237 Best Hotels in New Zealand

This 100-year-old kauri farmhouse and its buildings are a sophisticated and relaxing place to stay in the northern end of the North Island. Room decoration ranges from modern to rustic, but all come with plenty of space, natural light, and balconies or patios that look out over beautiful gardens to the Waipoua Forest in the distance. Meals are served from an à la carte menu with a focus on high-quality produce. You can stroll through the native bush on the property, or enjoy star-gazing while listening to the native morepork owl in the background. This lodge has a strong eco-friendly ethos and the hosts are extremely helpful. You can even take a self-paced cooking class that covers everything from how to choose knives to aging meat.

A working sheep station meets bygone-era elegance at this unique coastal getaway, 90 minutes from Wellington; the 3,200-acre estate comes complete with an Edwardian-style main lodge surrounded by 16 guest cottages, each with a king-size bed, small patio, and open fireplace. Wharekauhau began as a sheep-farming station in 1840 and continues to house sheep and cattle today—only now the grazing herds are joined by world travelers roaming the property. On-site activities range including relaxing in private courtyards, gardens, or the spa, chatting with the chefs around the open kitchen, and swimming, tennis, and croquet. Hiking and farm tours can also be arranged, as can vineyard visits and excursions around the gloriously remote coastline. The dining room menu highlights the best local ingredients—especially lamb and fish—which can be paired with fine Martinborough wines.

The renovation of an historic villa on the sea facing Marine Parade has created a luxurious yet low-key place to stay. You'll find the rooms meet any taste test with excellent furnishings that speak to comfort without being fussy. The hosts will make you a cooked or continental breakfast and can put you in touch with tours. It's proved to be very popular and it pays to book well in advance.

Spacious chalets and studios, with native gardens between them, are nestled between Abel Tasman National Park and Marahau Beach. Units are finished in natural wood and have high cathedral ceilings, New Zealand wool carpets, queen- or king-size beds, and balconies. Room-service breakfasts, prepared packed lunches, and a communal kitchen are available. Staff can help make reservations for sea kayaking, water taxis, and hiking. There's a barbecue to share and an outdoor hot tub. Book well ahead for summer.

Hosts John and Helen treat you like family when you stay in one of the comfortable rooms here; each comes with a local decor theme (bush, cave, farm, and swamp), superqueen bed, and a second deck entrance. The cozy guest lounge features recycled native timbers, books, a wide-screen TV, honor bar, stellar views of the green countryside, and an appealing outdoor barbecue area and fire pit. The communal complimentary breakfasts—including free-range eggs and local honey—are seriously good. Located on the edge of Waitomo Village, the sign warning that anyone who mentions the steep driveway will be fined NZ$2 sets an appropriately convivial tone.

These rustic yet chic studio and one-bedroom villas sit on a clifftop with stunning views of world-famous surf beach Oakura. The villas are built of recycled 100-year-old French clay tiles and hardwood wharf piles. For bigger groups the "underground" villa, built against a bank and capped with a grass roof, offers two queen bedrooms, two bathrooms, and space to host a party. All units have cooking facilities, the owners provide breakfast on request, or you can drive five minutes to Oakura Village and its many cafés.

This B&B, perched over Matauwhi Bay a few minutes' walk from town, had been supported for more than 100 years by whale vertebrae, which served as the backbones of this turn-of-the-20th-century home. One of the "backbones" of the house now sits in the lounge. Two spacious suites off the large guest lounge and dining area both have brass beds, sunrooms, and their own decks. Another three rooms are upstairs. The Tautoru Room has its own entrance, with a deck and a view of the bay where you can watch the boats coming and going from the Russell Boat Club (the club's bar is a good place to meet locals). Wake up with an appetite; breakfast is always good and varies depending on what you might have requested or what the hosts (one is a trained chef) have in mind to delight you.

Surrounded by spectacular peaks, beech forests, and serene lakes, this sophisticated back-to-nature lodge shares 4,000 acres with its own high-country merino sheep station and nature reserve in a valley called Te Ko Awa a Aniwaniwa (Valley of the Mother of Rainbows). Rooms have balcony views of this incredible area. Full-day guided trips can take you to limestone caves, a tranquil lake, a glacier basin, or to spots where you might glimpse rare alpine plants and kea (native mountain parrot); you'll soon share the owners' passion for preserving this environment. There is a sister lodge at Lake Moeraki on the West Coast. 

