What is the Capital of New Zealand?
What is the capital of New Zealand? Our capital city is Wellington, down at the bottom of the North Island. You may or mayn’t have known that already – or perhaps you were just unsure and just checking – but I’m betting you did not know that it was not always our capital city? And, in fact, that we have other capital cities, too? (How, you may ask? Read on! It’s not what you think!)
The Capital of New Zealand: Wellington
Let’s start off with Wellington, the official capital city of New Zealand. It’s where the government is based, it’s where parliament meets, and it’s our third largest city. It’s population is 214,200 at the time of writing, and it’s located at the bottom of the North Island.
It has a nickname of ‘windy Wellington’ because it is prone to the gales that blow through from the Cook Strait, the passage of water that separates the North Island from the South Island. It’s a hilly city, and a little bit prone to earthquakes.
Don’t let that scare you off, though; Wellington is a phemonenal city in which to live, visit or play. Some of the best things you can do when travelling through are to visit the Beehive (which is our government building that is shaped like a beehive), learn about New Zealand history at Te Papa, the Museum of New Zealand, and get amongst the nightlife in Cuba Street.
It’s also particularly famous for its red cable car that has been shuttling passengers up the Kelburn Hill since 1902. At the top, you can dine at the Cable Top Eatery, visit the Cable Car Museum or check out the views from the lookout. You can also access Zealandia Wildlife Sanctuary, Space Place at Carter Observatory, the Wellington Botanic Gardens or the Fragrifert Victorian Perfumery.
Wellington has not always been the capital city of New Zealand, however. It’s only been our capital since 1865. Before that, the capital was .. Auckland!
The Previous Capital of New Zealand: Auckland
Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand, and at the time of writing, it’s population is 1,531,400! That’s nearly a third of everyone in New Zealand. It’s located on the upper half of the North Island, on the isthmus where the island narrows.
Because it’s an isthmus, it has a lot of coastline, and the two coasts of New Zealand are not very far apart here. In fact, I walked the Auckland Coast to Coast Walkway with my mum in 2018! It took us five hours to cross the country on foot.
It has a nickname as the ‘city of sails’ because boating is big up here. We have several large marinas and the entire Hauraki Gulf at our fingertips, so many people are into their sailing. There are more than fifty islands in the Hauraki Gulf, and, when you think about the more than eighty beaches on the mainland as well, you can see how this is the place to be if you are into the beach.
What Auckland has in islands, it also has in volcanoes! The Auckland Volcanic Field has more than fifty. It’s an active field, but its been six hundred years since the last one, which was Rangitoto Island (several of those islands in the Hauraki Gulf are volcanoes as well.)
If you’re visiting Auckland for the first time, you’ll be wanting to get a birds eye view of everything up the 193 metre Skytower (or jump off, if you’re brave!), and cross the Harbour Bridge over to the North Shore. You’ll find a tonne of wilderness out in the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park, with something out there for any outdoor lover, and there is so much on the culinary scene to be enjoyed, in the city centre especially.
Auckland was the capital city of New Zealand until 1865, but was given the title in 1841. That means that there is one more year unaccounted for (one more year that we have had a capital city at all), and that’s 1840, when the capital was .. Russell!
The Original Capital of New Zealand: Russell
Russell, a beach town in the Bay of Islands up in the top of the North Island, was New Zealand’s first capital city. Russell is named for Lord John Russell, and he was the British Secretary of State for us at the time (New Zealand was a British colony back then).
Russell is small and does not even have 800 people living there, but there is definitely an influx during the summer when visitors, domestic and international alike, come flocking to the Bay of Islands for a summer holiday.
When in Russell, you should check out the history of the place, sail to some of the islands in the area, and get on a boat trip across the harbour out to the Hole in the Rock (which is Motukokako Island / Piercy Island) to marvel at how the waves have created this tunnel through the rock, over time. We got to see dolphins on the ride out there, and you probably will, too!
Nearby tourist hotspots that deserve a mention are Paihia – the ‘Jewel of the Bay Islands’ and Waitangi Treaty Grounds, where the British signed a treaty with our indigenous, back in 1840.
Novelty Capitals
Now for all the other capitals of New Zealand! No, they’re not as widely known, nor true capital cities in the political sense, but these New Zealand towns have one thing in common: they all have an icon of Kiwi culture that is particularly meaningful for them, their heritage, their livelihoods, and their tourism scenes.
