This was one of the last countries discovered during the colonial era and has often been dubbed 'God's Own Country' and 'The Last Paradise.'
Plan Your TourOur small country's coastal borders contain the diverse scenery of a whole continent. It's like the entire world in miniature—a microcosm of some of the earth's most impressive geographical features.
The South Island offers many features to enjoy: dramatic alpine scenery, wilderness areas, glacial lakes, tranquil coves, grinding glaciers, roaring rivers, and gold rush relics. However, you'll love the North Island if you seek pleasant, easy-on-the-eye scenery: gentle rolling pastures, stunning offshore islands, offshore thermal resorts, and Maori culture.
If you want to 'go bush,' Stewart Island is a remnant of ancient Gondwanaland—an untamed and rugged wilderness.
Northland
Many travellers set a goal of reaching the iconic lighthouse at Cape Reinga. But while it's not quite the most northern point of New Zealand, Cape Reinga is the end of the road. Here, the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean in a spectacular swirl of currents.
Waipoua Kauri Forest
As the most significant remaining trace of native forest in Northland, Waipoua is an ancient green world full of giant trees and rare birds. This forest is the home of Tane Mahuta, the country's most significant kauri tree, which is approximately 1200 years old and is still growing. It is nearly 18 metres from the ground to the first branch, and the trunk is 4.4 metres in diameter. Tane Mahuta is rightly called 'The Lord of the Forest'.
Bay of Islands
The Bay of Islands is a micro-region that includes many small townships and offshore islands between Cape Brett and the offshore Peninsula. The best way to discover its beauty is to charter a yacht, hire a sea kayak to paddle the shores or join a daily cruise to the 'Hole in the Rock' on Piercy Island.
Waiheke Island
One of the larger Hauraki Gulf islands, Waiheke, is just 14 kilometres by ferry from the heart of Auckland city. Waiheke is home to many of New Zealand's successful artists and has a long-standing focus on arts and crafts. And with more than a dozen high-quality vineyards, Waiheke is a wine lover's delight. Many vineyards include relaxing cafe-style restaurants that look out across the vine-covered valleys to the blue sea beyond.
Coromandel Peninsula
The Coromandel features a dramatic and unspoiled coastline dotted with native Pohutukawa trees on the western side and beautiful white sandy beaches on the east. It is divided by ranges cloaked in native rainforest. Hahei is an attractive beach fringed with Pohutukawa trees and drifts of pink shells at the northern end. Offshore islands provide offshore water, making this beach ideal for swimming, boating, and fishing.
Rotorua
With its unique volcanic landscape, Maori culture, natural hot springs, and adventure options, Rotorua is one of New Zealand's most famous destinations. First, visit Wai-o-Tapu geothermal wonderland, view the fascinating 'Champagne Pool', and experience the panorama of vividly colourful hot and cold pools. Then, take a scenic flight offshore to White Island and explore the massive offshore crater of New Zealand's most active volcano.
Lake Taupo
Situated in the volcanic heart of the North Island, the Lake Taupo region is home to New Zealand's largest freshwater lake, fascinating geothermal areas, and the famous Huka Falls. Take a scenic cruise on Lake Taupo and try to catch one of the Lake's mLake'sinbow trout for your lunch or diLake's
Volcanic Plateau
Tongariro National Park has great cultural significance for the Maori and is recognized by UNESCO as one of only 24 World Heritage sites. The day hike known as the Tongariro Crossing promises close encounters with volcanic phenomena. Ski, board Mt Ruapehu's spring snow under a bright blue sky, or trek the Tongariro Alpine Crossing after the ice has thawed.
Rangitikei River Valley
Experience a picturesque and steep river valley in the rugged Ruahine Ranges, with unbelievable scenery not yet discovered by most tourists.
Hawkes Bay
Cape Kidnappers is an impressive sandstone headland east of Hastings in Hawke's Bay. The cape is home to the world's largest and most accessible gannet colony.
Marlborough Sounds
The Marlborough Sounds is a collection of ancient sunken river valleys and inlets filled with the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Forested hills rise steeply from the sea around an intricate coastline of sheltered inlets and sandy bays. The area has three central bodies of water - Queen Charlotte, Kenepuru and Pelorus Sounds. This vast system of drowned valleys provides sheltered water for boating, fishing, and diving.
