Malaysia
  • International
  • Malaysia
  • Australia
  • Netherlands
  • Canada
  • Singapore
  • France
  • United Kingdom
  • Germany
  • United States
  • India
  • 中国
  • Ireland
  • 日本
  • Italy
  • 한국
Sign in Sign up
Profile Sign out
0 Trip Planner
Search Menu
  • Home
  • Destinations
    Map
    Scenic highlights
    National parks

    North Island

    • All North Island regions
    • Auckland
    • Bay of Plenty
    • Coromandel
    • Eastland
    • Hamilton - Waikato
    • Hawke's Bay
    • Lake Taupo
    • Manawatu
    • Northland
    • Rotorua
    • Ruapehu
    • Taranaki
    • Wairarapa
    • Wellington
    • Whanganui

    South Island

    • All South Island regions
    • Christchurch - Canterbury
    • Central Otago
    • Dunedin - Coastal Otago
    • Fiordland
    • Lake Wanaka
    • Marlborough
    • Nelson
    • Queenstown
    • Southland
    • Waitaki
    • West Coast

    Other Islands

    • Chatham Islands
    • Stewart Island - Rakiura

    Explore

    • Scenic highlights
    • National parks
    • Travel times & distances
  • Things to do
    All things to do
    Tours
    Discover Middle-earth

    Activities

    • Adventure
    • Air activities
    • Arts & culture
    • Cycling
    • Events
    • Food & wine
    • Home of Middle-earth
    • Maori culture
    • Nature & wildlife
    • Scenic flights
    • Skiing
    • Sports

     

    • Tours
    • Walking & hiking
    • Water activities

    Holiday types

    • Backpacking
    • Camping
    • Family friendly
    • Luxury travel
    • Weddings & honeymoons
  • Facts about New Zealand
    Facts
    Facts about New Zealand
    Travel guide

    Read about

    • Currency
    • Driving in New Zealand
    • Flights & airports
    • Geography & geology
    • History
    • Our people
    • Plants & animals
    • Visas & immigration
    • Visitor information centres
    • Weather
  • Getting here
    Getting to New Zealand

    Read about

    • Cruise to New Zealand
    • Flights & airports
    • Travel agents & airlines
    • Visas & immigration
  • Getting around
    Find transport

    Read about

    • Buses & coaches
    • Driving routes
    • Flights & airports
    • Motorhomes
    • Rail journeys
    • Rental cars
    • Themed highways
    • Travel time & distance calculator
  • Accommodation
    Find accommodation

    Accommodation types

    • Apartments
    • Backpackers & hostels
    • Bed & Breakfast
    • Boutique & Lodge
    • Farmstays
    • Holiday Homes
    • Holiday parks and campgrounds
    • Homestays
    • Hotels
    • Luxury Lodge
    • Motels
    • Motorhomes

Water activities

You are here

  • Home ›
  • Things to do ›
  • Water activities
  • Thousands of kilometres of coastline, lakes and rivers herald New Zealand as a water sports mecca.

    Sailing, surfing, diving, fishing – Kiwi’s love the water and we’re spoilt for choice when it comes to water activities. Indulging your passion for the water is easy to do and limited only by your imagination.

    Tweet 0
  • Sea kayaking in Doubtful Sound, Fiordland

    Kayaking

    Kayaking is one of the best ways to really explore the thousands of kilometres of New Zealand’s magnificent coastline and inland waterways.

    Photo: Real Journeys Ltd

  • America's Cup Sailing Experience, Auckland

    Sailing

    With 15,000 kilometres of stunning coastline, sheltered sounds and island-dotted harbours, New Zealand has everything you could ask of a sailing holiday.

    Photo: Kieran Scott

  • TSS Earsnlaw, Queenstown Bay

    Boat Cruises

    Boat cruises are a great way to relax and see the sights. With so much water in and around New Zealand, you'd be remiss not to include one on your holiday.

    Photo: Real Journeys Ltd

  • Pack Horse Crayfish, White Island

    Diving

    New Zealand is a diving paradise. With accessible coastlines, marine reserves and hundreds of offshore islands, the underwater world is vast and diverse.