The Kiwiana Capital of New Zealand: Ōtorohanga
What is kiwiana? Kiwiana is the made up word that encompasses all the little icons that represent pieces of the cultural heritage of people who grew up here. So that’s icons like the buzzy bee baby toy (whose wings rotate when baby pulls on the attached string), the jandal (that’s a thong, or a flip-flop – a rubber shoe for the beach), pavlova (a meringue and cream dessert topped with fruit), or a bottle of Lemon & Paeroa (a carbonated lemony soft drink made with water from the town of Paeroa!).
Ōtorohanga is known as the kiwiana capital because it has a famous big blue wall with these icons all over it on the main street. It’s a little town of only 3,000 people and is a stopping point for roadtrippers travelling north or south out of the western side of the Waikato Region. (It’s closest neighbour of significance is the Waitomo Caves, which are world famous for their glowworm tours.)
A Quintessential Activity: A great leg stretch when passing through is the Ōtorohanga Kiwi House where they have real kiwi living (and other wildlife, too). Entry is $26NZD 🇳🇿 ($15USD 🇺🇲) and 1030h, 1330h and 1530h are the best times to go to hear the keepers talking about the kiwi.
The Avocado Capital of New Zealand: Katikati
Katikati is a small town right out on the Bay of Plenty, near the top of the bay. Katikati may only be a town of less than 6,000 people but it has more than 500 avocado orchards!! One in particular offers orchard tours seven days a week and for $59NZD 🇳🇿 ($35USD 🇺🇲) you can secure your place on one to learn all about the fruit, the trees, the processes involved, and sample some avocado inspired refreshments.
A Quintessential Activity: One of the best things you can do is Katikati is time your visit in order to be able to attend the Katikati Avocado Food and Wine Festival, which is held in January, annually. Go expecting live music, cooking demonstrations of avocado inspired recipes, lawn games and food stalls. Tickets are $59NZD 🇳🇿 ($35USD 🇺🇲) and 2026’s festival is on January 10th.
The Kiwifruit Capital of New Zealand: Te Puke
Te Puke, a little town of 10,000 in the Bay of Plenty of the North Island, is our country’s kiwifruit capital. This hairy, brown fruit with green, sour flesh is one of our major exports, and an icon of kiwiana culture, at that. (Would you believe it’s the most nutritionally dense fruit in the world?)
Te Puke is in proximity to our fifth largest city, Tauranga, which is known for being a port city – it’s New Zealand’s largest port. That’s important, as it’s where most of those kiwifruit go out to the rest of the world.
There’s a moist climate in the Bay, and soil conditions are just right for growing kiwifruit (which grow on a vine), so kiwifruit orchards really thrive in this area.
Te Puke is well known for it’s giant kiwifruit statue – (many of the capitals in this list have a giant icon in town) and is home to the Kiwifruit Country (previously known as Kiwi 360) horticultural theme park.
A Quintessential Activity: Something you’ve just got to do when in Te Puke is get yourself to Kiwifruit Country, which is a 60 hectare working kiwifruit orchard. Board the ‘kiwi kart’ for a tour ($5NZD 🇳🇿 ($3USD 🇺🇲) ), learn how the fruit is grown, see the vines for yourself, and sample kiwifruit, kiwifruit juice, jam and relish, and dehydrated kiwifruit. They have a shop where you can buy those products to take home, and a tuck shop where you can sample kiwifruit icecream!
The Kiwi Capital of New Zealand: Whakatāne
Now for the kiwi capital of New Zealand – that is, the kiwi bird not the fruit. The kiwi capital of New Zealand is Whakatāne, which is out in the Bay of Plenty, too, on the coast. It’s home to 16,000 people and known for sunshine and surf.
It earns its title because of the size of the kiwi population (that’s our nocturnal, endemic flightless bird, if you’ve never heard of it), which is only about 350 birds, but that is a lot for such an endangered species.
There are wilderness areas in the country that have strong populations of kiwi, too, but Whakatāne earns the title also because of the proximity of these kiwi to town – it’s easy to access their habitat without going on an excursion into the middle of nowhere.
A Quintessential Activity: When in Whakatāne, get yourself booked on a guided night walk to see kiwi. It is something quite special to see them in the wild because of their being nocturnal, incredibly shy, and an endangered species. There are many New Zealanders who would say that they have never seen one, except, perhaps, in a zoo or bird park. Even with a night tour and a guide, it is not guaranteed that you will see them, but they are worth taking a chance on.
