23 people found this article useful

7 City Hosts of the New Zealand FIFA U-20 World Cup 2015

Where will the U-20 world cup take you?

FIFA’s second largest tournament is coming to New Zealand! We will host the 52 games of the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2015 across seven stunning cities that each have their own character, history and hidden gems.

The New Zealand game spirit high as ever! After a successful Rugby World Cup in 2011 and Cricket World Cup in 2014, the atmosphere is expected to be buzzing.

Get to know the seven city hosts of the tournament in our quick introduction below. For a more in-depth guide, don’t forget to check out our article: Make the most of the New Zealand FIFA U-20 World Cup 2015.

1. Auckland

The walk between the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea only takes a measly four hours on the Coast-to-Coast Walk.

2. Dunedin

Baldwin Street is the world’s steepest street and it’s in Dunedin! Each year, a race is organised with New Zealand’s spherical sweets called Jaffas, to see which Jaffa rolls down the street the fastest.

3. Whangarei

A short drive from Whangarei leads you to the Whangarei Falls, which is often referred as the “most photogenic waterfall in New Zealand”.

4. New Plymouth

New Plymouth is the closest city to the Egmont National park, a perfectly circular reserve as seen from above.

5. Christchurch

The city is the world’s gateway to the Arctic, with a research centre from many different countries like the US, Italy and, of course, New Zealand. Most Arctic exploration missions leave from Christchurch.

6. Hamilton

Each year, Hamilton is home to the hugely popular Balloons Over Waikato Festival. International pilots and crew meet to fly hot air balloons, some of which are pretty whacky, over the city both day and night.

7. Wellington

The southernmost capital of the world hides many Lord of the Rings locations in its surroundings, as well as being the home of the world famous Weta Studio that created the digital effects for both Tolkien trilogies amongst many other blockbuster movies.