    Photo: Legend Photography

  • Trout fishing at dawn, Lake Tarawere

    Fishing

    Fishing in New Zealand is a popular sport, hobby and pastime. With lakes, rivers and ocean everywhere you look, fishing fanatics will be in their element.

    Photo: Destination Rotorua

  • Surfing in Raglan

    Surfing

    If surfing is your passion, you'll love New Zealand. You're always close to the sea, and chances are, there's a great surf break not far along the coast.

    Photo: Hamilton & Waikato Tourism

  • Wind surfing & kite surfing in New Zealand

    Windsurfing & Kitesurfing

    Harnessing the energy of the wind to skim across the water is a very satisfying way to get close to nature & it’s also a huge amount of fun.

    Photo: Tourism New Zealand

All things to do

Adventure

  • Abseiling / rappelling
  • Bungy
  • Canyoning
  • Caving
  • Climbing
  • Hunting
  • Jet boating
  • Off-road driving
  • Paragliding and hang gliding
  • Parasailing
  • Rafting
  • Skydiving

Air activities

  • Glider planes
  • Hot air ballooning
  • Scenic flights

Arts & Culture

  • Arts & crafts
  • Galleries
  • Heritage attractions
  • Literature & films
  • Māori culture
  • Museums
  • Performing arts
  • Photography

Events

  • Events overview

Food & wine

  • Food & wine overview

Holiday types

  • Backpacking
  • Camping
  • Family friendly
  • Luxury
  • Weddings & honeymoons
  • Winter holidays

The Lord of the Rings

  • The Lord of the Rings Overview

Nature & wildlife

  • Bird watching
  • Dolphins
  • Farms
  • Gardens
  • Horse riding
  • Penguins
  • Seals
  • Whale watching
  • World Heritage Sites
  • Volcanic & geothermal
  • Zoos & wildlife parks

Sports

  • Cycling
  • Golf
  • Motorcycling
  • Mountain biking
  • Rugby

Snow activities

  • Heliskiing
  • Skiing
  • Snowboarding
  • Snowshoeing

Tours

  • Tours overview

Walking & hiking

  • Walking & hiking overview

Water activities

  • Boat cruises
  • Diving
  • Fishing
  • Kayaking
  • Sailing
  • Surfing
  • Windsurfing & kitesurfing

Other activities

  • Casinos
  • Hot pools & health spas
  • Shopping
  • Theme & leisure parks
  • Urban and scenic attractions

You are here

  • Home ›
  • Things to do ›
  • Water activities
Sign in | Sign up
Profile Sign out

Find us on

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • YouTube

Contact Us

  • Ask a question
  • Request a map
  • Site feedback
  • Report a problem

Help

  • About newzealand.com
  • Adding your business, articles and deals
  • Linking to newzealand.com
  • Terms of use
  • Cookies

Our other sites

  • Media
  • Image Library
  • Travel Trade
  • Tourism New Zealand
  • Operator Registration
  • Do business with New Zealand

Ratings provided by

Check out what other travelers say about New Zealand on TripAdvisor.

We offer tailored content for your location

  • Sign in
  • Sign up
Sign in

Sign in to save your Trip Planner or add content on newzealand.com

Sign in with Facebook
Forgotten your password?

Don't have an account? You can sign up now:
Create an account

Or

Don't worry, it happens to the best of us.

Enter your email address and we'll send you instructions on how to reset it.

I remember now...let me sign in

Don't have an account? You can sign up now:
Create an account

Do you want to save your Trip Planner or add an article?

Or

Do you want to add your business to this website?

Register on our operator database

Check your email

We've created your account. But there's one remaining step before you can use it. Check your email inbox. Look for an email from travel@newzealand.com, and follow its instructions to activate your account.

If you haven't received the email within the next minute, look in your Spam or Junk Mail folder, just in case.Having trouble finding or using that email? Contact us at travel@newzealand.com.

Sign up

Create an account

Sign in with Facebook

Note: All fields are required

Or

You have items in your trip planner from the last time you signed in. What would you like to do with your trip planner?

Merge my trips

Combines your old and new trips into one.

Overwrite my previous trip

Overwrites your old trip and replaces it with your new trip.

Revert to previous trip

Deletes your new trip and reverts to your old trip.

Your login session has expired. Please login to continue with your trip planner.

You need to sign in to save your Trip for future visits. Sign in now

Close