Wandering Well · Country

New Zealand.

Less-touristed places, sorted by Wander Well Score.

Mount Maunganui, New Zealand
Silver
Mountain villages

Mount Maunganui

New Zealand

A photogenic seaside suburb of Tauranga on New Zealand's North Island, Mount Maunganui takes its name from the large lava dome — known in Māori as Mauao, mea…

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Alexandra, New Zealand
Silver
Wine country

Alexandra

New Zealand

Sitting at the confluence of the Clutha and Manuherikia rivers in Central Otago, Alexandra is a photogenic little town on New Zealand's South Island, set aga…

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Lower Hutt, New Zealand
Bronze
Mountain villages

Lower Hutt

New Zealand

A walkable waterfront city in New Zealand's Wellington region, Lower Hutt sits along the eastern shores of Wellington Harbour at the southern end of the Hutt…

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Oamaru, New Zealand
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Oamaru

New Zealand

Victorian buildings cut from fine white local limestone give Oamaru a distinctive streetscape, and the town also sits beside penguin colonies on the South Is…

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Pauanui, New Zealand
Silver
Coast & island escapes

Pauanui

New Zealand

This white-sand Pacific beach, forested hills with scenic viewpoints, and a harbour-side setting make this little holiday village on the Coromandel Peninsula…

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Paekakariki, New Zealand
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Paekakariki

New Zealand

This compact beachside village on New Zealand's North Island, Paekākāriki sits where the Tasman Sea meets the foot of the Akatarawa Ranges on the Kāpiti Coast.

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Greymouth, New Zealand
Bronze
Mountain villages

Greymouth

New Zealand

This small South Island town sits where the Grey River meets the Tasman Sea, making it a natural base for exploring the West Coast region of New Zealand.

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Tolaga Bay, New Zealand
Silver
Mountain villages

Tolaga Bay

New Zealand

This small East Coast village on New Zealand's North Island, Tolaga Bay sits directly on the water and is known for its long 1920s wharf — the second longest…

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Collingwood, New Zealand
Silver
Coast & island escapes

Collingwood

New Zealand

A compact waterfront settlement at the far north-west tip of New Zealand's South Island, Collingwood sits on Golden Bay with Kahurangi National Park and Fare…

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Clyde, New Zealand
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Clyde

New Zealand

This low-rise Otago town spread across a wide river valley, with arid ranges rising behind, a handful of cafés punching above its size, and the Clutha River…

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Waihi, New Zealand
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Waihi

New Zealand

Gold-mining history defines this small North Island town at the foot of the Coromandel Peninsula, with a compact centre offering cafés, restaurants, and a co…

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Cromwell, New Zealand
Bronze
Wine country

Cromwell

New Zealand

Small Central Otago town on the shore of Lake Dunstan, Cromwell sits at the heart of New Zealand's Central Otago wine region and is surrounded by orchards kn…

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Waihi Beach, New Zealand
Silver
Coast & island escapes

Waihi Beach

New Zealand

A long sandy beach at the western edge of the Bay of Plenty anchors this small North Island coastal town, with the undeveloped Orokawa Bay and its native bus…

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Taihape, New Zealand
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Taihape

New Zealand

A small New Zealand North Island town with a handsome early-twentieth-century town hall in pale green and white, serving as a gateway to the upland Rangitike…

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Whangarei, New Zealand
Gold

Whangarei

New Zealand

New Zealand's northernmost city sits on the water in the Northland region, with a walkable centre that holds a dense food-and-drink scene.

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Whitianga, New Zealand
Bronze
Coast & island escapes

Whitianga

New Zealand

A seaside town on Mercury Bay, on the east coast of New Zealand's Coromandel Peninsula, Whitianga sits on Buffalo Beach and has a café and restaurant scene t…

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Whangamata, New Zealand
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Whangamata

New Zealand

A pocket-sized beach town on the southeast coast of the Coromandel Peninsula with two ocean beaches safe for swimming and surfing, a harbour, and a café and…

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Te Kuiti, New Zealand
Gold
Mountain villages

Te Kuiti

New Zealand

A small town in New Zealand's King Country region that bills itself as the sheep shearing capital of the world, hosting the annual New Zealand National Shear…

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Hanmer Springs, New Zealand
Silver
Mountain villages

Hanmer Springs

New Zealand

Hot-springs village in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island, Hanmer Springs sits at the base of Conical Hill with mountain terrain on all side…

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Thames, New Zealand
Silver
Mountain villages

Thames

New Zealand

Sitting at the foot of the Coromandel ranges on the Firth of Thames, this tiny New Zealand town offers mountain terrain, waterfront access, and a café and re…

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Tokoroa, New Zealand
Bronze
Coast & island escapes

Tokoroa

New Zealand

This compact Waikato town in New Zealand's North Island has a central core with cafés and restaurants and an unusually high concentration of historic churche…

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Raglan, New Zealand
Silver

Raglan

New Zealand

A little New Zealand harbour town on the Waikato coast, Raglan draws independent travellers with volcanic black-sand beaches, reliable surf, upland scenery n…

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Ruakaka, New Zealand
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Ruakaka

New Zealand

A modest beachside village on Bream Bay in Northland, Ruakākā sits a short drive south of Whangārei on New Zealand's North Island.

