Best road trips to celebrate Lunar New Year
By Vroom Team • Reviewed 12 Feb 2026
Both New Zealand’s East and Southeast Asian community and the country’s greater population celebrate Lunar New Year — or Spring Festival — across the North and South Island. Taking place on Tuesday the 17th of February, the Lunar New Year festival is a colourful occasion featuring family traditions, good food, and hope for good fortune. With VroomVroomVroom, you can book a rental car in Wellington / Te Whanganui a Tara, the capital city, or plan a trip near North Hagley Park with a campervan hire in Christchurch / Ōtautahi and savour the festivities stress-free.
Explore the Auckland Lantern Festival
For over 30 years, the Chinese Community Centre — reachable by hiring a car to Auckland / Tāmaki Makaurau — has held an annual Lunar 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
Witness the Dragon Parade from the Dunedin Octagon
If you’re exploring New Zealand’s South Island, Lan Yuan Dunedin Chinese Garden is a great place to welcome in the Year of the Horse, especially if you're taking a rental car to Dunedin’s / Ōtepoti. 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 collect a hire car in Dunedin Airport, which lies just under 30 kilometres to the west of Dunedin.
Dragon parade
Cultural performances
Food stalls
Fireworks
Check out Wellington’s Lunar New Year Festival
Celebrate the Lunar 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 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
Get a taste of East and Southeast Asian culture in Christchurch
Drive to Christchurch / Ōtautahi in a rental car for the chance to savour a wide range of food, see lanterns, cultural performances, dragon dances, and a fireworks display during Lunar New Year. The events will take place at Victoria Square, while Christchurch City Libraries organised storytelling sessions, dance classes, dumpling and jewelry-making workshops, even a game of Mahjong (or two), at Tūranga, the largest public library in the South Island.
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 dancers
Lantern Festival
Street food and stalls
Music performances
Experience Lunar New Year under the stars at Lake Tekapo
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 by hire car, and offers up the opportunity to experience Lunar 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
About the author
Vroom Team
VroomVroomVroom’s writing team brings together decades of writing expertise to share their insights into travelling around New Zealand by rental car. Let our team help you get the most out of your rental car experience.
