Five of the best summer festivals

Splore music festival 2014. Photo / Supplied

1: Splore

The summer festival that is more than just music, 10-year-old Splore celebrates on one of Auckland's loveliest parks, Tapapakanga. It's kid-friendly, planet- friendly (sustainability is a core part of their ethos) and music-friendly. Everything is super-clean and sparkly, the food is good for you - and queues are minimal. The campsite's magic. Trade up to glamping, or enjoy a spot with the masses. There's talking, workshops, arts, carnival folks: children of all ages are welcomed warmly.

Details: Tapapakanga Regional Park, February 20-22.

2: Auckland Arts Festival

This biennial festival is about to go annual. This year, more than 100 world-class shows, exhibitions and performers at dozens of venues around the city are here to delight - many of them for the first time in New Zealand. Groupe F's astounding pyrotechnics return to Auckland Domain, there is utterly original opera, dance, theatre, comedy, ballet and Broadway, circus and story telling, all centred around the gorgeous TimeOut festival gardens at Aotea Square.

Details: Auckland, March 4-22.

3: Womad

Also in its 10th year, Womad - World of Music, Arts and Dance, part of the internationally established festival - brings artists from all over the globe. Headliner this year is Sinead O'Connor, along with 28 other top acts, including Rufus Wainwright, breakthrough Bombino from Niger, British folk legend Richard Thompson and Youssou N'Dour. There's a kidzone at the Brooklands Zoo, a village of food, art and workshops, all set in the parklands of New Plymouth's Brooklands Park and TSB Bowl of Brooklands.

Details: New Plymouth, March 13-15.

4: Crankworx

The world's biggest mountain biking festival comes here for the first time. A huge event on the professional mountain-bike racing calendar, it includes the Enduro World Series, as well as plenty of competitions, concerts, culture and cranking for the non-competitors. Rotorua turns it on with a music festival, and the locals are proving it's one of the best places on the planet for cycling. A real festival vibe.

Details: Rotorua, March 25-29.

5: Beach Hop

At the other end of the spectrum, the beachside town of Whangamata hosts its legendary Beach Hop the same weekend.

It's a five-day festival of all things rock 'n' roll - the music, culture, fashion, music, hot rods, motorbikes, dancing, dragsters and scooters of this golden era - now in its 15th year.

This fundraiser for local surf lifesaving and coastguards now attracts crowds of 70,000 or more people ready to party, and the Beach Hop plays host to hundreds of cars from around the world. Book now for 2016.

Details: Whangamata, March 25-29.