New Zealand is every traveler´s dream destination. Because of its remoteness and long isolation, this country developed a distinctive biodiversity of animal and plant life and can offer unique natural beauties that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. With a population of just 4.5 million proud inhabitants, New Zealand is a real once-in-a-lifetime destination. Check out these 25 reasons why New Zealand should be on your travel bucket list.
25
Kiwifruit
nz-adventures.blogspot.com
Kiwifruit is a major horticultural export earner in New Zealand. The country developed the first commercially viable kiwifruit and the export markets, creating the demand for the fruit that exists today. New Zealand is currently the second largest kiwifruit producing country, next to Italy. Working in kiwifruit orchards is one of the most popular summer jobs for young people who come to New Zealand on their Working holiday visa from all over the world.
24
Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu
fasab.wordpress.com
Taumata¬whakatangihanga¬koauau¬o¬tamatea¬turi¬pukakapiki¬maunga¬horo¬nuku¬pokai¬whenua-kitanatahu is the Maori name for a thousand feet high hill, close to Porangahau in southern Hawke’s Bay. The name, often shortened to Taumata by the locals, means “The summit where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, the climber of mountains, the land-swallower who travelled about, played his nose flute to his loved one”. At 85 letters, it has been listed in the Guinness World Records as the longest name for a place.
23
Lake Tekapo
nzfrenzysouth.wordpress.com
Covering an area of 32 square miles, Lake Tekapo is the second-largest of three roughly parallel lakes running north–south along the northern edge of the Mackenzie Basin in the South Island. The lake is a popular tourist destination, and several resort hotels are located at the township of Lake Tekapo at the lake’s southern end.
22
New Zealand Rugby
www.waikato.ac.nz
Rugby is considered the national sport and attracts the most spectators in New Zealand. The All Blacks, the national men’s rugby union team, are the most successful in the history of international rugby and the reigning World Cup champions. New Zealand rugby teams are also famous for performing a traditional Maori dance Haka prior to each match.
21
Mount Cook
en.wikipedia.org
With a height of 12,218 feet, Mount Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand. Also known as Aoraki, the mountain lies in the Mount Cook National Park, in the Canterbury region, which was established as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1953. The mountain is also a favorite challenge for mountain climbers.
20
Piha Beach
timebetweenwaves.blogspot.com
Piha is a coastal settlement on the west coast of the Auckland Region famous for its picturesque beach. It is one of the most popular beaches in the area and a major day-trip destination for Aucklanders. Piha Beach was the birthplace of New Zealand board riding in 1958, and has been the scene of both New Zealand national and international surfing championship competitions.
19
Waiotapu Hot Springs
www.huffingtonpost.com
Located in Taupo Volcanic Zone some 17 miles south of Rotorua, Waiotapu is a geothermal area notable for many colorful hot springs, geysers and mud pools. The area has a long history as a major tourist attraction.
18
Access to the ocean
www.dolphin-travel.co.nz
Thanks to New Zealand´s elongated shape, no area of the country is farther than 80 miles from the ocean. It is surrounded by the Tasman Sea on the east and the South Pacific Ocean on the west.
17
Mount Taranaki
www.gorentals.co.nz
Situated on the west coast of the North Island, Mount Taranaki is an active but quiescent volcano. With a height of 8,261 feet, the volcano is a popular spot for climbing. However, it takes some fitness and climbing skills to make the up and back climb
16
Christchurch
www.richard-seaman.com
With almost 350,000 residents, Christchurch is the largest and most populous city in the South Island. The city has been struck by several severe earthquakes but since the last one in 2012, Christchurch has risen like the phoenix and has been experiencing rapid growth in the construction and residential sector. Today, dominated by the Cathedral Square, Christchurch is considered one of the most beautiful New Zealand´s cities.
15
Milford Sound
mstecker.com
Located in the south west of the South Island within Fiordland National Park, this fjord is acclaimed as New Zealand’s most famous tourist destination. Judged the world’s top travel destination in an international survey in 2008, Milford Sound offers some of the world’s most staggering coastal sceneries with dramatic peaks and dark blue waters.
14
New Zealand´s sheep
www.high50.com
Sheep farming is a significant industry in New Zealand. There are currently about 40 million sheep in the country which is almost 10 times more than the total human population. Sheep numbers in New Zealand peaked in 1982 when there were an incredible 70 million of these animals.