Whakatāne Kiwi Trust runs these guided Kiwi Night Walks and this year, they ran them between April and June, so keep an eye on dates when you are planning on visiting. Adults cost $20NZD 🇳🇿 ($12USD 🇺🇲) ) and children cost $10NZD 🇳🇿 ($6USD 🇺🇲) ) .
The Surfing Capital of New Zealand: Gisborne
Gisborne takes the prize as New Zealand’s surfing capital. It is right out on the East Cape of the North Island – and its location means it has 200 kilometres (124 miles) of coast. The cape is pretty special – it’s the first place in the world to see the sunrise, what with it being the easternmost point in the country, and with New Zealand being in the UTC +1300 timezone. The city of Gisborne is home to 38,000 people and our 14th biggest city.
A Quintessential Activity: For those looking to catch a wave, beginners will enjoy Waikanae Beach and more skilled surfers will enjoy Wainui Beach. Surfing with Sarah, New Wave NZ and Salt Shack Surf School all offer hirage and tuition to get even the most novice surfer out into the breaks.
The Chardonnay Capital of New Zealand: Gisborne
Gisborne is not only our surfing capital but our chardonnay capital, too!
The area’s climate and sunshine hours mean grapes grow exceptionally well here – and half of all the grapes grown here are grown just for Chardonnay. There is a specific 10 kilometre (6 mile) slope in the area known as The Golden Slope, and the limestone topsoil down that slope is a major contributor to the fantastic Chardonnay produced here.
Many grapes do well along this stretch of coastline: just to the south of Gisborne and the East Cape is Hawkes Bay – which holds the title of a Great Wine Capital of The World (and is New Zealand’s only Great Wine Capital of The World) but it’s Gisborne you’ll want to head to if Chardonnay is your favourite.
A Quintessential Activity: If it wasn’t obvious, you must stop at a vineyard for a cellar door chardonnay tasting experience when in Gisborne! Wright’s Vineyard and Winery or Odyssey Wines Gisborne are good starting points. And at the end of May each year is the Chardonnay Fling, a chardonnay festival which you can read all about here.
The Sheep-Shearing Capital of New Zealand: Te Kuiti
Back inland now, back into the Waikato Region, where you’ll find the capital of sheep-shearing: Te Kuiti.
Te Kuiti is home to less than 5,000 people but produces fantastic sheep-shearers, and was home to sheep-shearing 5x world champion David Fagan. It hosts the sheep-shearing championships and, because it’s at the junction of two main highways that run the North Island, why not stop for more than a toilet break?
A Quintessential Activity: Every April, Te Kuiti hosts the New Zealand National Shearing Championships. It’s a three day event and generally part of it includes the Great New Zealand Muster.
The Great New Zealand Muster is a street gathering, a festival, with food stalls, kids activities, live music and .. The Running of the Sheep. A few thousand sheep are sent running down the main street (and then returned to their home farm) .. only in New Zealand!! This is something you’ve got to make sure you’re in town for. In 2025 it was held in the last week of March, and soon, the date for 2026 will be announced.
The Carrot Capital of New Zealand: Ohakune
Ohakune takes the title of New Zealand’s carrot capital. It’s climate and proximity to the three volcanoes in the Tongariro National Park mean that it has an abundance of rich, volcanic soil, and produces a lot of quality carrots – the majority of the North Island’s carrot supply is grown here, in fact.
Ohakune’s population sits at just over 1,200 people, so it’s tiny, and it experiences an influx in the winter when it becomes a popular place to stay for skiiers and snowboarders alike, as it is the town with the best access to the Tūroa skifield on Mount Ruapehu – one of the aforementioned three volcanoes. It is home to the Giant Carrot statue and also the Ohakune Carrot Adventure Park.
A Quintessential Activity: You must pay a visit to the Ohakune Carrot Adventure Park. It’s designed for kids but is free to visit and can still be enjoyed by all. There’s a carrot car, a bike track, a walking trail, a flying fox, slides and swings, and some exercise stations – so a good leg stretch before you continue up or down the highway in the direction you were going.
