- In 2025, about 1.41 million Australians visited New Zealand, with Hamilton seeing an 856% spike in Aussie travellers.
- Hamilton’s appeal grows with direct flights, competitive pricing, and easy access to North Island attractions.
- Visitors can explore Hamilton Gardens, the Waikato River scenery, and outdoor walking and cycling trails.
Jumping over the ditch has never been easier for Australians and New Zealanders in recent years, trading surfing tips for waterfall recommendations as more than 2.8 million travellers look across the Tasman at their neighbours for a change of scenery.
Last year alone, about 1.41 million Australians visited New Zealand, about 40–45 % of all international arrivals – making Australia the largest source of international visitors to NZ, thanks, in part, to an increase in trans‑Tasman flights and more accessible travel options.
For reference, around 1.39 million New Zealanders made it over to Australia over the same period, making it their top overseas destination by a wide margin, and a healthy two-way share between the top neighbouring destinations.
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And it’s more than just the typical bucket list destinations that have benefited, with Hamilton, New Zealand’s fourth largest city, enjoying a huge 856% jump in Australian visitors this year, according to recent Skyscanner data.
Not usually top of the New Zealand bucket lists for Australian travellers, Hamilton’s growing appeal has largely benefitted from more direct flights and competitive pricing in recent years, encouraging tourists to look beyond the typical NZ hotspots such as Queenstown, a hotbed for the country’s best hotels and Airbnbs, Milford Sound, or Rotorua for NZ travel.
Hamilton Gardens, Waikato River scenery, outdoor activities and walking/cycling trails mean that Hamilton has much of the same appeal as NZ’s more well-trodden recommendations.
And for fans of The Lord of the Rings, Hamilton represents a convenient gateway to several iconic North Island filming locations, with Matamata (or Hobbiton as it’s now more affectionately known) just 45 minutes’ drive, where the Shire was brought to life.
While not an exact filming site, the Waitomo Caves (about 1 hour from Hamilton) are often included in LOTR-themed itineraries for their otherworldly, glowworm-lit underground scenery.
So with Hamilton as a base, fans can easily experience a balance of comfort, culture, and convenience, exploring a mix of on-set locations and Middle-earth-inspired adventures and discovering the best of New Zealand’s iconic North Island. And with flights landing faster than you can get to the end of a Spotify playlist, it’s no surprise to see tops the chart for Aussie travellers in 2026 by some distance.