If you feel like staying in a "lighthouse" without being responsible for the ships, the two-story turret suite at The Boatshed may be the place for you, though there are other equally luxurious options, and dinner can be a well-earned add-on. Up a spiral staircase, glass doors open to a wraparound deck with views to Oneroa Bay. A long central room leads to a sail-covered deck and opens onto a cozy sunken lounge. In the Bridge Room, bi-fold windows frame a view of the bay. There's also the Owner's Cottage for a special stay. Helicopter transport to and from the Boatshed can be arranged, and it's possible to order spa, massage, and yoga sessions. A Jeep is available for a small charge, but it has unlimited miles and fuel.

At this welcoming B&B between Greymouth and Punakaiki, two rooms in the main house and two suites in the garden overlook spectacular coastline and native bush surroundings, and hosts Jan and Stephen will tell you about the local mountain biking and mining. You should take a look at Stephen's great landscape photography, too. Guests can relax in the family lounge, though guest rooms also have private little indoor and outdoor spots.

This private lodge perched on a busy hillside just out of Coromandel Town has great views across the Hauraki Gulf. Bedrooms and bathrooms are minimalist in design, with huge windows and balconies with spectacular views of the surrounding native trees and countryside. Breakfasts are a delight, and the cozy library nook and "help yourself" fruit orchard add to the experience. There's even a small gift shop stocked with local art.  The deluxe double room is special. Its giant tub set beside an enormous window makes you feel as if you're bathing in the middle of the forest.

This beautiful renovated villa offers three lovely rooms that will remind you of a relative's comfortable country house. The rates are moderate, and the hosts charming and helpful. They will serve you homemade preserves, muffins, and muesli, or a hot breakfast for a tad more.

You don't have to be religious to stay at this boutique hotel in a former Catholic Convent, where the creators have faith in the building and have given it a new, designer-style life. In keeping with its past, the rooms have names with a religious reference such as The Sacristy, The Convent Superior, Convent Petite, and Mother Superior. Amenities include luxurious linens and complimentary snacks, and the hotel also has Ada, an Italian restaurant. It's steps away from Grey Lynn, a trendy suburb with an easy, low-key vibe. 

Patronized by gold miners during the 1860s, Eichardt's is now an elite boutique resort hotel. Guest rooms are rich cocoa brown and cream; all have sitting areas with fireplaces, dressing rooms, luscious bathrooms, and lake or mountain views. Staff are exceptionally helpful and the penthouse package comes with a car and 24-hour butler. Eichardt's also has cottages nearby, with full kitchens, two bedrooms, and a common area.

A central Dunedin hub with roots dating back to 1862, this luxurious five-star hotel is a fresh incarnation of the classic Wains Hotel, refurbished with all the mod cons such as large TVs and premium linens. Rooms are decorated in a sophisticated, neutral-hued style with Scottish touches such as a tartan throw and interesting modern lamps. Desks and good Wi-Fi appeal to business travelers. The Press Club eatery is a take on Dunedin's gold-rush era and presents regional dishes using local produce. Breakfast can be purchased as an addition to the room rate.

This stylish, purpose-built lodge is set on Blue Duck Station, a multiuse tourism, farming, and conservation venture beside the Whanganui River. Built according to strict environmental standards with extra-thick insulation and glazing, the super king and twin en suite rooms share a fully equipped kitchen and outdoor BBQ. Remote Blue Duck Station is a destination in its own right; you can head to the river for jet boating or canoeing, explore the farm on horseback, or find out more about conservation efforts to protect rare blue duck and kiwi that live around here on an ATV bush safari. There’s a café, too, and The Chef's Table Restaurant with dramatic views. Other lodges on the property cater to large groups.

Newly built on the hill behind Tekapo township, Galaxy's architectural design celebrates Tekapo's beauty from sunrise to moonrise. During the day, panoramic windows in each room frame the stunning lake and mountain vistas. At night, the single bedroom suites have expansive skylights above the bed, offering unparalleled stargazing of the International Dark Sky Reserve. The warm and modern interior is a welcome respite from windy and exposed environment of the Mackenzie Basin.

Luxurious tree houses are the star accommodations here, but there’s also a main lodge with a restaurant and hotel-style rooms, plus the salubrious Olive House, a freestanding and self-contained three-bedroom suite featuring spacious dining, lounge, and bedroom areas and 360-degree views. The tree houses, made of rough-sawn timber, copper, glass, and steel, stand on stilts above native trees. Inside are freestanding baths and elegant handmade furniture. Each unit has a wide-reaching view over olive groves (the lodge makes its own olive oil) to the sea and Kaikōura mountains. A spa offers massage and beauty treatments. Rates include full breakfast and gourmet dinner.