Abel Tasman
It would be hard to imagine a perfect coastline - clear turquoise waters, golden beaches, attractive rocky headlands, lush native forests, and exciting wildlife. The Abel Tasman National Park is a coastal paradise you can walk through or explore by cruise boat, sailing catamaran, water taxi, or sea kayak.
Kaikoura
Kaikoura is a base for wildlife experiences of all kinds. The environment is spectacular – caught between the rugged Seaward Kaikoura Range and the Pacific Ocean. The picturesque coastal town of Kaikoura is all about adventure on or near the sea. Watch whales, snorkel with seals, swim with the local dolphins or tuck into a plate of crayfish.
Arthur's Pass
This magnificent alpine Park straddles the Southern Alps. The mountains and valleys of Arthur's Pass National Park were heavily glaciated during the ice ages, and the land has retained many distinctive glacial features, including tarns, cirques, and hanging valleys.
Punakaiki Pancake Rocks – West Coast
Local lime formations are set amidst native New Zealand vegetation and provide a stunning drive along the rugged West Coast... The blowholes at Punakaiki are a blast. Stand back and watch the performance.
Franz Josef and Fox Glacier
See spectacular alpine scenery in the middle of a moderate rainforest and close to the ocean. While many glaciers worldwide have been retreating, the Franz Josef still flows almost to sea level. Easy walks to the foot of the glaciers pass along ancient river valleys with steep sides bearing gigantic horizontal scars from when the glaciers have retreated and advanced over millennia.
Haast Pass and Mt Aspiring National Park
Mount Aspiring National Park offers a hiker's paradise, with many short walks mainly concentrated at the end of the Park's access roads. The Park is peppered with mountains. Mount Aspiring is the highest and the only peak over 3000 metres outside Mount Cook National Park.
Wanaka and Hawea
Lakes Wanaka and Hawea lie side by side, excavated by massive glaciers more than 10,000 years ago. The glaciers were once joined at a sliver of land known as The Neck, which is just 1000 metres wide. As a result, Lake Wanaka is a place to take a deep breath and relax. Protected from the outside world by the grandeur of the mountains, you're enclosed in a hidden paradise. The alpine zone beneath Mount Rob Roy brings you face-to-face with glaciers, river valleys, and alpine lakes.
Queenstown and Paradise Valley
The first people to discover Queenstown's rare beauty were Maori pounamu (jade) hunters. Then came the gold miners in search of another kind of treasure. As a result, Queenstown is treasured for its magnificent scenery, adventure opportunities, and luxury lifestyle. The 45-minute journey from Queenstown to Glenorchy is one of the most scenic drives you'll ever experience. The road follows the edge of Lake Wakatipu, providing spectacular views of the surrounding mountains, which rise abruptly from the Lake sLake's
Fiordland National Park, MilfoLake's Doubtful Sounds
The power of Fiordland's scenery never fails to enthral travellers. Waterfalls tumble hundreds of metres into massive fiords; ancient rainforest clings impossibly to the mountains; shimmering lakes and granite peaks look the same today as they did a thousand years ago. Rudyard Kipling described Milford Sound as the 'eighth wonder of the world. Glaciers carry their distinctive landscape during successive ice ages. Sometimes called the 'Sound of Silence', Doubtful Sound is the deepest (421 metres) and second longest (40 kilometres) of the South Island's fiords. It is a powerful place - serene, mysterious and untouched by the modern world.
Stewart Island
Unspoilt diverse beauty surrounded by crystal clear water makes Stewart Island a nature lover's paradise and the best place in New Zealand to spot a Brown Kiwi in its natural environment.
Catlins
Combine the Catlins River Wisp Loop Walk with visits to Purakaunui Falls and Jack's Blow Hole - it'll be a fantastic day. The Catlins Coastal Heritage Trail takes you to isolated beaches, a fossilized forest, Hector's dolphins, and many historical sites.
Otago Peninsula
Flanking the southern edge of Dunedin's extensive harbour, the Otago Peninsula is high and rugged on the ocean side and warm and sheltered on the harbourside. It is spectacular as a scenic drive. Beginning at Vauxhall, you can follow the coastal road past small settlements and beaches to Taiaroa Head, where there's an albatross colony. Then, picnic at Sandfly Bay and stay long enough to see the penguins arrive home at sunset.
These are our favourites…but there is so much more to see and experience!
