Plan your travel around public holidays to quickly turn a three-day weekend into a longer adventure.
New Zealand observes public holidays across the year. With a total of 22 holidays consisting of a variety of cultural, national and religious observances, you can take advantage and plan short breaks during long weekends all year round.
Take note of these dates, as you may need to book accommodation or activities to make the most of your much awaited holiday break.
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These holidays are recognized nationwide and may or may not fall under the same dates every year. Should some of these dates fall on a Sunday, then the following Monday will be considered the holiday.
Ngā Mata o te Ariki, more commonly known as Matariki - is a cluster of stars that rises in mid winter, traditionally marking the start of the Māori New Year. The Matariki Festival is unique to New Zealand and will be observed as a public holiday on the 14th of June 2023.
Regional or provincial anniversary days are normally observed on a Monday nearest to the actual day. This means they are always a great opportunity for a long weekend away.
These holidays are only celebrated within each province, and not nationwide.
