better place for it than NZ…and we can do all the boring bits for you and find you the best campervan with our camper comparison quote service, so all you need to do is sit back and start planning that epic trip of yours (very jel right now)…
with RatPack Travel?
The Ultimate New Zealand Bucketlist
Hot Water Beach
Hot Water Beach gets its name from the fact that within the two hours either side of low tide you can find hot water bubbling through the golden sand – like a natural hot bath!!
It’s a proper bucket list experience! The beach is also a wicked surf spot.
Cathedral Cove
Accessible only by foot on a 2.5km walking track is where you’ll find this epic rock formation.
It is a 10min drive from the famous hot water beach.
To beat the crowds – head there at sunrise or early evening (the perfect time for a sick photo shoot).
Kaikoura Wale Watching
Whale watching is usually a pretty hit or miss activity but Kaikoura is New Zealand’s go to destination to see these incredible creatures.
Get this – there is a 95% chance of spotting giant sperm whales.
The season is from November through to March.
Rotorua
The geothermal world of Rotorua is pretttyyyy damn cool.
An area of so much natural beauty – you’ve got smelly geysers, volcanic parks, lakes and water falls.
The area is the perfect place to take a glimpse at the rich culture and tradition of New Zealand’s indigenous people.
Hobbiton
I’m sure you’ve heard of this one!! It makes a pretty unique day out.
Lord Of The Rings fan anyone? The Hobbit? If so, this is the place for you – a film nerds paradise. It’s also a pretty beautiful place to visit even if you’re not a fan of the films. Who doesn’t wanna walk around a fake village of miniature houses for the day?!
Queenstown
If you’re a bit of an adrenaline junkie, then Queenstown is where it is at!!
In the summer there’s bungee jumping, sky diving, white water rafting and jet boating (to name a few). Then when it turns to winter, the Southern Alps are your playground – yep, you can ski in NZ!!
Mount Maunganui
Mount Maunganui is a pretty little beachy suburb in the North Island.
A chance to slowwww it down and chill out – think white sandy beaches and wicked surf spots.
Mount Cook
The highest mountain in NZ – Mount Cook. This bad boy is 3,724 metres and a pretty epic sight!
The mountain can be found in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park which is home to the highest mountains and the longest glaciers in the country.
Tongariro Alpine Crossing
This is an EPIC spot to hike to see the blue pool in Tongariro National Park.. Without a doubt one of the most popular hikes in the whole of NZ and a RatPack fave…
The views of the surrounding scenery are just UNREAL and you’ll see volcanic peaks…
Milford Sound & Fiordland National Park
Milford sound is a fiord – meaning a long, narrow, deep inlet of the sea between high cliffs formed by glaciers.
Fiordland National Park is an un-spoilt and naturally beautiful spot, you can’t miss it! Look forward to waterfalls, incredible surroundings and ink black water.
Lake Tekapo
Lake Tekapo is a small town in the South Island and let me tell you – this place is the definition of picturesque.
The spot is known for being a sick star gazing spot. It is also home to Tekapo Springs Hot Pools…did someone say spaaaaa day?
Aurora Australis
NZ just keeps giving!! So you know about the Northern Lights right? The dancing colours in the sky…well, New Zealand has the Southern Lights AKA Aurora Australis.
So, if you’re lucky you may spot the night display.
From our RatPackers
Genuinely saved me a lot of dolla and stress, thank you so much!
Steve and I were incredibly impressed with Reuben's great professionalism and his ability to find us a wonderful deal for our upcoming N.Z holiday in 2024. Reuben was so helpful, informative and gained us a awesome JUCY Campervan package. Thank you so much for all your assistance.🤩 I would highly recommend Rat Pack Travel to all travellers. 😊Lindy Jurd.
Great service from Ben, can’t recommend RatPack enough. Got us a great price over a really busy period and got us the van we wanted. So easy and will definitely use them again in the future.
Gregg was very helpful in helping me plan my trip very last minute! Thanks so much
Jenna was a huge help getting me a camper for my trip up through the East Coast. Availability was tight and I can’t thank Jenna enough for sorting and at a great price. Definitely worth taking the stress out of searching and using these guys.
Seems to good to be true but Ratpack are everything they say and more. Helped me so much to choose a van and made the whole process so easy! Big shout out to Jenna and all her help above and beyond thanks so much!! Highly recommend
Ben from RatPack Travel was amazing!! Highly recommend getting in contact with this company if you’re unsure what kind of vehicle is best suited for your road-trip plans!
Jenna was so helpful and informative. She made the whole process of booking a camper so easy and answered any questions that I had. I would 100% recommend Ratpack travel for booking a campervan trip! Thanks Jenna 😀
Jenna was amazing! She took all the worry and stress out of booking our holiday! She was so helpful and patient, offering so much advice and securing us a lovely discount as well! Congratulations RatPack Travel - you have a winner in Jenna!
Messaged on Instagram and within a few minutes Reuben had replied, he went through every bit of detail to help arrange our east coast trip, providing the specification of the van and the true costings without any pressure. Very excited to start our trip next month, credit to the team for sure
Mikey was amazing and helped us out a great deal! Can’t recommend them enough!
Just booked a camper through Ratpack Travel with Gregg. He was super professional and talked me through the entire process with constant updates - absolute legend. One of the easiest experiences booking a camper I've had. Would definitely recommend!
Reuben was so helpful to deal with. Would highly recommend
Thanks for sorting out a camper for us Ben! I look forward to the trip and travelling in the RV you found for us
Gregg was fantastic chasing a great price and was extremely responsive - he called when he said he would, chased options immediately and was quick with follow up communication. The process was quick and painless and ended with us getting a great deal.
