New Zealand is full of hidden treasures, whether you live there or not. Despite being a relatively young country, it has so much to offer regarding scenery and monuments. Here are some of the most unique things to see and do in New Zealand.

The Tree Church

Located in Ohaupo, The Tree Church is the invention of Barry Cox, whose wish was to create a naturally grown chapel using only trees. The projected started in 2011, in which trees were planted and trained across iron frames. The church is now fully formed, and is open to weddings and other events. Admissions is $15 each, and it’s open to the public between 1am and 4pm on Sundays.

Kite Festival

There are various kite festivals all around the world, and New Zealand is no different. There are two main ones consider, and with COVID-19 being relatively under control in NZ, you shouldn't have too many worries about the events going ahead in 2021. Firstly, there is Ōtaki Kite Festival which is on the Kāpiti Coast, around an hour drive from Wellington. This is perhaps the largest, though the longest serving is the Nelson Kite Festival, which is 30 years old and has various public displays and buggy rides.

Hobbiton

If you’re a fan of Lord of the Rings, make sure to visit Hobbiton. This sheep farm was used in the creation of The Hobbit film series, which took two years to transform. Today, it’s still used as a sheep farm, and a tour will help you realise why it was chosen to be The Shire, because its absolutely stunning. It's also something many people will not know about or ever think of visiting.

Tunnel Beach

The title sums it up, this is a tunnel that leads to the beach. If you’re looking to visit a beach in New Zealand (because they have some amazing ones), then this is a great choice. Located in Dunedin, Tunnel Beach was opened in 1983, in which a pathway descends from around 500 feet above sea level. The long path winds all the way down to the tunnel, which you then pass through, and have a remaining ~70 steps to finally reach the sand. The tunnel is dark and a bit scary, with an echo running all the way through.

Tesla’s Electrum

If you’re a fan of Nikola Tesla, or cool tech in general, then Electrum is worth a visit. This is the largest Tesla coil in the world, running four stories tall. A Tesla coil is an electrical resonant transformer circuit which can produce high voltage electricity. Most notably are the violet rays that you can see in its stunning visuals. This sculpture was built by Greg Leyh and Eric Orr in 1998, and is well worth visiting if you’re near the Kaipara Coast by Aukland.

Hopefully these 5 points of interest have inspired a desire for some unique activities when visiting New Zealand, or perhaps even enlightened some locals on places and events they didn’t already know about.