The Bread Capital of New Zealand: Manaia
Manaia, a tiny town of 1,100 people and situated just below Mount Taranaki (an hour’s drive south of city of New Plymouth) takes the cake as our bread capital, and that’s because of a family bakery that was established there in the 1920’s and is still going strong, exporting internationally.
A Quintessential Activity: The bakery is called Yarrow’s Family Bakers – or just known as Yarrow’s, and they have a wide range of baked goods that you can go in and buy. They even supply the local Subway (sandwich takeaway store) with their bread so why not stop and get lunch, and then head to the bakery itself for a loaf to take home?
The Gumboot Capital of New Zealand: Taihape
There’s a fictional character in New Zealand’s history, who was created by satirist John Clarke, and the character’s name was Fred Dagg. Fred Dagg always wore gumboots and dressed in the stereotypical black singlet that was classic for New Zealander males, and he came from the small town of Taihape, so the township of Taihape (population: 1,700) has taken the gumboot and run with it, and now is known as our gumboot capital – and actually, the gumboot capital of the world.
Taihape has a giant gumboot statue that you pass when you enter into the town, and for forty years it has been celebrating an annual Gumboot Day.
A Quintessential Activity: Time a visit to Taihape with the annual celebration (sometimes January, sometimes March) and ensure to attend Gumboot Day – a family fun day involving a gumboot throwing competition (it’s harder than it looks!), fresh produce for sale, carnival rides and entertainers, and delicious food stalls. Typically entry is a gold coin, $2NZD 🇳🇿 ($1USD 🇺🇲).
The Wine Capital of New Zealand: Hawkes Bay
As I touched on before, the Hawkes Bay region is not only the wine capital of New Zealand, but a Great Wine Capital of the World! The title recognises the quality wine made in the area and it’s place on the map as a wine tourism spot. It’s been one since 2023 and this gives it a status comparative to Bordeaux, France, or Cape Winelands, South Africa!
There are lots of soil types and lots of microclimates in the Bay, which make it a great location for all sorts of wine production. Craggy Range and Church Road are two of the more well known vineyards in the area – labels you will spot in supermarkets nationwide.
A Quintessential Activity: One of the best things to do in a region like Hawkes Bay is to jump on a bike and pedal around to all the different vineyards! New Zealand has a network of Great Rides (the 22 Great Rides of New Zealand) and one of these is the Wineries Ride in Hawkes Bay.
You’ll be able to visit ten cellar doors on this route, and it goes in a loop, so you can start wherever you like. Allowing a little variation for your individualised starting and stopping points, you can expect to cycle – give or take 5 kilometres – an approximate total of forty kilometres (25 miles), that is, if you’re completing the loop.
You can bring a bike, or hire either a pedal or electric bike (On Yer Bike is the prominent operator for this) and you can expect a fairly flat, leisurely ride – with lots of stops for food and wine! These guys can kit you out and collect you from your end point if you just want to do part of the trail, or you’re starting to get a bit wobbly! 😉
I’ve yet to do this trail but could there be a more wholesome day out with a group of friends?
The Apple Growing Capital of New Zealand: Hawkes Bay
Hawkes Bay is just so special and there are many reasons to visit! It’s not only our wine capital, but our apple growing capital, too, and that’s a testament to how good the soil is here. My husband is a keen grower of fruit and we nearly picked Hawkes Bay as somewhere to settle down purely because of this. (It also is considered our peach capital, and really, in general, is referred to sometimes as ‘The Fruit Bowl of New Zealand’.)
About two thirds of the country’s apples are grown here, and that’s why it’s earned it’s title. The soil is fertile, the summers are long, the winters get the right amount of frost, and the coastal breezes contribute to the favourable growing conditions here, too. With thousands of hectares dedicated to apple (or apple and pear) orchards in the area, there is no shortage of orchards.
A Quintessential Activity: An activity that is just so apt for your visit to the apple growing capital is to visit a cidery, specifically, the well-known Zeffer Taproom. I went in 2020 and the photo above is actually of the paddle of apple ciders that my friend and I got to try! They’re delicious, and if it’s a warm day, you can enjoy sinking into a beanbag outside in the sunshine or playing one of the lawn games they have set up.
The Art Deco Capital of New Zealand: Napier
Napier, one of our Hawkes Bay cities (population 66,000), is labelled as our Art Deco capital, and this is because of the abundance of Art Deco architecture found in the city centre. The reason for this is the 7.9 magnitude earthquake that devastated the city in 1931 and the rebuilding efforts that followed throughout the 1930s – done in the style of the time, Art Deco.
