Holidays in New Zealand

Holidays in New Zealand are different than the United States, in that the seasons of the year are reversed! Christmas is in the summer time, instead of the winter, which is hard to get used to if you are used to having a White Christmas with snow on the ground.

I absolutely LOVE New Zealand! I was lucky enough to spend a week touring the South Island while my Dad who was in the U.S. Army was stationed in Canberra, Australia for 4 years.  It was one of the most beautiful places that I've ever been to, and I would love to go back to visit one day.

Map of New Zealand

When we visited New Zealand, we flew into Christchurch, on the South Island and rented a car. From Christchurch, we drove down to Queenstown, then over to Dunedin, and back up to Christchurch.

Holidays and Observances in New Zealand

All the Holidays in New Zealand information below, will give the 2026 Date, Holiday Name, and Holiday Type. Ultimately, we will have a Daily Holidays Page for each of the Days of the Year, and a devoted page for each of the Holidays and Observances.  Pages completed will be linked up below once they are done.

If a Holiday does not have 2026 after it below, that means that it is observed annually on the same day.  Those with 2026 listed after the date, are movable holidays that are observed on different days each year.

January 2026 Holidays in New Zealand

• January 1 - New Years Day - National Holiday
• January 2, 2026 - Day after New Year's Day (also called New Year's Substitute) - National Holiday
• January 19, 2026 - Wellington Anniversary
  
• January 26, 2026 - Auckland Anniversary
• January 26, 2026 - Northland Anniversary Day

February 2026 Holidays in New Zealand

• Bike to Work Month

• February 2, 2026 - Nelson Anniversary
• February 6 - Waitangi Day - National Holiday
  
• February 14 - Valentine's Day
  

March 2026 Holidays in New Zealand

•  NZ Book Month

• March 9, 2026 - Taranaki Anniversary
• March 21, 2026 - March Equinox
• March 21 - Race Relations Day 
• March 23, 2026 - Otago Anniversary 

April 2026 Holidays in New Zealand

• April 1 - April Fools Day - Observance
• April 3, 2026 - Good Friday - National Holiday
• April 4, 2026 - Holy Saturday - Observance
• April 5, 2026 - Easter- Observance
• April 6, 2026 - Easter Monday - National Holiday
• April 7, 2026 - Southland Anniversary
• April 25 - ANZAC Day - National Holiday

May 2026 Holidays in New Zealand

• May 10, 2026 - Mother's Day - Second Sunday in May - Observance
  

June 2026 Holidays in New Zealand

• June 1, 2026 - King's Birthday - National Holiday, always celebrated on the First Monday in June. 
  
• June 21, 2026 - June Solstice

July 2026 Holidays in New Zealand

• July 10, 2026 - Matariki - National Holiday
  

August 2026 Holidays in New Zealand

• None
  

September 2026 Holidays in New Zealand

• September 6, 2026 - Father's Day (First Sunday in September) - Observance
• September 23, 2026 - September Equinox
• September 28, 2026 - South Canterbury Anniversary Day (Fourth Monday in September)

October 2026 Holidays in New Zealand

• October 23, 2026 - Hawke's Bay Anniversary
• October 26, 2026 - Labour Day - National Holiday, always celebrated on the Fourth Monday in October
• October 31 - Halloween
  

November 2026 Holidays in New Zealand

• November 2, 2026 - Marlborough Anniversary
• November 5, 2026 - Guy Fawkes Night
  
• November 13, 2026 - Canterbury Anniversary
• November 30, 2026- Chatham Islands Anniversary
• November 30, 2026 - Westland Anniversary

December 2026 Holidays in New Zealand

• December 22, 2026 - December Solstice
• December 24 - Christmas Eve - Observance
• December 25 - Christmas Day - National Holiday
  
• December 26 - Boxing Day - National Holiday
• December 28, 2026 - Day off for Boxing Day - National Holiday
• December 31 - New Year's Eve(celebrated, but not a National Holiday)
  

Overview of New Zealand

New Zealand has pretty much everything that you would want - there are  lots of great beaches, beautiful lakes and rivers, and awe inspiring mountains. It is amazingly green and has everything for the outdoor lover and sports enthusiasts!

Below is an amazing Time Lapse Video of New Zealand, from Taranaki Coast of North Island to almost every part of South Island. Presented in TIMELAPSE, with around 100GB and over 17,000 photos shot during a 15-day trip.

Fun Facts About New Zealand

• New Zealand is known for their extreme sports, such as jetboating

• A Kiwi in New Zealand is a flightless bird, that is the National Symbol, and Kiwi is also slang for a New Zealander.

Source: google.co.nz via Holidays and Observances on Pinterest

• New Zealand has two official National Anthems – God Defend New Zealand and God Save the Queen, the English National Anthem.

• The largest city in New Zealand is Auckland, on the North Island.

• The population is currently only 4.8+ million, so the Country is not very crowded. Three quarters of the population, live on the North Island, and a third of the population lives in Auckland, on the North Island.
  

• Always Drive on the LEFT hand side of the road!

• The official languages are English and Maori.

• Wellington, the Capital City of New Zealand, located on the south end of the North Island, is the southernmost capital city in the world.

Top Things to Do in New Zealand

I'm a baby, when it comes to being daring, but I think that the jet boating with Shotover Jet, in Queenstown, looks like one of the funnest things ever!

• Watch the New Years Eve fireworks shot from the Auckland Sky Tower, the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere. 

• If you are brave, you can Bungee Jump off of the Auckland Sky Tower. Or, you can take the Skywalk at the top, or the Skytower Vertigo Climb
  

• Take a Road Trip - spend a week or two touring each of the islands, and visiting all the big cities and National Parks along the way!

• If you like to Hike, visit the town of Hokitita on the South Island, and visit the Hokitita Gorge Track. Further up the Gorge from the swing bridge (shown above), is a popular place for adventure kayakers that is quite challenging.

• Take a tour of "Hobbiton", the film set used in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. While you can take a tour of the town by bus, and visit the hobbit homes, a great way to see more of the area is by Helicopter. Glacier Southern Lakes Helicopters in Queenstown has a  Lord of the Rings, Scenic Tour that also includes a Glacier Landing.

Music

Please check out our Music Holidays Page!

Country Resources

• CIA - The World Fact Book about New Zealand - The Central Intelligence Agency of the United States has a great Country overview of New Zealand.

• NewZealand.com - Official site of New Zealand Tourism, Business, and Investment

Pinterest Board of New Zealand

Please Follow our Holidays and Observances Holidays in New Zealand Holiday Board on Pinterest - below you will see our 30 most recent pins to this photo board!

Click on the SEE ON PINTEREST bar right above, to see all the rest of our photo's on this board, and to Follow the board. New photos will be constantly added!