Places to Visit

Auckland (North Island)

Most visitors to New Zealand will come in through this city, which is the largest in New Zealand and holds more than one-third of NZ’s total population. It is known as the ‘City of Sails’ for good reason; the amount of boats and yachts sitting in Auckland’s harbor's and inlets exceeds those of any other city in the world. Auckland is not only known for its great shopping and dining venues, it also has many wonderful surf beaches within easy reach of the heart of the city.

Wellington (North Island)

In the south of the North Island is the nation’s capital. It is best known for its inhabitants’ devotion to culture and the arts. This is a clean beautiful city and a convenient jumping-off point to South Island.

Bay of Islands

Situated in the northern part of North Island, Bay of Islands is one of the biggest tourist attractions in NZ owing to its sheer idyllic beauty. Tourists can hire a boat or yacht for the day, or join a cruise, and jump off at one of the many secluded islands and swim over to little lakes and lagoons. It is also a good place to go fishing. Particularly popular are the high-speed boat tours through the ‘Hole in the Rock’, a natural rock formation. The towns nearby also have plenty of accommodation and great restaurants.

Ninety-Mile Beach

A huge stretch of beach on North Island’s north-west coast. Most visitors choose to visit Ninety-Mile Beach on the way to or on the way back from Cape Reinga, which is the northernmost tip of New Zealand’s North Island and is the point at which you can watch the spectacular meeting of two oceans, the Pacific and the Tasman Sea.

Lake Taupo

An extraordinarily beautiful area. Visitors go to lounge around in the natural hot springs or parachute from the skies over the picturesque lake area.

Rotorua

Rotorua is a small city lying on the edge of Lake Rotorua on North Island. Surrounding Rotorua is what is labeled a ‘geothermal wonderland’ by tour guides. There are boiling mud poils, geysers and steaming cracks in the earth, all accompanied by a very strong, somewhat acrid, sulfurous smell. Rotorua is a good place to see some traditional Maori culture, either in a museum or at a marae (Maori meeting house).

South Island – the amazing beauty of South Island reminded early European settlers of the fiords of Scandanavia. Hence, the name given to one of its biggest tourist attractions, Fiordland National Park.


Fiordland National Park