Every year, Napier hosts the Art Deco Festival, and in 2026, the dates for this are February 19-22. (They have also started running a winter Art Deco Festival with July dates). Everybody dresses up in attire from the era, and you will get to see parades of vintage cars, screenings of classic movies, vintage markets and shopping, and dance classes. In previous years, you have been able to go to a ticketed event at the oceanside pool decked out in vintage swimsuits, watch airshows put on by vintage airplanes, and attend the street party! If you are a lover of all things vintage, get yourself to Napier in February.
A Quintessential Activity: For those not in town at the right time, a great activity in Napier is to visit the Art Deco Centre. They showcase the history of the city and offer tours around town to see all the art deco architecture for $31NZD 🇳🇿 ($19USD 🇺🇲). Vintage car rides are offered year-round, so don’t fret if your dates don’t match the festival dates!
The Culinary Capital of New Zealand: Wellington
Our official, political capital, and our culinary capital! Wellington is on the map for foodies – as well as coffee lovers, and craft beer lovers – it is considered the capital of both of those, too. In fact, there are more cafés per capita than even New York City! It has the most out of anywhere, per capita.
There are lots of foodie experiences you can get stuck into when in Wellington, but if you’re there in August, you’ll be bound to enjoy the month long Wellington On A Plate festival, during which is the annual Burger Wellington event. Also in August is the annual Beervana beer festival, and coffee lovers should keep an eye out for the pop-up Affogato Caravan.
A Quintessential Activity: Food tours are abundant in the city and The Big Foody is one such operator of those. Their three hour walking tour is priced at $220NZD 🇳🇿 ($132USD 🇺🇲) and will see you visit a Māori eatery, a pizzeria, a chocolaterie and a trendy food alley you won’t want to miss.
The Greenshell Mussel Capital of New Zealand: Havelock
Havelock (not to be confused with Havelock North in Hawkes Bay) is a coastal settlement of less than 600 people, in the Marlborough Region, tucked into the beautiful Marlborough Sounds at the top of the South Island.
It is the greenshell mussel capital of not only New Zealand, but the world, and that’s because the greenshell mussel (or greenlipped mussel) is native to New Zealand. The waters in Pelorus Sound, one of three main Marlborough Sounds where Havelock is situated, are a wonderful environment in which these mussels are thriving, so they’re farmed here and celebrated with an annual Havelock Mussel Festival, too.
If you’re there in time for the festival, you can expect an abundance of food stalls, delicious sea food, to learn a little about aquaculture, to see cooking demonstrations, and to hear great live music.
A Quintessential Activity: A must-do for your visit to or through Havelock is to enjoy some of these famous mussels, whether that’s in the form of a tasty croquette or pie at Mills Bay Mussels Eatery, located on the marina with takeaway options at the ready, or at the Mussel Pot Restaurant, steamed, grilled, or turned into a burger, and thoughtfully paired with good wine.
The Donut Capital of New Zealand: Motueka
The lesser known title of donut capital is awarded to the Tasman town of Motueka, which holds claim to the name largely because of one eatery, The Smoking Barrel.
A Quintessential Activity: The Smoking Barrel is hugely renowned in the region for its donuts, coming in all sorts of unique flavours. This news article does a good job of whetting the appetite (.. a cheeseburger donut!? Yes, please!!) with eggs benedict donuts, crème brûlée donuts … that you can simply see why this is a must-visit place in the area. Just be sure to go in the morning, they sell out of hundreds of doughnuts long before the day is over.
The White Water Capital of New Zealand: Murchison
Murchison, over in the Tasman Region, is titled the white water capital of New Zealand, and that’s because of the sheer amount of rivers here. You have the Matakitaki River, the Maruia River, the Buller River, the Matiri River, Mangles River, Glenroy River and the Gowan River! They have some great whitewater rapids that enterprising operators are taking advantage of by escorting adventure junkies downstream. The Buller River is the best one for paddlers and has rapids that are grades three and four (five being the wildest grade).
A Quintessential Activity: Definitely get out on the river if you are physically able, and with the guidance of one of the local operators, be it Ultimate Descents Aotearoa, or Wild Rivers Rafting. Half-days on the river with both start at $180NZD 🇳🇿 ($108USD 🇺🇲).
