Today we are on a journey to discover a beautiful island country, New Zealand. New Zealand is one of the most beautiful countries, a complex of islands in the waters of the Pacific Ocean.
To many, exotic, faraway New Zealand is a magical place – a wild land that is too free for mere humans to tame. It isn’t an unreasonable impression; while this breathtakingly beautiful country is developed, its natural beauty has always remained intact. The regions in New Zealand are known for their amazingly picturesque nature, which is why New Zealand’s natural attractions are so diverse.
Even the most avid traveler will find something to see in New Zealand. Reading the places to visit in New Zealand on this list will clarify how unspoiled New Zealand is. If New Zealand is missing from your travel bucket list, I’m sure it will be in a few minutes.
1. Milford Sound
The Milford Sound, a narrow, glacier-cut sea inlet, was famously called the eighth wonder of the world by Rudyard Kipling. It’s easy to see why; the scenery of this one of the best places to visit in New Zealand is epic. Something about the atmosphere of wild, beautiful loneliness reminds visitors of the moment of creation. Milford Sound and the area around it are a fantastic combination of mountains, forests, waterfalls, rivers, and glaciers.
It’s one of the best places to visit for people who are trying to find the true meaning of life or who want to relax and enjoy peace and quiet. There are also wonderful hiking trails for tourists.
2. Waiheke Island
Waiheke Island, a large island in the Hauraki Gulf, is a half-hour by boat from Auckland. This one of the most breathtaking places to visit in New Zealand is known for its magnificent nature – lush tropical forests, picturesque fields, and olive groves. The climate and the soil make Waiheke perfect for the grapes the local wine industry uses. In addition, Waiheke is one of the country’s leading cultural centers, where many exciting art galleries and studios operate.
With vineyards covering the island, it’s easy to spend a dreamy day exploring the vineyards and enjoying the healthy atmosphere. If you’d like someone to take you around the island and explain its attractions, you only need to sign up with the Waiheke Island Wine Tours. Each beach on the island has its own identity, allowing you to choose your favorite activity – sunbathing on the sand and swimming, scuba diving, surfing, or exploring the coast in a kayak. You can stay overnight, too; this one of the best places to visit in New Zealand has cozy hotels, lodges, and restaurants.
3. The Bay of Islands
The Bay of Islands is one of the most beautiful and most visited bays in New Zealand, where the sea is packed with more than 100 little islands right off the shore. Located 240 kilometers north of Auckland, this one of the best places worth a visit is rightfully the country’s leading resort.
The Bay of Islands is an excellent destination if you love fishing. In addition, this one of the most famous tourist places in New Zealand is a real paradise for yachtsmen, divers, and lovers of beaches and active water recreation. You can try scuba diving, swimming with the dolphins or have a good time at the town bars and restaurants.
4. White Island
While New Zealand has plenty of partially active volcanoes, White Island is the most active one of all. The entire island, over 300 meters high, is made entirely of volcanic rocks, the appearance of which creates a landscape similar to the surface of the moon. Uninhabited, except for some bird species, this one of the most incredible places to visit in New Zealand greatly interests volcanologists and tourists.
New Zealand guides arrange trips to the White Volcano with companies that regularly organize helicopter flights. You can explore the volcano on foot or fly above it on a volcanic air safari helicopter ride. Going on foot can be the most exciting way, though the volcano often has little eruptions, throwing up rocks. Therefore, a hard hat is always recommended.
5. The Te Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley
The Te Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley is a region of active hot water geysers. The area holds the single largest active geyser in the world. Some of the pools in the Valley are so hot that they exceed 94° C. Sometimes, the wind carries the salty spray to the side, which causes the branches of trees and shrubs around the geyser to become covered with snow-white “hoarfrost.” If you want, you can walk up to the Maori Heritage Center and ask for a steam box meal, a meal cooked in the natural heat of the springs.
In addition to geysers, in the Te Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley, you can watch the kiwi, a nocturnal flightless bird, the national symbol of New Zealand. Tourists from all over the world come to admire this incredibly beautiful sight.
More: 10 World’s Most-Visited National Parks
6. The Franz Josef Glacier
In Westland National Park, on one of the two main islands of New Zealand – the South, there is a glacier with a beautiful bluish tint, which got its name from the name of the Austro-Hungarian emperor. Every year, about 250 thousand visitors flock here, who climb the glacier in full gear or fly directly to the glacier’s center by helicopter.
An ice climbing expedition might seem like an activity for which you would need to dress up in multiple coats and sweaters. The 7-mile-long Franz Josef glacier is nothing like this, though. Although this one of the best places to visit in New Zealand gets a lot of sunshine, it’s only somewhat cooler than you have at ground level. So after a day of trekking on the glacier, a soak in the hot pools at the base can feel fantastic.
7. The Waitomo Glowworm Caves
Photo: m0bile
One of the most incredible tourist places in New Zealand is located on the North Island of the country. These are the famous karst caves – a real masterpiece that nature has created over millions of years. The Waitomo caves are called the Glowworm caves for a good reason: the walls of the caves are home to hundreds of thousands of glow worms or fireflies.
The caves also have an underground river of safe, slow-moving water. You can rent an inner tube and lazily float down the river in pitch darkness, with nothing to light your way other than the glowworms around you. It’s unlike anything that most people are ever likely to have experienced.
8. Rotorua
The city was created as a future resort, so today, natural attractions and the healing properties of local waters attract tourists from all over the world. The Rotorua mineral springs on the North Island are a large area of natural springs, pools, and mud geysers that you can enjoy splashing.
Then, after you’ve had your fill of them, you get to ride on a cable gondola for a spectacular aerial view of the area. This one of the best places to visit in New Zealand, also offers a show of the indigenous Maori tribes with stories about the life of the tribe, national songs, and dances.
9. Taupo
The Orakei Korako Thermal Park has spectacular caves, springs, and mud pools. Lake Taupo is the most valuable reservoir of fresh water in New Zealand, the country’s largest lake. The natural uniqueness of the lake makes it one of the most popular holiday destinations for New Zealanders and tourists from other countries.
Taupo, one of the most famous New Zealand tourist attractions, offers a variety of activities: cruises on the lake, riding a speedboat, visiting a shrimp farm and an observatory, rafting on mountain rivers, bungee jumping into the Waikato River. These places are especially popular with fishing enthusiasts. You will have lots of fun here and will want to visit Taupo over and over again.
10. Kaikoura
Kaikoura is a tiny fishing town on the South Island. Over a million people visit this fishing town every year, and I’ve never heard any negative comments about this one of the best tourist places in New Zealand. Panoramas of Kaikoura will beat the hearts of travelers who appreciate natural beauty and picturesque landscapes faster.
Tourists will find many interesting routes in the northeastern part of the South Island. First, climbing Mount Fife and enjoying the panoramas of the Kaikoura Peninsula is better. Then it is worth seeing the cottage, built in 1842 by the first settlers of the city. Finally, you can spend a day off the coast spotting dolphins, whales, and seals. Swimming with dolphins is one of my favorite things to do in Kaikoura. Whale watching is even more interesting here.
If nature created a theme park, it would be like New Zealand. Unlike anywhere else in the world, the sights and experiences of New Zealand are easy to access and simple to enjoy. There’s nothing you need to do other than to simply show up. Sure, these are only a few breathtaking places to visit. If you’ve ever visited any of these places or any other places, please let me know in the comments section. I’m always on the lookout for new places to visit!
More: 8 Best Places for Whale Watching
Below, we have compiled a list of the most interesting questions about best places to visit in New Zealand: