Attractions from New Zealand

Auckland

The Aquarium Kelly Tarltons Underwater World & Antarctic Encounter

You'll find this fascinating aquarium six km east of the city-centre. When observing the fish, you stand on a rolling sidewalk going through a tunnel, and you can get off at anytime to study the colourful animals more closely. The purpose of the place is the give the visitors' an impression of what it's like to dive off the New Zealand coast.

The Skytower

The Skytower is the tallest building in the country and is taller than the Eiffel Tower. In the top of the tower you'll find restaurants, cafés and a casino, and it has an excellent view of the city and its surroundings. When it's windy, The Skytower sometimes swings more than a meter from side to side.

Christchurch

Avon River

Avon River traverses Christchurch, and is a relaxing place for a quiet walk. You can also rent a canoe and sail up the river in the beautiful landscape, as well as the many barges on which you can also sail on the river.

Canterbury Museum

This museum is situated at the entrance of the Botanical Gardens, and has a good exhibition of artefacts from the early colonial times. Furthermore, the museum has an excellent exhibition on the exploration of Antarctica and the entire history of Antarctica.

The Orana Park Wildlife Trust

The Orana Park Wildlife Trust has an excellent system of trails, where you can see various colourful species of birds, and the park also gives you the opportunity to watch giraffes, lions, zebras and monkeys. There's a 20-minute drive from Christchurch to the park.

Kaikohe

The city of Kaikohe

Kaikohe is located in the central part of Northland and is a place with strong Maori traditions. The different Maori tribes used to be involved in internal fights, and there are still many Maoris in the area. There's also a small village, built as a historical setting, with small houses, an old courthouse, a prison and so forth. A fascinating place to learn about New Zealand's history.

Marlborough Sounds

Queen Charlotte Track

The entire trip on Queen Charlotte Track takes about three to four days, but can be done faster if you skip some places and go by boat instead. The area has a wonderful coastal landscape and some dense forest areas. The Track can be walked by people of all ages.

New Zealand

Bay of Islands Maritime & Historic Park

This maritime and historic park spreads out on a vast area, and has plenty of hiking trails, which can last from ten minutes to ten hours. Walking around the area and on some of the islands, you'll see lots of beautiful nature and exciting historic sights.

Great Barrier Island

If you want to get away from the crowds, Great Barrier Island is an excellent place to go, with its long, white and sandy beaches, lots of hiking trails, areas of forest and hot springs - a perfect place to unwind and enjoy nature.

Kawau Island

Kawau Island is situated in the sea off the city of Warkworth, and the island's most interesting historical sight is the Mansion House. An impressive building built in 1846 by a former governor; the house for many years served as a hotel, but has now been turned into a museum. Besides this, the island has some nice, white beaches and pleasant hiking trails.

Kayak trips in the sound

The Marlborough Sounds Adventure Company in Picton organises kayak trip in the area, lasting from one to four days, and depending on the length of the trip you'll see some of the fabulous landscape on and around the islands.

Kayaking

You can go kayaking in the Bay of Islands, from Waitangi all the way up to the beautiful Haruru waterfalls, which offers excellent conditions for a good swim. The kayak tour last for a whole day, and you'll see a large area of the bay, and one beautiful scenery after another. The kayaks can be rented on the beach.

Kayaking trips

Kayaking in this area is incredible, and kayaks can be rented alone or with a guide. You can sail the lakes of Te Anau and Manapouri or a trip on the sound. The sight of the lakes, fiords, vegetation and waterfalls is an amazing spectacle viewed from the kayak.

Milford Track

This four-day walk is described as one of the most beautiful in the world, and there are restrictions on the number of people allowed on the track in order to protect the marvellous nature. There are cabins along the track, where you spend the night, and the best time to walk it is from October to April.

Mt. Cook National Park

The National Park has a magnificent trekking tour to the Copland pass, which lasts four days and can only be done in good weather and by experienced trekkers. The terrain varies, from glaciers and field of snow, to rainforest and hot springs, and the pass itself is 2150 metres above sea level and surrounded by 3,000-metres high mountains. If you can manage the trip it's an experience for life.

Otago Peninsula

Otago Peninsula is an important district for the wild animals in the great forest regions. Here, you can experience albatrosses, penguins, colonies of seal and aquariums, and the area is furthermore thick with museums and historical sights.