The Pounamu (Greenstone) Capital of New Zealand: Hokitika
Hokitika, with it’s 3,300 inhabitants over on the wild west coast of the South Island, is our pounamu capital – that’s the Māori name for greenstone. The nearby Arahura River has traditionally been a rich site for finding this precious stone. The river starts in the Southern Alps and the geological activity all those years ago brought the pounamu up to the surface.
You can no longer take pounamu from the river, as it is protected, but because of the rich history of finding it here, Hokitika is a bit of a central spot for those who carve it and trade it. A great way to learn more is to go on a hikoi waewae, a guided walk option, priced at $25NZD 🇳🇿 ($15USD 🇺🇲) where they will share the history with you, show and explain different stones and designs to you, and leave you much more educated about how this precious stone is used.
A Quintessential Activity: If your budget allows, it is quite a special activity to do your own greenstone carving when in Hokitika. This is offered by Bonz N Stonz and you’ll get walked through the process of picking some stone, marking your design, carving, sanding and polishing. This activity is $200NZD 🇳🇿 ($120USD 🇺🇲).
The Crayfish Capital of New Zealand: Kaikōura
Kaikōura (population: 2,300), a town sandwiched between the mountains and the sea, although best known for whale watching, is our crayfish capital. There’s an abundance of crayfish in the water around here, which is the very reason for which the town was named: kai translates to food, and kōura translates to crayfish. There’s a canyon offshore, under the sea, and it means that there are deep waters with lots of nutrients that contribute to the abundant crayfish supply.
The town has a crayfish festival – Crayfest – held biennially, which is a multiday festival where you can expect to eat a lot of seafood. In previous years this has been held in November, with the 2025 dates yet to be announced.
Something you must do when in Kaikōura is to enjoy some crayfish. There are endless places where they serve it, including a couple of coastal food trucks.
A Quintessential Activity: Something else fitting for your visit here is to go on a crayfishing charter! A quick search reveals lots and lots of operators so there is much choice as to who you have this experience with.
The Garden Capital of New Zealand: Christchurch
Christchurch, the third largest city in New Zealand, is home to many parks and reserves and thus earns its title as the garden capital. From the Botanic Gardens to Broadfield, Flaxdale and Ribblesdale gardens, you’d struggle to see them all, so best to pick and choose.
A Quintessential Activity: For $30NZD 🇳🇿 ($18USD 🇺🇲), climb aboard the little electric shuttle that runs around the Christchurch Botanic Gardens and enjoy a 50 minute tour of the gardens. The shuttles are covered, so a good option if it is raining but you are still wanting to make the most of your time here.
The Cycling Capital of New Zealand: Christchurch
Christchurch, with it’s gardens and cycle paths, is a great stop for outdoor lovers, and its strong network of city cycle trails earn it the title of cycling capital. It’s a flat city and has a lot of bike paths, which make navigating the city by bike really quite doable. The city boasts 75 kilometres (47 miles) of cycle paths now!
This city cycle map is a helpful starting point to mark out where all the paths are. A popular one is the Little River Rail Trail, which is a 65 kilometre (40 miles) trail starting in the city centre and heading out.
A Quintessential Activity: There’s lots and lots of bike outfitters in the city – take your pick and get on your bike!
The Salmon Capital of New Zealand: Rakaia
The town of Rakaia’s namesake is the Rakaia River, and it has salmon in abundance, earning Rakaia the title of salmon capital.
Like many of the capitals in this list, Rakaia boasts a large giant icon – a giant salmon, above the town’s sign.
Salmon fishing season is November until March, and the best time especially is February and March. The best spots are at the river mouth and the tidal lagoon.
A Quintessential Activity: To fish, you’ll need a general fishing license from Fish & Game, but also a sea-run salmon license specifically, as well as the gear that you’ll need. However, if you can get all the logistics sorted and are a keen fisherman, this is an unforgettable spot to cast a line and take home a couple of salmon.
The Steampunk Capital of New Zealand: Oamaru
Oamaru, a town of 14,000 in northern Otago at the bottom of the South Island, is our steampunk capital. For those unfamiliar with steampunk, it’s an aesthetic, a subculture, a fascination with the steam powered machines of the Victorian era, but also a blending of the old and the new, of technology that is futuristic.
