New Zealand is one of the world’s great outdoor destinations — two islands of extraordinary geological youth, where volcanoes are active, glaciers reach the sea, fiords fill with waterfalls, and the landscapes that served as Middle-earth in Peter Jackson’s films exist in genuine and accessible form. These are its 15 most interesting places.
1. Milford Sound
Milford Sound — technically a fiord (carved by glaciers, not rivers) — is the most dramatic landscape in New Zealand and one of the most extraordinary in the world. Sheer granite walls rise 1,200 metres from the water; the Stirling and Lady Bowen Falls cascade directly into the fiord; fur seals sun themselves on the rocks; and the whole scene changes character with every shift of cloud and light. A boat cruise (2 hours) is the standard experience; an overnight cruise allows the evening when day-trip boats have left and the silence returns. Reached by the 119km Milford Road from Te Anau — one of New Zealand’s most beautiful drives.
2. Queenstown
Queenstown is the world’s adventure capital — a compact lakeside town in the Southern Alps where bungee jumping, skydiving, white water rafting, jet boating, and paragliding are daily activities. The setting (Lake Wakatipu surrounded by the Remarkables mountain range) is extraordinary in its own right. The Gondola to Bob’s Peak provides the best panorama. Gibbston Valley wine country is 30 minutes away. The Routeburn and Kepler Tracks begin or end near the town. And the après-adventure food and bar scene is genuinely excellent for a city of 15,000 people.
3. Fiordland National Park
Fiordland is New Zealand’s largest national park and one of the world’s great wilderness areas — 1.2 million hectares of fiords, lakes, rainforest, and mountain terrain almost entirely inaccessible by road. The Milford, Routeburn, and Kepler Great Walks cross the park’s most spectacular terrain. The remote Doubtful Sound (accessible by boat and bus from Manapouri) is more dramatic than Milford Sound and visited by a fraction of the people. Fiordland is one of the last places on earth where you can be genuinely remote within a short drive of a tourist town.
4-15. The Complete New Zealand
Hobbiton (the Shire film set in Matamata, Waikato — maintained exactly as it appeared in the films, with the Green Dragon Inn serving Shire ales). Rotorua (geothermal wonderland — Te Puia geyser, the Wai-O-Tapu Champagne Pool, Māori cultural performances, and the most intense sulphur smell in New Zealand). Tongariro Alpine Crossing (New Zealand’s finest day hike — 19.4km through active volcanic terrain, past emerald lakes, above the cloud line; one of the world’s best single-day walks). Abel Tasman National Park (golden sand beaches and coastal forest on the northern tip of the South Island — sea kayaking the Abel Tasman Coast Track is the finest multi-day paddle in New Zealand). Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers (the only glaciers in the world that descend through temperate rainforest to near sea level — helicopter access for glacier walks). Wanaka (quieter than Queenstown, with the same mountains and lake — the Roy’s Peak track provides the most photographed view in New Zealand). Kaikoura (whale watching (sperm whales year-round), swimming with dolphins, and the Seaward Kaikoura Range rising directly from the Pacific). Nelson and Marlborough (New Zealand’s sunniest region — the Abel Tasman, the Marlborough wine region (world-class Sauvignon Blanc), and the Marlborough Sounds). The Catlins (the wild southern tip of the South Island — sea lions, Hooker’s sea lions, yellow-eyed penguins, and waterfall-filled forests almost entirely without tourists). Cape Reinga (the northernmost tip of New Zealand, where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean — sacred to Māori as the departure point for spirits of the dead). Stewart Island/Rakiura (New Zealand’s third island — one of the best places on earth to see wild kiwi in their natural habitat, without a guide, at night).