New Zealand Quirky Attractions

One thing you learn after spending just a short time in New Zealand is that Kiwis have a sense of humor. And, if you do a New Zealand road trip, you’ll notice countless oddball sculptures, and lots of BIG things. They’re everywhere in New Zealand, alongside roads and in towns. These New Zealand quirky attractions make for great stops on a road trip or even a day trip, and we took advantage and stopped at a lot.

Favorite Quirky Attractions

While not as famous as the big sites and museums, these New Zealand quirky attractions are part of the fun of visiting. Plus, there are so many scattered around the country, you don’t have to plan anything. You’re bound to run into a kiwi sculpture or something!

GIANT CARROT

We stayed a couple nights in Ohakune, known as the Carrot Capital of New Zealand. It’s also conveniently located alongside Mount Ruapehu and Tongariro National Park. We biked around a bit while we there, including at the Carrot theme park, with the giant 7.5 meter carrot and other big vegetables. If you’re in the region and need a laugh, you know where to go.

Ohakune Carrot Adventure Park, 4a Rangataua Road, Ohakune 4625, Manawatu-Whanganui, North Island

giant salmon

New Zealand has a lot of “giant” statues. We didn’t have to make an effort to see them, but still saw several of these roadside attractions, at rest stops and near geocaches.

Take for instance the Giant Salmon statue in Rakaia. The South Island has delicious salmon, and Rakaia is known for its salmon fishing. So they put a 12 meter high statue of a salmon in a park off the main road. I guess they figure if enough people stop for a coffee or lunch, the statue was worth it.

Rakaia’s Iconic Salmon, 73 Elizabeth Avenue, Rakaia, Canterbury, South Island

giant sandfly

Of course, this statue is in the West Coast region of the South Island, where the sand flies are voracious. This particular sandfly is armed with a fork and knife. And while the statue won’t eat you, don’t leave your car without your skin covered with clothing and insect repellent. It’s terrible there, but you have to give them credit for making fun of one of the worst things about the region!

Hungry Sandfly, Berlin’s Cafe and Bar, 1205 Lower Buller Gorge Road, Westport, West Coast, South Island

Giant trout

Another big fish? Of course! In Taupo, the lake is full of trout so they have a giant trout sculpture near the lakefront. I swear, I’m only showing a small collection of the New Zealand quirky attractions.

Big Metal Trout, Ferry Road, Taupō, Waikato, North Island

Kiwi sculptures

Kiwis are important to Kiwis. See what I did there? New Zealanders identify with this quirky bird, their national symbol. Kiwi sculptures are all over the country, and I enjoyed photographing them. Here are a few of our favorite kiwis.

Whakatane, south of where we docked Go in Tauranga, is the Kiwi fruit capital of New Zealand, but they also have a series of Kiwi bird sculptures.

You can walk the “Kiwi Wandering Trail” and spot all ten of the bronze Kiwi in this cute waterfront town. We found a few cute ones!

Kiwi Wandering Trail, waterfront, Whakatane, Bay of Plenty, North Island

Downtown Eketahuna features a few giant Kiwis across from each other on Main Street.

A small rural town in the Whanganui region of the North Island, Eketahuna bills itself as “Real Kiwi Country” but we only saw the fake ones. I have no idea what else Eketahuna has to offer, as I just took these photos of kiwis.

Eketahuna, Whanganui, North Island

Another cute kiwi sculpture was in the glacier town of Franz Josef. This was a metal sculpture of the local Rowi kiwi sitting on an egg.

Rowi Kiwi Sculpture, 26 Franz Josef Highway, Franz Josef / Waiau, South Island

You don’t have to make an effort to see a kiwi sculpture in New Zealand. It’s extremely difficult to spot one in the wild as they only come out at night, but the sculptures are everywhere. This one is in downtown Queenstown by the lake.

Kiwi Statue, Lakeside, Queenstown, South Island

Omarama’s sheep monument

As New Zealand has more sheep than kiwis and people, sheep are also celebrated in sculpture form across the country.

We stopped in Omarama for a night and I had to take a photo of this wooly ram statue. I love sheep so I knew I was going to love New Zealand before I even got there, but this statue was pretty impressive.

The sculpture is placed in Omarama because merino wool is a big industry in that region, and has been since the 1800s.

Merino Sheep Monument, 2 Chain Hills Highway, Omarama 9412, Canterbury District, South Island

More Sheep

I had to pose with the herd of sheep, including a black one, in a town square in Hawkes Bay. Located right in front of the art deco clock tower in Hastings, the Chloe and Friends public art installation gets a lot of traffic.

Chloe and Friends, Russell Street South, Hastings, Hawkes Bay, North Island

You may remember Blenheim’s South Island street art including sheep sculptures.

Last of the Stragglers, Blenheim Town Centre, Marlborough, South Island

This one near Lake Tekapo is brilliant as it incorporates both of New Zealand’s top animals: a kiwi and a sheep.

Lake Tekapo, Canterbury, South Island

Tree rex

On our long drive to the west side of the South Island, we stopped for a geocache and to take photos of T-Rex tree. It’s on google maps – as are many of these attractions.

I wouldn’t go on this road just for the tree, but if you’re on a road trip and you can stop to laugh at something, it’s a win.

T-Rex tree, Lower Buller Gorge, near Westport, West Coast, South Island

That wanaka tree

A very overrated reason to visit beautiful Wanaka in the Southern Alps is this social media famous tree. It’s just a tree growing on the edge of the lake but its hashtag went viral a few years ago and people flock to the waterfront to photograph themselves with the tree.

It’s very famous, but the town doesn’t need the attention. Go for the views, the hikes and the restaurants. Not the tree.

#ThatWanakaTree, Roys Bay, 59 Wanaka Mount Aspiring Road, Wānaka, Otago, South Island

street art town

If you’re in the Bay of Plenty region on a nice day, swing by Katikati, or “The Mural Town”, and one of the North Island’s best street art towns. The buildings are covered with murals, all with QR codes, making it easy to do a self-guided walking tour. People in Katikati are friendly and warm, so it’s worth a visit.

Katikati, The Mural Town, Bay of Plenty, North Island

Lord of the Rings Sites

This may not be so quirky to fanatics, but to us, it’s pretty funny that the maps are marked with sites from the movies. There are a lot of places in New Zealand which feature in a Lord of the Rings (LOTR) film or show, even if only for seconds of screen time. We accidentally hiked to some of the waterfalls and caves, but many intentionally visit, and there are dedicated tours.

The town of Matamata, where our campervan broke down, is an example. As the closest town to Hobbiton, Matamata’s tourist center was designed by the film’s set designers, making it a must visit for LOTR fans.

As you can tell, no matter where you go in this country, you’re bound to see some New Zealand quirky attractions.

If you’ve visited New Zealand, no doubt you’ve seen some of these or others. Big or small, hopefully they make you smile.

Let us know what we missed and/or share your favorites in the comments.