New Zealand's premier music festival runs in a Hawke's Bay vineyard over New Year: Queenstown is the adventure base for the surrounding summer season.
Annual. Held in Hawke's Bay (Napier/Hastings area, North Island), not Queenstown. Queenstown is the recommended South Island base for the surrounding summer season.
Rhythm and Vines is New Zealand's most established New Year music festival, held in Hawke's Bay on the North Island. The venue is a working vineyard in the Napier and Hastings area: Central Hawke's Bay: and the setting (vines, rolling hills, outdoor stages) is the defining characteristic of the event. A 15,000-capacity crowd camps on site over three nights, with the New Year countdown on the main stage at midnight on 31 December.
An important geography note: Rhythm and Vines is not in Queenstown. Queenstown is on the South Island; Hawke's Bay is on the North Island, approximately 2 hours drive from Napier or a 45-minute flight from Auckland. Getting to the festival from Queenstown requires a flight to Auckland or Wellington and then a connection to Napier. The direct drive from Auckland to Napier is around 4 hours. For most people, Auckland is the practical base for attending R&V, not Queenstown.
Queenstown is listed here because it is the BPH anchor city for New Zealand and because the Queenstown summer season (December to January) is an extraordinary time to be there regardless of R&V. Bungee jumping at the Kawarau Bridge, jet boating on the Shotover River, and hiking the Ben Lomond trail are all at their best in summer. The Queenstown hostel scene is well-developed, the waterfront on Lake Wakatipu is excellent in long summer evenings, and the bar strip on Cow Lane runs late.
For travellers who specifically want R&V: fly into Auckland, hire a car or take a bus to Napier (4hr), attend the festival, and then make your way to Queenstown via Wellington or Christchurch for the post-NYE South Island leg. This is a practical and popular New Zealand summer itinerary.
Party hostels within reach of Napier (for the festival) / Queenstown (South Island summer base)'s main celebrations. Ranked by guest rating.
Queenstown Airport is 10 minutes from the centre by taxi. Air New Zealand and Jetstar fly from Auckland (2hr) and Sydney (3hr). For Rhythm and Vines itself: fly or drive to Napier from Auckland: the festival is not accessible from Queenstown without a connecting flight.
Day-by-day breakdown
Queenstown's adventure operators run at full capacity in summer. Bungee from Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge (43m, the original commercial bungee site) from around £80. Shotover Jet runs 25-minute rides through the canyon for £70. Milford Sound day tours from Queenstown run from around £90 including coach and ferry. Book adventure activities at least 48 hours ahead in summer: they fill daily.
Flights from Queenstown to Auckland take 2 hours. Auckland to Napier by car is 4 hours on State Highway 2 through the Hawke's Bay region. Intercity and Naked Bus run coach services from Auckland to Napier. Some travellers fly directly Auckland to Napier (1hr flight, limited services). The festival site is approximately 15 minutes from Napier city centre.
The midnight countdown at R&V takes place on the main stage with the full 15,000-person festival crowd. The vineyard setting: stars overhead, the hills around Hawke's Bay visible in the dark: is the event's signature quality. Multiple music stages run simultaneously through the night; the programme is typically indie, electronic, and hip-hop with local New Zealand artists prominent.
Realistic costs per person · Verified March 2026
Prices in GBP. Festival week prices may be higher than standard rates. Prices verified March 2026.
Other festivals and parties in the same region
Pre-booked private transfers and shared shuttles for your arrival.