Oamaru has a Victorian precinct, with the original stone architecture still in place from the Victorian era, and this was part of the town’s affinity to the steampunk aesthetic. Steampunk, as a word, is only forty years old, but to sum it up, it is an imagining of what the Victorians might have envisaged future technology looking like.
A Quintessential Activity: Something on brand to do in Oamaru is attend the SteampunkNZ festival held annually around the end of May! But, if you’re not there at the right time, head into SteampunkHQ; tickets are only $15NZD 🇳🇿 ($9USD 🇺🇲). It’s a steampunk museum that you’ll only need an hour for. When you’re done, wander through Victorian Oamaru (my favourite stopping place is the Victorian Fudge Company who’ll let you try some of the different flavours!)
The Adventure Capital of New Zealand: Queenstown
Beautiful Queenstown! This lakeside treasure is the jewel in our crown, in my opinion. Named the adventure capital of the world, and known for its adventure tourism scene – and for being the birthplace of the now world-famous activity of bungy-jumping.
This is a place to jet down rivers, jump off bridges, out of planes, and glide across the mountains: skydiving, bungy-jumping, hang-gliding, paragliding, parasailing, jet boating .. you name it, it all happens here.
A Quintessential Activity: Choose your adventure in the adventure capital! But, to be traditional, consider a bungy-jump. The Nevis bungy-jump is the highest in the Southern hemisphere at a terrifying 134 metres high – $395NZD 🇳🇿 ($238USD 🇺🇲) – but there’s a couple of other jumps to choose from, too.
The Kawarau Bridge bungy-jump is the original site, done from the original bridge (43 metres high), the exact spot where bungy-jumping was born, and that’s $320NZD 🇳🇿 ($193USD 🇺🇲).
If you’re not sure about the headfirst thing (I love adrenaline but I’m not sure about the headfirst thing, either!), you can also now do a canyon swing through the Shotover Canyon – $295NZD 🇳🇿 ($178USD 🇺🇲) – or the Nevis Canyon Swing (which is the world’s largest swing!) – $325NZD 🇳🇿 ($196USD 🇺🇲).
Then, there’s the Nevis Catapult – more of a slingshot ride – $295NZD 🇳🇿 ($178USD 🇺🇲) – and the Kawarau Zipride (flying fox) up where the original bungy jump takes place over the Kawarau River – a much tamer option, at $50NZD 🇳🇿 ($30USD 🇺🇲)!
The Takahē Capital of New Zealand: The Murchison Mountains
What is a takahē, you may ask? It’s a blue and green flightless bird, native to New Zealand, and actually thought extinct until they were rediscovered in 1948, in the Murchison Mountains in Fiordland, in the southwestern corner of the South Island!
As such, the Murchison Mountains, while not a town, or even a settlement, are considered our takahē ‘capital’. The area is home to our largest wild population of takahē – about 180 birds, which is on the increase thanks to conservation efforts such as the Takahē Recovery Programme. Due to the birds’ endangered status, access to the whole area is restricted to Department of Conservation personnel, so it’s not somewhere you can readily visit.
Due to the nature of this one, you won’t be able to participate in any activities here, but to see takahē, consider a visit to the Zealandia ecosanctuary in Wellington, or the Tiritiri Matangi Island sanctuary off the coast of Auckland, where I photographed this one in 2005.
And, if you have any plans to hike the Heaphy Track in the Kahurangi National Park, one of the Great Walks of New Zealand, you’ll see them there, too!
The Cherry Capital of New Zealand: Cromwell
Cromwell, Central Otago – a spot renowned for hot, hot summers, and cold, cold winters. It’s this combination that makes the area so wonderful for growing an abundance of sweet fruit, and Cromwell in particular does really well out of cherries. They’re particularly sweet, due to the conditions they’re grown in, and the favourable soil in the area. They’re exported internationally, but there are plenty in the area over summer for those visiting!
A Quintessential Activity: It would be to go cherry picking! Over summer, many orchards fling open their doors to visitors who come and pick their own fruit, but a good starting point is Cheeki Cherries Orchard, where my husband and I went in 2020. You’ll pick to your heart’s content, pay for your spoils – $17NZD per kilogram 🇳🇿 ($10USD 🇺🇲 per kilogram) – and can enjoy some lawn games or a real fruit icecream on site afterward.
The Wildlife Capital of New Zealand: Dunedin
Dunedin, one of our southernmost cities, scores the title of wildlife capital, as you can find albatrosses, penguins, seals, sea lions .. and sometimes whales – and all not too far from the city itself.