13
Tongariro National Park
www.wildaboutnewzealand.co.nz
Located in the central North Island, Tongariro is the oldest national park in New Zealand and has been acknowledged by UNESCO as one of the 28 mixed cultural and natural World Heritage Sites. The park’s diverse range of ecosystems includes tranquil lakes, active volcanoes, water falls, herb fields, untamed forests and desert-like plateaus.
12
Pancake Rocks
www.jdentonthego.com
Located near the small community Punakaiki on the West Coast of the South Island, the Pancake Rocks is a heavily eroded limestone area where the sea bursts through several vertical blowholes during high tides. Presently explorable by a number of walkways winding through the rock formations, the Pancake Rocks are a major natural landmark of the country.
11
Wellington
www.wyp.co.nz
With a population of about 400,000 people, Wellington is the capital city and second most populous urban area of New Zealand. As a political, cultural and economical center of the country, Wellington had the 12th best quality of living in the world in 2014. The city also boasts of popular tourist attractions such as Museum of Wellington City & Sea, Wellington Zoo, Zealandia or a funicular railway Wellington Cable Car.
10
Waitomo Caves
www.whatagreenlife.com
The Waitomo Caves is a unique solutional cave system and a major tourist attraction in the northern King Country region of the North Island. Formed in Oligocene limestone, the caves are noted for their stalactite and stalagmite displays, and for the presence of glowworms.
9
Franz Josef Glacier
wanderingjustin.com
Located within Westland National Park in the southwest, Franz Josef Glacier is one of the world’s most accessible glaciers. With a length of 7.5 miles, the glacier is one of the main tourist attractions of the West Coast visited by 250,000 people every year. Visitors can walk right up to the foot of the massive glacier or take a helicopter ride over the dazzling Ice Age remnant.
8
Wild dolphins swimming
best-diving.org
There are several places in New Zealand where you can watch or swim with wild dolphins in their natural habitat. The most popular spots for this unique experience is the Bay of Islands or Tauranga in the North Island and Kaikoura in the south.
7
Whakaari
www.localcouncils.govt.nz
Whakaari is an active stratovolcano, situated 30 miles from the east coast of the North Island in the Bay of Plenty. Rising 5,250 feet above the nearby seafloor, Whakaari is New Zealand’s largest active volcano. The island is also notable for popular walking tracks and world-famous scuba sites.
6
Hot Water Beach
www.nzhotpools.co.nz
Situated on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, the Hot Water Beach is a popular beach sought after by both local as well foreign visitors. Its name comes from underground hot springs which filter up through the sand between the high and low water tidal reaches. Visitors can dig their own hot pools there.
5
Sky Tower
travelcie.com
The Sky Tower is an observation and telecommunications tower located in Auckland. At a height of 1,076 feet it is the tallest free-standing structure in the Southern Hemisphere. Attracting over 500,000 visitors every year, the Sky Tower has become an iconic structure in Auckland’s skyline and one of the most distinctive symbol of New Zealand´s architecture.
4
Kawarau Bridge
www.bungy.co.nz
Located in the city of Queenstown, the Kawarau Bridge is a place where commercial bungee jumping originated. In November 1988, Bungy pioneers AJ Hackett and Henry van Asch were the first pioneers who launched commercially operated Bungy Jumping Site, off the historic Kawarau Bridge. Today, it is one of the most popular tourist spot in Queenstown.
3
Rotorua
nztravelscout.com
Situated in the heart of the North Island, Rotorua is a major destination for both domestic and international tourists. Boasting of popular natural geothermal waters, geysers and mud pools, the city also provide great conditions for activities such as cycling, zorbing, fishing and walking.
2
New Zealand´s location
historiesofthingstocome.blogspot.com
New Zealand´s unique location in the southwestern Pacific Ocean enables you to be among the very first people to welcome a New Year or to see the sun rise.
1
Abel Tasman National Park
www.absolutenewzealand.com abel_tas
Located at the north end of the South Island, this national park is a great spot for hiking, camping or kayaking. Since the park is closed to vehicles, you can only get there by boat, foot or small plane. The park´s wildlife include many bird species such as petrels, shags, penguins, gulls, terns, or herons and mammals such as opossums, wild pigs, deer, and goats.
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