Christmas in New Zealand: What’s It Like For Tourists?

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Christmas falls right in the middle of summer / peak tourist season in New Zealand. Sunny days and long hot nights might not feel too “Christmassy” for visitors from the Northern Hemisphere, but I’m here to help you get into the holiday spirit while travelling around New Zealand!

It’s Usually Cold

Ignore the intro to this post! Summer often gets put on pause as December fades into the New Year, especially in the South Island. Many a beach Christmas has been ruined by rain (not for us — we tend to expect bad weather now). I’d still recommend going down the beach Christmas route if you’re a tourist though, just have a backup plan!

Franz Josef Glacier, part of our glaciers and glow worms in Franz Josef trip

Christmas Camping

Another good idea for Christmas in New Zealand is to head to one of the hundreds of camping grounds scattered around the two main islands. Popular places book out early but there are heaps of not so popular ones. There’s often a good mix of locals and tourists at camping grounds and they have plenty of common areas where you can socialise. Camping grounds would also be a good option if you have kids as there’s lots of room to run around and play with other kids.

Driving During the Holidays

Lots of workers in New Zealand have two weeks or so off over the Christmas / New Year period, which means it’s their best chance to get away for a road-trip. This mass exodus from urban areas makes for some annoying and potentially dangerous driving. If you’re a tourist and want to avoid it you could head to the less popular places or maybe hang out in a city for a few days — it’ll be quieter than usual! Otherwise drive a little slower and expect lots of traffic on main routes.

Shopping

Hopefully you won’t need to do much shopping on Christmas Day as most places are closed. Some food places are open (KFC although not every branch) as well as dairies, petrol stations and pharmacies.

What Do Locals Do on Christmas?

New Zealand follows the same Christmas traditions as most of the western world. Lots of winter themed stuff even though we’re in the middle of summer! It’s generally a time to catch up with family and friends before everyone heads away before New Year’s. Try and get an invite to a local Christmas get together if you can. Christmas food in New Zealand is mostly roast meat, vegetables, salad and dessert (pavlova is the most iconic). We also love tiny Christmas trees in New Zealand — evidence in the photo below!

Cricket at Christmas

Cricket is the main summer sport in New Zealand and you’ll likely see people playing at beaches and parks on Christmas. There are also games on Boxing Day and throughout the holiday period. It’s hard to beat a day out at the cricket on a sunny day.

Is there anything else you want to know about Christmas in New Zealand? Let me know in the comments below!

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Jon Algie

A travel blogger from New Zealand who hates talking about himself in the third person and has no imagination when it comes to naming websites.

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