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Waikanae, New Zealand
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Waikanae

New Zealand

A beach town on New Zealand's Kāpiti Coast, Waikanae sits beside a long stretch of sand, the Waikanae River estuary, and within reach of Kapiti Island and it…

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Pukekohe, New Zealand
Bronze
Coast & island escapes

Pukekohe

New Zealand

South Auckland town with a café and restaurant scene that punches above its weight, Pukekohe sits at the southern edge of the Auckland Region between the Man…

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Taumarunui, New Zealand
Silver
Mountain villages

Taumarunui

New Zealand

Sitting on the upper Whanganui River in New Zealand's central North Island, Taumarunui is a pocket-sized King Country town with a café and restaurant scene i…

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Kaeo, New Zealand
Bronze
Mountain villages

Kaeo

New Zealand

A compact township in New Zealand's Far North District, Kaeo sits in mountain terrain beside the Kaio River, with the surrounding hills and waterway shaping…

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Snells Beach, New Zealand
Silver
Wine country

Snells Beach

New Zealand

A small coastal town on the Mahurangi Peninsula north of Auckland, Snells Beach sits directly on Kawau Bay with views east to Kawau Island, and is within rea…

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Tuakau, New Zealand
Gold

Tuakau

New Zealand

A tiny New Zealand town at the foot of the Bombay Hills, Tuakau centres on a handsome red-brick and cream Memorial Hall that anchors its compact main street…

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Roxburgh, New Zealand
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Roxburgh

New Zealand

Little village on the banks of the Clutha River in Central Otago, Roxburgh is one of New Zealand's significant apple-growing regions, with cherries and apric…

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Ohakune, New Zealand
Bronze
Mountain villages

Ohakune

New Zealand

Modest ski and tramping base on the southern edge of Tongariro National Park in New Zealand's North Island, Ohakune sits close to Mount Ruapehu's active volc…

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Omokoroa, New Zealand
Bronze
Coast & island escapes

Omokoroa

New Zealand

This modest waterfront town on the harbour in New Zealand's Western Bay of Plenty, Ōmokoroa began as a rural holiday village and is now growing rapidly as a…

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Raetihi, New Zealand
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Raetihi

New Zealand

A modest village in New Zealand's central North Island, Raetihi sits in a valley between Tongariro and Whanganui National Parks, with views of the three volc…

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Huntly, New Zealand
Bronze
Inland waterside towns

Huntly

New Zealand

This small New Zealand town that straddles the Waikato River, Huntly has a central core with cafés and restaurants and direct access to the water's edge.

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Helensville, New Zealand
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Helensville

New Zealand

This small town on the tidal Kaipara River in New Zealand's Auckland Region, Helensville sits near the southern end of the expansive Kaipara Harbour, a short…

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Kaiwaka, New Zealand
Bronze
Coast & island escapes

Kaiwaka

New Zealand

This small Northland village sits where the Kaiwaka River meets the Wairau River, draining toward the Kaipara Harbour, and offers a disproportionate number o…

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Oakura, New Zealand
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Oakura

New Zealand

Small beachside village in Taranaki, on New Zealand's western North Island, Ōakura is built around its beach — one of the first Blue Flag accredited beaches…

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Tirau, New Zealand
Silver
Coast & island escapes

Tirau

New Zealand

Small highway-junction village in the South Waikato District of New Zealand's North Island, Tīrau has developed a café and restaurant scene that punches abov…

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Morrinsville, New Zealand
Bronze
Coast & island escapes

Morrinsville

New Zealand

This small Waikato town on New Zealand's North Island serves as the hub of the country's most concentrated dairy farming area, and its compact centre holds a…

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Warkworth, New Zealand
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Warkworth

New Zealand

A small town on the Mahurangi River in Auckland Region's north, Warkworth has a café and restaurant scene that is unusually rich for its size.

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Whakarewarewa, New Zealand
Bronze
Coast & island escapes

Whakarewarewa

New Zealand

Whakarewarewa is a geothermal area in Rotorua, on New Zealand's North Island, where Māori have lived continuously since around 1325, using the valley's heat…

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Takaka, New Zealand
Bronze
Inland waterside towns

Takaka

New Zealand

A tiny village on the water at the southeastern end of Golden Bay, on New Zealand's South Island, Takaka offers a café and restaurant scene that punches abov…

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Havelock North, New Zealand
Silver
Wine country

Havelock North

New Zealand

A modest town in Hawke's Bay on New Zealand's North Island, Havelock North sits among vineyards and offers a café and restaurant scene that punches above its…

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Putaruru, New Zealand
Bronze
Coast & island escapes

Putaruru

New Zealand

A pocket-sized New Zealand North Island town set beside a stream at the foot of the Mamaku Ranges, with a tidy central café scene and a well-kept timber chur…

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Waikouaiti, New Zealand
Bronze
Coast & island escapes

Waikouaiti

New Zealand

This modest East Otago highway town on New Zealand's South Island, where a fish-and-chip shop fronts the main road near the coast and the Waikouaiti River mo…

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Pokeno, New Zealand
Bronze
Coast & island escapes

Pokeno

New Zealand

A small New Zealand town sitting at a busy highway junction south of Auckland, with rolling green hills stretching across the horizon and easy road access to…

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Wellsford, New Zealand
Silver
Coast & island escapes

Wellsford

New Zealand

A pocket-sized highway town on the Northland Peninsula where State Highways 1 and 16 meet, Wellsford sits near the Kaipara Harbour and offers a modest café a…

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Takanini, New Zealand
Silver
Charming old-world towns

Takanini

New Zealand

This southern suburb of Auckland on the shores of the Pahurehure Inlet, Takanini has a walkable centre with cafés and restaurants across two shopping precinc…

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Papakura, New Zealand
Silver

Papakura

New Zealand

A South Auckland suburb on the shores of the Pahurehure Inlet, Papakura has a walkable centre with cafés, restaurants, and a concentration of historic churches.

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Katikati, New Zealand
Bronze
Coast & island escapes

Katikati

New Zealand

Katikati, a small town on Tauranga Harbour's northern reaches in New Zealand's North Island, is known for the outdoor murals painted across its commercial bu…

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