Brandwave

Sky Tower vs Wai-O-Tapu:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Sky Tower had more branded searches than Wai-O-Tapu among visitor attractions in New Zealand. Sky Tower had about 78,900 branded searches, while Wai-O-Tapu had 28,000. Sky Tower made up 15.8% of all visitor attraction searches we track, and Wai-O-Tapu accounted for 5.6%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about visitor attractions, Wai-O-Tapu appeared in three of the five answers and Sky Tower in none.

Among visitor attractions in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Sky Tower, about 3 searches for every 1 for Wai-O-Tapu

Sky Tower 78.9K searchesWai-O-Tapu 28K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Wai-O-Tapu, mentioned in 3 of 5 answers, Sky Tower in 0

Wai-O-Tapu in 3 of 5Sky Tower in 0 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Wai-O-Tapu, the only one of the two named

Wai-O-Tapu first in 2Sky Tower never named

Follow Sky Tower vs Wai-O-Tapu and get free monthly updates on what changed

By continuing you'll get index updates and occasional product news from Brandwave. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy

Track your brand against a rival →

Top visitor attractions in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Wai-O-Tapu was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Sky Tower did not appear in any of the five answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Hobbiton Movie Set1st
  2. Te Puia2nd
  3. Waitomo Glowworm Caves3rd
  4. Wai-O-Tapu4th
  5. Skyline Rotorua5th
  6. Weta Workshop5th
  7. Waitangi Treaty Grounds7th
  8. Sky Tower–
  9. Rainbow's End–
  10. Skyline Queenstown–
  11. +5 more

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Te Puia4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Hobbiton Movie Set3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Wai-O-Tapu3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Waitomo Glowworm Caves2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Skyline Rotorua2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Weta Workshop1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Shotover Jet1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Waitangi Treaty Grounds1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Sky Tower0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Rainbow's End0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+5 more

See every answer about visitor attractions

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 19, 2026.

Is Sky Tower or Wai-O-Tapu more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Sky Tower and Wai-O-Tapu by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 16 visitor attractions we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.

Sky Tower and Wai-O-Tapu among visitor attractions in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Sky Tower, Wai-O-Tapu. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthSky TowerRainbow's EndSkyline QueenstownKelly Tarlton'sWaitomo Glowworm CavesHobbiton Movie SetWai-O-TapuSkyline RotoruaWeta WorkshopInternational Antarctic CentreShotover JetLarnach CastleAgrodomeTe PuiaWaitangi Treaty Grounds
Oct 202516.1%13.4%8.8%9.2%8.5%9%7%4.8%5.3%4.7%3.4%3.2%2.1%1.7%1.7%
Nov 202517%9.7%9.4%7.3%9.7%9.7%9%4.2%6%4%3.9%2.8%2.2%1.9%1.8%
Dec 202516.3%11%8.9%7.6%9.3%8.9%8.6%5.9%5.2%4.7%3.7%2.6%2.1%1.8%2.1%
Jan 202612.7%12.6%8.4%8.7%10.5%9.5%8.1%5.6%5.4%4.4%3.5%3%2%2%2%
Feb 202615.6%8.6%10.5%7.3%10.1%8.6%10.1%4.7%5.3%4.5%3.4%3.1%1.7%2.1%3%
Mar 202614.2%7.9%9.6%8.1%11.8%9.3%9.1%5.2%5.2%5%3.7%3.4%1.9%1.9%2.2%
Apr 202614.6%12.2%10%9.3%9.5%8.6%7.7%5.5%4.6%5.2%3.8%2.9%1.9%1.6%1.6%
May 202616.1%10.8%9.2%11.2%8.8%9.6%6.9%4.9%4.5%5.6%3.2%2.6%2.1%2.1%1.4%
Jun 202615.2%12.3%9.1%11.7%10.1%9.9%4.4%4.6%5.1%5.3%4%2.4%2%2%1.1%
Jul 202614.7%14.3%8.3%10.8%9.5%8.8%4.9%6.4%4.3%6%4.2%2%2.3%1.5%0.98%
Aug 202617.4%11.3%9.5%10.7%9.2%10.2%4.9%5.1%4.5%4.9%3.8%2.8%1.8%1.8%0.96%
Sep 202615.8%12.9%10.6%10.1%9.6%9.1%5.6%4.8%4.8%4.6%3.6%2.6%1.7%1.7%1.4%

How has the Sky Tower and Wai-O-Tapu comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for New Zealand visitor attractions in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Wai-O-Tapu overtook Skyline Rotorua to rank 7th among visitor attractions in New Zealand, with 5.6% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Sky Tower lost share of searches among visitor attractions in New Zealand, from 17.4% to 15.8%.

How are branded searches counted?

22 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Sky Tower’s and Wai-O-Tapu’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Sky Tower

12 branded search terms

  • bookme sky tower
  • sky tower
  • sky tower address
  • sky tower bungy
  • sky tower hours
  • sky tower night
  • sky tower tickets
  • sky tower tour
  • sky tower view
  • skytower
  • skytower tickets
  • the sky tower

Wai-O-Tapu

10 branded search terms

  • wai o tapu
  • wai o tapu boardwalk
  • wai o tapu geyser
  • wai o tapu shuttle
  • wai o tapu thermal
  • wai o tapu tickets
  • wai o tapu tour
  • waiotapu
  • waiotapu loop road
  • waiotapu scenic reserve

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among visitor attractions

Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

Put your own brand in this comparison

Brandwave tracks your branded demand next to the rival you actually watch, with your campaigns, spend and outcomes on the same timeline.

Start free