- Visit the volcanic cones in Auckland: all the terracing is the result of Maori settlement. Pretty impressive.

- The Auckland War Memorial Musem. Built in two stages after the first and second world wars.

- Auckland University Clocktower by Roy Lippincott (connected to Wright via Burley-Griffen). Also the Smith and Caugheys building on Queen St, by Lippincott.

- Auckland University Maths/Physics Building. Big, brutalist, and great.

- The new Britomart Station, downtown Auckland

- Civic Theatre, Queen St.

- Nelson Cathedral (Nelson's at the top of the Sth Island)

- Futuna Chapel, Wellington

- Te Papa Museum, Wellington

- Akaroa

There's also a fearful lot of good houses, but very few of them are really accessible.

Skiing's good this time of year: make a stop in Queenstown.

If you're based in Auckland, make a trip to the Coromandel for the whole nature, bushes, beaches thing.

... um... diabase?

- Waitangi Meeting House

I'd recommend the Museum Of Transportation (MOT) in Auckland. They've already been mentioned, but the Coromandel Peninsula and the Te Papa museum are definitely worth the trip. I would try to make it out to Rotorua as well.

Where are you planning on going jmsarch?

I second agfa8x' and rsm's selection. I am quite enamoured with the queenstown district at the moment. There are some nice buildings in and around this district - and alot of trophy houses. Arrowtown is spectacular.

Generally the built environment plays second fiddle to the landscape.

Have a look at this site for contemporary nz architecture as promoted by the NZIA.

hobbit holes

nah, they're not that impressive.

Te Anau glow worm caves on the Western side of the south island.
Every inch of the interior cavern walls is covered in illumated bugs.
I remember them from living in NZ for a period as a teenager. I enjoy the idea of how i might view them now phenomenally as an architecture student.

- Huntly Power Station

WARNING -DO NOT GO TO TE PAPA! I REPEAT DO NOT GO THERE.

Te Papa is really crappy, our City spent $188 Million dollars on something as shitty as that. (They could've done something better than what we've got).

Places that I think are worthwhile going to are (Hey I live here okay...):

Victoria Univeristy School of Architecture (Located in Vivian Street , Wellington), the big Red Building.

National War Memorium, Wellington also

Civic Square, Wellington City Library, City Council

Victoria University (the main campus) - especially the library/atrium.

hey lookee, another nzer!

I hadn't thought about the two years i spent in enzed until i posted the previous comment. Thus, the following are, in hindsight, things i experienced as an american teen that still resonate with me today. Thus, I suppose i would suggest considering making them part of your agenda. And they're better than architecture. I apologize if i screw any facts up. I'd enjoy the corrections.

1. The Haka: The Maori war dance! The thought of doing an elaborate dance before slaughter was to me, clearly an american and a practitioner of hiphop, the most amazing cultural phenomenon. Added to this, because it was about intimidation, the war dance was practically a standoff before a breakdance battle. In 8th grade, 3rd form if i remember correctly, i had to memorize the Dunedin Otago Boys' High School Haka. Of all the horrible ritualistic things they make you memorize in honor of your american high school, a high school war dance i was happy to learn. I realized i still remember most of it, moves, screams and all.
Given the cultural place of the Haka, i'm sure there's some performance of one somewhere, from a high school, to a rugby game, to a tourist joint, somewhere where you must witness one.

2. Kumara: the sweetest, sweetest, sweet potato on good god's earth. As a result, Yams have sucked ever since i was thirteen.

-marlin

I visited te papa about 9 years ago. I was most impressed by the 1st floor entry space with a high ceiling and huge open area. Apart from that, it looked/looks like a building designed by a comittee.

Marlin, all good kiwis miss Kumara when we go overseas. It is best roasted. You might be interested to know [or remember] that the mighty all blacks perform a haka before every rugby game - so if you can get rugby in the states on cable or whatever, tune in. In fact, they just recently created a new haka, after many years of the same one, which is far more fierce and spine tingling [in my opinion].

The whole throat-cutting thing is a bit dire... I personally suspect the new haka is as much about trademark issues as anything else. The NZRFU can't copyright Ka Mate, so they write a new one that they can copyright. Maybe I'm a bit cynical.

Kumara++

Te Papa has its moments, but it doesn't work for me at the scale of the whole complex. I realise it was trying to be monumental, but its pretty difficult to approach as a pedestrian. I like the long ascending corridor up to the Marae.