Stewart Island

Stewart Island is the country's third-largest island and a paradise for ornithologists, as you'll find kaka birds, parakeets and the rare kiwi-bird, which is a common sight on this island. The island has a fine system of hiking trails and cabins on the northern part, whereas the southern part remains mainly unexplored.

Swimming with dolphins

The Bay of Islands gives you the opportunity to swim with dolphins. Arranged tours will take you to the dolphins' normal dwelling, where you can go swim with them, and if the dolphins don't show, the tour is free. There are tours all year round.

The Te Anau caves

These impressive caves, which are featured in ancient Maori legends, but first discovered in 1948, are situated on the southern side of lake Te Anau. The only way to visit them is by boat as the entrance goes all the way down to the water. The caves form a magical 200-meter long system of caves, with waterfalls running down the mountainsides.

Trounson Kauri Park

This nature park is situated north of Dargaville and comprises lots of hiking trails, winding their way into the beautiful natural landscapes. Forests with small streams cover large parts of the park, and you can go on a guided tour at night, where you'll learn about the parks nocturnal plant- and wildlife.

North Island

Orakei Korako geyser area

The Orakei Korako geyser area is located near the city of Rotorua. The area is renown for its numerous geysers, which go several meters into the air. In between the many geysers you will find lots of very hot muddy puddles.

Tongariro National Park

The Tongariro National Park is on the UNESCO list of protected areas, and this is where you will find the highest mountain in the area, Mount Ruapehu, measuring 2,797 meters. The area still has active volcanoes, and is an excellent place to go skiing.

Queenstown

Bungee Jumping

You can try bungee jumping several places in Queenstown, and one of the most popular is the Kawarau Suspension Bridge, which was one of the first places in the world to offer bungee jumping. The bridge is 43 metres above the water, and is owned by A.J. Hackett who bungee jumped off the Eiffel Tower in 1986. If Kawarau isn't high enough, you can also jump from the Pipeline, which is 102 metres high, or you can ultimately jump from a helicopter.

Skyline Gondola

If you want an overview of the city and the lake, you can take a small cable lift to the top of the highest hill in the city. It has a fantastic view of the area, and you can take the cable back down, or walk down through the forest.

White Water Rafting

The rivers around Queenstown are excellent for rafting, and primarily the Shotover and Kawarau rivers are being used. The rivers are classified by how dangerous they are, which also depends on the weather, and the Shotover Canyon is considered the most dangerous. It's a 4-5 hours trip.

Rotorua

Hot springs

You can bathe in these thermal pools, where the most popular is the Polynesian Spa. A bathing hut was already built in 1886, and it is said that the springs have a healing effect on your health and that various malaises can be cured here.

The Te Whakarewarewa area

The name is the short version of Te Whakarewarewatangaoteopetauaawahiao, but in everyday speech, the place is simply referred to as Whaka. Whaka is the largest area with underground activity, and the most spectacular geyser is the Pohutu, an active geyser, which ejects water up to twenty metres, for 5-10 minutes once an hour. Sometimes it even reaches 30 metres in short outbursts.

Waimangu Volcanic Valley

Waimangu Volcanic Valley is another area with an extremely high underground activity, and among other things, you can see the Waimangu Cauldron, a pale, dark lake, steaming at 53 centigrade. You can also the formerly active geyser of Waimangu, which ejected water as high as 500 metres between 1900 and 1904, when it was considered the world's largest geyser.

South Island

Abel Tasman National Park

The Abel Tasman National Park is on the UNESCO list of protected areas, and with good reason. The park stretches along the rocky coast, offering the most spectacular sandy beaches, which attract hordes of people in the warm summer months.

Nelson Lakes National Park

Nelson Lakes National Park is on the UNESCO list of protected areas. The park has spectacular natural areas, where you can go swimming in the wonderful lakes during the summer, and go skiing in the countless hills and mountains in the winter.

Wellington

Te Papa - Museum of New Zealand

Te Papa, which opened in 1998 and is located in a fantastic building by the harbour, is the country's National Museum. The museum contains a large collection of artefacts from the Maori culture, but also presents the entire country's history with impressive historical exhibitions.

The Cable Lift

One of Wellington's main outdoor attractions is a cable lift, which extends from Lambton Quay to Kelburn, and has a fantastic view of the city. From the top, you can walk back down through the Botanical Gardens.

The Old Government Building

In this area you'll find the old government building, one of the world's largest buildings made of wood. The building is constructed in such a way, that you'll need to get very close to discover that it is in fact made of wood, and not stone. It's newly restored and contains various offices.

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