Thinking of travelling to New Zealand soon? Surely the long days of summer would be the obvious choice, and for many travellers it is – but our favourite season by a long shot is autumn. Why you ask? Well, not only are there fewer people travelling, which means shorter queues and lower prices for everything (including campervans). Oh, and did we mention that New Zealand turns into a colour extravaganza – quite possibly the Instagrammers dream.
Here are our top 6 places to visit on your next trip.
Arrowtown
Arrowtown is possibly the quaintest place you'll find on your travels. A little slice of "cowboy western" town set in a valley of deciduous trees, as the autumn leaves fall, the whole valley changes colour, dripping with orange, red, yellow and gold. If you're feeling adventurous take a short walk along the riverside or climb up into the valley on a 2-3 hour walk to look down onto a carpet of colour!
Lake Pukaki
Lord of the Rings fans may recognize this stunning scenery from the Hobbit Trilogy – the location of ‘Lake Town’ was filmed here, where the water flows from glacial lakes in the area making Lake Pukaki blue and clear. Combine with some snowcapped mountains in the background and you're onto a sure-fire Insta-banger.
Lake Tekapo
A short drive from Lake Pukaki is Lake Tekapo. Home to possibly New Zealand's most photographed church (just search Church of The Good Shepherd and you'll see what we mean) this place has us feeling all religious, or at least gives us an overwhelming sense of awe at New Zealand's natural beauty.
Twizel
Technically this place shouldn’t exist. A temporary town built for construction workers on hydro projects back in 1968, for one or more reasons it stuck around and went on to feature in Lord of the Rings films as Gondor and the Pelennor Fields. Mornings here in autumn are stunning as the mist lifts off the water and the colours emerge before your eyes, and of course camera!
Wanaka
There’s just something about ‘That Wanaka Tree’ which attracts thousands of photographers trying to get that perfect shot… both loved and hated, it depicts a hauntingly beautiful nature. There's much more to Wanaka though, known as Queenstown's little brother, it's an adventure playground in its own right, and preferred by many Mighty travellers due to the lack of queues and cheaper seasonal prices. You're welcome.
Queenstown
Finally, we couldn’t not include Queenstown on this list. A staple of everyone's itinerary, and with good reason, Queenstown is quite frankly an Instagrammer dream! With a palette of autumnal colours set against the snow-dusted mountains that surround the town, it's an epic place to explore – take a walk up into the surrounding hills or equally along the lake, either way, you'll find an abundance of shots that you can happily tag #nofilterneeded. And of course, when the day's over you can enjoy the nightlife barhopping from happy hour to happy hour. Is this place paradise?
So if you're in the stages of planning your next adventure, New Zealand in autumn could be just the ticket. As technically "shoulder season" there are many great offers and savings to be made (including on our own Mighty Campers). Let your adventurous side run wild and check out where your New Zealand trip could take you at Mighty.
