New Zealand’s Visitor Information Centres
As you start travelling around New Zealand, you will notice these “i-SITEs” more and more. To clear things up, we made this quick guide to what is the i-SITE in New Zealand?
With more than 50 i-SITEs in New Zealand, these tourist information centres are a hub of information on local activities and accommodation. They are a free service to help plan and book your travel. Plus, it’s just a great place to stock up on leaflets.
Check out the quick guide to i-SITEs in New Zealand below to find out their services, as well as some i-SITEs that have become an attraction on their own.
While you’re here, find more essential travel advice in the 30 Tips for Travelling in New Zealand.
Table of Contents
A Quick Guide to the i-SITE
What are these places with the big ‘i’? This short guide will answer these questions:
- What are the i-SITEs (visitor information centre)?
- Where are the i-SITEs in New Zealand?
- What funky i-SITEs can I visit?
- What services do the i-SITEs provide?
© Hamilton Waikato TourismWhat are the i-SITEs?
The i-SITE brand was created by Tourism New Zealand in 1990. It is New Zealand’s official visitor information network, with over 60 i-SITEs located nationwide in main cities and key tourist destinations.
It allows accredited members to open tourist information centres across the country. In exchange, i-SITE members offer booking services to tourists much like a travel agency.
With over 350 expert staff across New Zealand, your local i-SITE visitor centre is there to answer your questions, provide free maps and point you in the right direction. The experts can assist with transport bookings including buses, rail, rental cars and domestic flights, as well as accommodation and activities nationwide.
Staff can provide advice about the best things to see and do, where to stay, where to eat like a local, events in the area and how to get the most out of your visit, including weather and safety information. Many i-SITEs also offer free Wi-Fi and multilingual staff.
As towns and cities in New Zealand are quite small, i-SITEs often become a landmark in each city, being a main pick-up point for service providers. Getting to know the location of your closest i-SITE is a must when arriving in a new town! Don’t forget to check the bottom of this article for advice on how to best use your local i-SITE.
© NZPocketGuide.comi-SITE Locations
With many locations across the country, i-SITEs are never far away when you need local advice, maps or help with bookings. Here’s a breakdown of i-SITE locations across New Zealand:
Northland
- Kaitāia i-SITE – Te Ahu, Cnr Matthews Ave & South Street, Kaitāia
- Hokianga i-SITE – 29 Hokianga Harbour Drive, Ōpononi
- Bay of Islands (Paihia) i-SITE – The Wharf, Marsden Road, Paihia
- Whangārei i-SITE – 92 Otaika Road, Raumanga, Whangārei
Auckland
- Auckland i-SITE – Shop 1, 188 Quay Street, Auckland
Waikato
- Te Awamutu i-SITE – 1 Gorst Avenue, Te Awamutu
Coromandel / Bay of Plenty / Rotorua
- Whitianga i-SITE – 66 Albert Street, Whitianga
- Waihi i-SITE – 126 Seddon Street, Waihi
- Tauranga i-SITE – 1 Devonport Road, Tauranga
- Mount Maunganui i-SITE – Maunganui Road, Mount Maunganui
- Rotorua i-SITE – 1167 Fenton Street, Rotorua
- 3Mirage i-SITE – 1089 Arawa Street, Rotorua
- Redwoods i-SITE – Tītokorangi Drive, Rotorua
- Waipa i-SITE – Waipa Mountain Bike Complex, Waipa State Mill Road, Rotorua
- Tawa i-SITE – Te Pūtake o Tawa MTB Park, Tarawera Road, Rotorua
- Whakatāne i-SITE – 144 The Strand, Whakatāne
- Ōpōtiki i-SITE – 70 Bridge Street, Ōpōtiki
- Kawerau i-SITE – Plunket Street, Kawerau
East Coast (Gisborne & Hawke’s Bay)
- Gisborne i-SITE – 209 Grey Street, Gisborne
- Wairoa i-SITE – 190 Marine Parade, Wairoa
- Napier i-SITE – 100 Marine Parade, Napier
- Hastings i-SITE – 319 Heretaunga Street East, Hastings
- Havelock North i-SITE – Cnr Te Aute & Middle Roads, Havelock North
Lake Taupō / Ruapehu
- Taumarunui i-SITE – Railway Station, Hakiaha Street, Taumarunui
- Ohakune i-SITE – 54 Clyde Street, Ohakune
Taranaki / Whanganui / Manawatū
