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Both New Zealand’s Chinese community and the country’s greater population celebrate Chinese — or Lunar — New Year across the north and south island. Taking place in 2025 on Wednesday the 29th of January, the festival is also known as the Chinese Spring Festival, and is a colourful occasion featuring family traditions, good food, and hope for good fortune.
For over 30 years, the Chinese Community Centre in Auckland / Tāmaki Makaurau has held an annual Chinese New Year celebration now known as the BNZ Lantern Festival. This is one of the most popular events in Auckland / Tāmaki Makaurau, and it attracts tens of thousands of visitors annually. Visitors flock to admire a display of over 500 lanterns, cultural displays, and a mesmerizing selection of food offerings.
To experience the festival in person, pick up a rental car at Auckland Airport and drive to the city from there. Head northwest on George Bolt Memorial Drive towards Manu Tapu Drive, then merge onto Highway 20 and take the exit to the city.
Street food stalls
Music and dance performances
Lantern-making demonstrations
Martial arts and cultural workshops
If you’re exploring New Zealand’s South Island, Dunedin’s / Ōtepoti’s Lan Yuan Dunedin Chinese Garden is a great place to welcome in the Year of the Dragon. Festivities include a dragon parade that runs from Princes Street to the Gardens and is followed by a Lion Dance, cultural performances, live music, and, at 10pm, a fireworks display.
If you are flying into Dunedin / Ōtepoti, you can pick up a rental car from Dunedin Airport, which lies just under 30 kilometres to the west of Dunedin.
Dragon parade
Cultural performances
Food stalls
Fireworks
Celebrate the Chinese New Year in style at the annual Lunar New Year Festival held in New Zealand’s capital city of Wellington / Te Whanganui a Tara. Organised by Lee Kum Kee and the Asian Events Trust, the event has been going strong for over 12 years and includes dragon dances, other cultural events, and a fireworks display.
Easily navigate your way around Wellington from the comfort of a rental car. You can collect one from the airport or one of the downtown depots.
Festival Day
Football game
Fireworks
Street parade
Cultural entertainment
Tourists and locals flock to Christchurch / Ōtautahi for Lunar New Year for the chance to savour a wide range of food, see lanterns, cultural performances, dragon dances, and a fireworks display. The events will take place at the Entertainment Triangle, North Hagley Park, in the centre of Christchurch / Ōtautahi and admission is free.
Fly into Christchurch Airport and drive to the CBD from there. Continue from Memorial Avenue to Park Terrace and make your way to Hereford Street in the heart of Christchurch / Ōtautahi.
Traditional Chinese dancers
Lantern Festival
Street food and stalls
Music performances
Set roughly in the centre of New Zealand’s South Island, Lake Tekapo is a three-hour drive to the southwest of Christchurch / Ōtautahi and three hours to the northeast of Queenstown / Tāhuna, and offers up the opportunity to experience Chinese New Year under the stars. This is one of the best places in New Zealand for stargazing, as Lake Tekapo sits at the centre of the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve.
Fly into Queenstown / Tāhuna and drive north. Take Memorial Avenue to SH1 in Burnside and continue onto State Highway 79 in Rangitata, then State Highway 8 in Fairlie.
Celebrate under the stars
Experience the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve
Celebrate with family and friends by the lake
Relax and unwind