A yellow-eyed penguin (hoiho) colony resides on the Moeraki Peninsula, where you may spot them if you undertake the Katiki Point Lighthouse trail at sunrise or a couple of hours before sunset. Although you shouldn’t be touching the wildlife, I was nine when I was pictured here and certainly got to get up close and personal to these flightless treasures.
In the same area is Shag Point, possibly your best chance at spotting whales near Dunedin.
To see Royal Albatrosses, head up to the colony at Taiaroa Head. It’s free to see them from Taiaroa Head Nature Reserve, or you can take a paid tour from the Royal Albatross Centre.
For seals and sea lions, check out Hoopers Inlet on the Otago Peninsula, or Allans Beach, although seals are more commonplace and there are several locations you should be able to find them!
For the native little blue penguin (kororā), the best spot is Pilots Beach. For a 99% guaranteed encounter, consider the Blue Penguins Pukekura Tour which is a $55NZD 🇳🇿 ($33USD 🇺🇲) tour. The guides have exclusive access to this colony at the end of the Otago Peninsula and the experience of seeing all the little penguins come home at dusk and scurry into their burrows just metres from you is enchanting.
A Quintessential Activity: Consider going on any of Dunedin’s wildlife tour; some good ones are offered by Elm Wildlife Tours. They have a few different tours but their boat option gives you the best chance at seeing the most variety of wildlife. They have been continually recognised for the great service they provide and are well worth looking into.
The Trout Capital of New Zealand: Gore
The veery Southern town of Gore, with its population of 8,300, is actually our trout capital, and has a giant trout statue very similar to Rakaia’s salmon statue!
Specifically, Gore is the brown trout capital – of the world, in fact, not just New Zealand. This is thanks to the abundance of trout in the nearby Mataura River. Fly fisherman are actually drawn from all over the world to this destination for its trout fishing.
(Admittedly, Turangi in the North Island, where this angler was pictured, is actually the trout fishing capital of New Zealand, and its up there that rainbow trout abound, but for brown trout you cannot beat the crystal-clear water of the Mataura River in the south.)
A Quintessential Activity: To fish in the Mataura River, be sure to get a fishing license from Fish & Game, and ensure you have all the equipment you’ll need.
If you’re in need of a guide, you’ll find various members of the New Zealand Professional Fishing Guide Association pleased to assist – Lloyd Smith, Barry Perkins, Brendan Shields or Bryan Burgess, to name a few! Hit up these local guys for the best experience on the river.
The Sausage Capital of New Zealand: Tuatapere
Tuatapere is a tiny settlement of less that 600 people in the deep south, but it’s world famous for its Tuatapere sausages, making it our sausage capital.
They’re made in a variety of flavours with a unique spice blend that makes them truly delicious. Currently the creators of these delicacies is Tui Base Camp, which is a restaurant as well as a butchery. They also offer tours, and are predominantly an accommodation spot with rooms and campsites. They are the most conveniently located accommodation to the Hump Ridge Track – New Zealand’s newest track to have earned Great Walk of New Zealand status.
The three day walk offers some luxury add-ons that other Great Walks do not – lodge accommodation, and cooked meals – yes, Tuatapere sausages! for those that opt in.
A Quintessential Activity: Book yourself a stay at Tui Base Camp and make sure to get your hands on some of these famous sausages, whether prepacked for takeaway, or cooked inhouse!
The Oyster Capital of New Zealand: Bluff
Bluff, the southernmost spot of the South Island, and our oyster capital.
They’re harvested in the Foveaux Strait, which is the stretch of water below the South Island – between the South Island and Stewart Island. The water is cold down there, so the oysters harvested are different from anywhere else. There’s more to them, and they’re much more flavourful than oysters from other places, and it’s all part of what makes them so renowned.
A Quintessential Activity: The Bluff Oyster and Food Festival is an annual event, comprising food stalls, markets, competitions and entertainment. It’s a sell out event and well worth timing your visit for. And if not, ensure you head to one of the wonderful local restaurants for your share of the famous Bluff oysters.
That’s a wrap on the capital of New Zealand – and all the novelty capitals that you never signed up for. I hope it has left you inspired to check out some of these smaller spots in the country – and the special heritages they each have that set them apart from the rest. Where will you head next?