Famed for its stupendous mountain vistas from most rooms (there are floor-to-ceiling windows), the Hermitage is also home to the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre, a tribute to one of the most famous New Zealanders. There's a planetarium, the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Museum and theatre—perfect for when the clouds roll over. As the only hotel in the area, tours groups stay en masse over summer, so it pays to book well in advance.

Standing on the end of Princes Wharf, the Hilton resembles the cruise ships that dock alongside it, with white walls and neutral furnishings in chic rooms that allow your eyes to drift to the great views. The hotel's restaurant is good, while the cocktail bar is the best place to relax after a day of sightseeing. The Viaduct Basin with its raft of restaurants is five minutes away on foot.

Set on 17 blissful acres, this riverfront lodge is one of the country's finest and has seen its fair share of prominent guests over the years, many are repeat customers. Large, lavish suites have a rustic-chic decor and open to a view across lawns to the river. Two separate, multisuite cottages are the height of luxury. Predinner drinks, a five-course dinner, and a hearty country breakfast are included in the rate. The lodge can arrange almost anything under the sun and, despite the level of sophistication, welcomes families traveling with children; the team will organize age-appropriate activities and even line up babysitters if parents want to spend some time alone. Although it is expensive, Huka Lodge offers a range of packages—so it's worth checking well ahead to see what's available. You might get four nights for the price of three.

Offering luxury loft-style rooms, the Intrepid brings home comforts to your inner-city stay, and you'll be greeted in the morning with complimentary fresh coffee and tea, and maybe a sweet snack or two. Service is excellent and friendly. In keeping with the modern art deco aesthetics, below the hotel is the quiet, speakeasy-styled Puffin wine bar. The hotel's front door sits in the entertainment hub of Ghuznee Street and Cuba Street.

This unusual accommodation started life on the South Island in 1924—as a boat—which the current owner found, moved to Whanganui, turned it on its side, and embedded it into a hill as an exclusive accommodation overlooking the river and city. It's self-contained with a bathroom, hot tub, pool, and kitchenette, and it's less than a mile across a bridge to the city's restaurants and cafés. The tiny house is also right on the edge of the Mountain to Sea cycling trail and Whanganui's Round the Bridges walk.

Several holes of a par-72 championship golf course sweep past this luxurious cliff-top lodge, which is truly outstanding and (for a price) offers space and excellent food for an all-inclusive rate. Ocean views reach to the Cavalli Islands; you also look over three private beaches—one shimmering pink. The lodge is popular with families, and there are many options on the property for parents and children to spend time together (or apart). Staff are trained to deal with families traveling together with children of all ages.

This lodge on 6 acres of manicured gardens and vineyards is an outstanding example of the boutique home-hosted properties in this region. There are two suites, the Merlot Room (private balcony, en suite with double shower) and the Cabernet Suite (large patio with hot tub, en suite with double shower). Both have a complimentary minibar, big windows, and grand views. You could putter on the driving range, work-out in the gym, enjoy the hot tub, or order up a massage. Breakfast is included, while an optional dinner is worth staying in for; don't forget to take advantage of the excellent wine cellar.

The gardens at this historic mansion, high on Napier Hill, have panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean and the splendid Kaweka Ranges. Guest rooms have native timber floors, American king-size beds, and elaborate bathrooms. Large verandas open onto landscaped grounds, where you can relax by the heated swimming pool; there's also a lovely fireplace in the lounge. Dinners must be booked in advance.

Just 1 km (½ mile) out of the Milford settlement, on the banks of the Cleddau River, this lodge provides riverside chalets with either one super-king or twin bed, kitchenette, and spectacular mountain and river views. The on-site Pio Pio restaurant and bar serves high-quality meals all day. Campervan parking is also available.

Tucked on a quiet side street, these comfortably countrified guest rooms, with strong colors and lots of wood in a beautiful old villa, are within easy walking distance of the mighty Buller River. The rooms are spacious with luxurious touches, including free Wi-Fi. Hosts Daphne and Philip hail from Europe and understand hospitality. They love engaging with their guests (without intruding) and will recommend local attractions and good places to eat.