- New Plymouth i-SITE – Puke Ariki Store, 65 St Aubyn Street, New Plymouth
- Stratford i-SITE – Stratford District Library, 54 Miranda Street, Stratford
- South Taranaki (Hāwera) i-SITE – 121 High Street, Hāwera
- Whanganui i-SITE – 31 Taupō Quay, Whanganui
- Palmerston North i-SITE – The Square, Palmerston North
- Tararua i-SITE (Woodville) – 45 Vogel Street, Woodville
- Foxton i-SITE – Cnr Main & Wharf Streets, Foxton
- Levin i-SITE – Te Takere Centre, 10 Bath Street, Levin
Wellington / Wairarapa
- Wellington i-SITE – Tākina, 50 Cable Street, Wellington
- Martinborough i-SITE – The Square, Martinborough
Nelson / Marlborough
- Picton i-SITE – The Foreshore, Picton
- Blenheim i-SITE – 8 Sinclair Street, Blenheim
- Motueka i-SITE – 20 Wallace Street, Motueka
West Coast
- Westport i-SITE – Museum of Kawatiri, 123 Palmerston Street, Westport
- Greymouth i-SITE – Railway Station, 164 Mackay Street, Greymouth
- Hokitika i-SITE – 41 Weld Street, Hokitika
Canterbury
- Kaiapoi i-SITE – 143 Williams Street (Cnr Williams & Charles Streets), Kaiapoi
Central Otago / Southern Lakes
- Wānaka i-SITE – 103 Ardmore Street, Wānaka
- Te Anau i-SITE – 80 Lakefront Drive, Te Anau
- Queenstown i-SITE – Clocktower Building, Cnr Camp & Shotover Streets, Queenstown
- Roxburgh i-SITE – 120 Scotland Street, Roxburgh
- Ranfurly i-SITE – 3 Charlemont Street, Ranfurly
Otago / Southland
- Dunedin i-SITE – 50 The Octagon, Dunedin
- Balclutha i-SITE – 6 Clyde Street, Balclutha
© NZPocketGuide.comFunky i-SITEs
Some of the i-SITEs are also a bit of a tourist attraction themselves:
- The giant dog at Tirau i-SITE
- The Sky Tower i-SITE in Auckland
- The Hobbit hole i-SITE in Matamata
- The South Taranaki i-SITE in front of the Hawera Water Tower
- The old post office building and clock tower at the Rotorua i-SITE.
© Fuwuyuani-SITE Services
i-SITEs offer a wide range of services to help you plan, book and make the most of your trip around New Zealand, this includes:
- Leaflets! So many leaflets!
- Free maps.
- Accommodation options and bookings
- Activity and attraction bookings
- Transportation options and bookings (bus, rail, rental cars and domestic flights)
- Local advice places to eat, shop, etc.
- Weather updated and mountain safety information
- Information on national parks and Great Walks
- Some have gift shops
- Some have free WiFi and free phone calls.
With so many helpful services in one place, visiting your local i-SITE is one of the easiest ways to plan and enhance your journey.
More About the i-SITE
That’s it for our guide to the i-SITE; for more information about New Zealand visitor centres and travel planning, check out the following articles:
- Renting a Car in New Zealand: The Essential Guide
- How to Create the Perfect New Zealand Road Trip Itinerary
- Best Free Things to Do in New Zealand
Finally, if there’s anything we’ve missed, you’re likely to find it in the official The Best Travel Guide to New Zealand.
Sources:
The information in this guide has been compiled from our extensive research, travel and experiences across New Zealand and the South Pacific, accumulated over more than a decade of numerous visits to each destination. Additional sources for this guide include the following:
- Tourism New Zealand (General travel advice - Updated [2025])
- Immigration New Zealand (Visa and immigration advice - Updated [2025])
- New Zealand Customs Service (Customs and Biosecurity - Updated [2025])
- New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD online platform - Updated [2025])
- Tiaki Promise (Care for people place and culture - Updated [2025])
- Safe Travel (NZ travel advisories - Updated [2025])
- Stats NZ (Statistics and travel data - Updated [2025])
- Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (Road and transport tips - Updated [2025])
- DriveSafe (Road safety - Updated [2025])
- Council websites and freedom camping maps (Local travel advice region by region - Updated [2025])
- AdventureSmart (Know before you go - Update [2025])
Our editorial standards: At NZ Pocket Guide, we uphold strict editorial standards to ensure accurate and quality content.
