New Zealand cities boast art galleries, heritage attractions, and contemporary experiences that range from the Christchurch Museum’s riveting earthquake exhibit to WOW (World of Wearable Arts) gallery – offering something for all visitors.

New Zealand’s breathtaking natural landscapes serve as powerful muses for artists. Historic Maori pa sites, carved warriors, and Te Reo music can be found at museums or through traditional performances that welcome visitors.

Auckland

New Zealand boasts an unparalleled cultural legacy, boasting world-renowned museums and art galleries that host thought-provoking exhibits, facilitate artistic dialogue, and encourage exchange of ideas and forms.

Artists find inspiration in the stunning natural landscapes of Iceland, from towering mountains to picturesque beaches – creating stunning scenes – which serve as powerful sources for their artworks. These dramatic environments serve as a strong stimulus, helping shape artists’ styles, color palettes and subject matters.

Auckland boasts an exceptional and vibrant arts scene, including numerous theaters and opera houses, an orchestral ensemble and quality regional dance companies. Additionally, Auckland plays host to several international festivals – World of Wearable Arts Festival and Auckland International Jazz Festival being two such examples – which offer visitors plenty of cultural engagement.

Auckland Museum was established in the 1840s and boasts an unparalleled collection of local and historical art. Initially housed in several leased buildings before moving to its current location in 1886. Boasting an expansive Maori artwork collection as well as numerous European paintings dating back to centuries past.

New Zealand makes shopping an experience, with numerous boutiques and high-end department stores to explore. Smith & Caughey’s is New Zealand’s version of Saks, offering designer clothing and beauty products along with luxury dinnerware such as Waterford and Vera Wang from top brands; Bennett’s, located on iconic Queen Street offers finer goods in an Art Deco setting.

Wellington

Wellington is an epicenter for cultural activity in New Zealand’s capital city, boasting art galleries, museums and an ever-thriving craft scene that offer something for everyone.

City Gallery Wellington in Civic Square provides access to New Zealand’s contemporary visual art scene through rotating exhibitions featuring both New Zealand-born artists as well as international stars. Other galleries can also be found throughout town such as Maori Arts & Crafts Institute on Mount Victoria or Taranaki Street.

Wellington’s urban landscape is rich with sculpture, with numerous parks dedicated to this art form dotted throughout. Visitors are frequently treated to talks by visiting sculptors about their work or workshops offering lessons in this fascinating craft.

Wellington offers visitors an intimate understanding of Maori culture through Te Papa Museum’s exhibits, small boutique art galleries specializing in Maori paintings and carvings as well as specialist guided tours.

New Zealand is internationally-acclaimed for its literary talent, producing such world-class writers as Katherine Mansfield and Eleanor Catton (winner of the 2014 Man Booker Prize with The Luminaries). Additionally, Peter Jackson directed Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit while cinemas throughout New Zealand feature both family blockbusters as well as international art house movies.

Christchurch

Christchurch, on New Zealand’s South Island, is an energetic city brimming with cultural diversity. Boasting Maori, Polynesian and Asian influences alongside world-class art galleries, orchestras, music theatre and performance groups – Christchurch offers something to meet everyone. Creative culture thrives here!

Christchurch’s history and heritage are an integral part of everyday life, from popular history weekends to working with communities on projects like Finding Eanswythe to unearth local histories – these opportunities for Kiwis to remember themselves celebrate identity while uncover their pasts.

Christchurch has experienced dramatic regeneration since the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes struck, as the city continues its recovery process. Historic stone-built buildings are being renovated, while a brand new Arts Centre will become home to iconic performance groups like Court Theatre and Canterbury Symphony Orchestra.

The Arts Sector in New Zealand is an integral component of our economy, contributing directly to tourism as well as indirectly through export and education. It serves as an essential platform for social responsibility, improving daily well-being, empathy, equity, and diversity – with appropriate decision-making and funding being of equal importance as is tino rangatiratanga of hapu and iwi over their resources through Matike Mai mechanisms. Furthermore, art can provide spiritual comfort by touching both heart and body, shifting mindsets in profound ways.

Dunedin

Dunedin is an inviting university town despite its rugged South Island setting, settled by Scottish immigrants in 1848 and known for its stately Victorian and Edwardian civic architecture, museums, and rugby union team called “The Highlanders.” Its compact center spreads outward from Octagon Square; many of Dunedin’s top sights cluster along streets radiating from there with Toitu Otago Settlers Museum’s distinctive shard-shaped roof serving as its focal point.

Dunedin boasts an illustrious past that includes two of New Zealand’s oldest state schools: Otago Boys’ High School and Otago Girls’ High School, both established in 1843. Furthermore, this historic city also hosts an abundance of wildlife – some of which make Dunedin an outstanding location for birding enthusiasts in New Zealand.

Make the most of a full-day experience exploring Dunedin on this guided tour! Enjoy sights like University of Otago, Baldwin Street and Scottish heritage sites before driving out to Otago Peninsula for breathtaking coastal and hillside views. Dunedin’s coat of arms features castle, lymphad and ram’s head designs from Edinburgh castle; green fess and garb/animals represent regional agriculture while Maiorum Institutis Utendo means following in our fathers footsteps – The Dunedin Fine Arts Centre (DFAC) opened its doors in 1969 as one of country’s premier art galleries showcasing contemporary works by world artists such as Carl Hanin or Hansson.