Christmas falls in the middle of summer in the southern hemisphere, during the school summer holidays , which run from mid-December until the end of January. The knock-on effects of this are that there are more people out and about, prices go up, and accommodation and travel can be difficult to book. To help you chart a path through the chaos, visitor centres are open for longer hours, as are some museums and many other tourist attractions. Other school holidays hit for a week in the middle of April, the second week in July and the first two weeks of October, though these have a less pronounced effect than the main bout of summer madness. Public holidays are big news in New Zealand and it can feel like the entire country has taken to the roads, so it's worth considering staying put rather than trying to travel on these days.

There are a number of regional festivals which celebrate characteristics of the area and are usually treated as a showcase for local businesses and artistic talent . Cities, towns and villages also take one day a year to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of their community. Although this isn't a good time to actually arrive in town, if you're there already, you can join in the shenanigans. Festivities usually consist of an agricultural show, horse jumping, sheep shearing, cake baking and best-vegetable contests, plus a novelty event like wellington boot throwing - all in the salubrious surroundings of the local A&P Showground and accompanied by the acrid smell of fried onions and the excessive consumption of alcohol.