New Zealand

Stunning landscapes are what you expect to see when you think of New Zealand. After all, we’ve already seen how lush and beautiful it can be, thanks to the Lord of the Rings movies where it was the mythical Middle Earth. It’s no wonder then that New Zealand tourism is always popular. With its craggy mountains, golden plains and lush fields, New Zealand’s vistas might seem unbelievable to tired eyes used to cityscapes.

Apart from The Lord of the Rings tours that you can enjoy, New Zealand has so much to offer – rich wildlife, the amazing indigenous Maori people, cycling, and mountain biking. Once you’ve experienced adventure sports in New Zealand, everything else will pale in comparison. The country is known for its bungee jumping, zip lining and other extreme sports and surely, you’re going to want to experience this unique adrenaline rush, once you’re here. 

New Zealand Geography

New Zealand is a small country, not much larger than Japan, and is located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It comprises of two main islands and several other smaller islands. The islands are North Island and South Island which are separated by the Cook Strait. The country has an extensive coastline and has several mountains, some of which are volcanic. Mount Cook, also known as Aoraki, is the tallest mountain in South Island.

New Zealand Climate

New Zealand has a temperate climate although there are some extreme variations. For instance, during summer, the north has a subtropical climate while the South Island’s mountainous regions can go as low as -10 during winters. But then, most of the country lies along the coast and temperatures are often mild and thus, it doesn’t affect New Zealand tourism adversely. Since New Zealand is in the Southern Hemisphere, their seasons do not fall in the months that you have come to expect traditionally.

New Zealand Culture

Maori culture plays a huge role in shaping New Zealand’s overall culture. The indigenous Maori may have been reduced to just 14% of the entire population but their customs, traditions, language and way of life are integral to New Zealand. New Zealand tourism includes Maori culture experiences where you can go on organised tours to learn about their fascinating way of life. In fact, New Zealand tours often organise visits to a marae, with a traditional Maori welcome, where you can meet local Maoris, greet them in their traditional way and enjoy their local homecooked food. 

New Zealand Tours

It doesn’t matter if you’re planning to do a New Zealand tour for the adventure of a lifetime, or to hike its impossibly gorgeous trails or to connect with the Maori way of life, you’re bound to have the most amazing and unforgettable experience of your life.

For some fundamentally lifechanging adventure experiences, there’s Queenstown, sitting pretty against the shores of Lake Wakatipu, where people come from all over the world to do death-defying stunts, so they can get the best adrenaline rush ever. Queenstown is also famous as part of NZ tours for its vineyards and amazing mountain sights, while in winter, people can ski on the slopes.

The largest city in New Zealand is Auckland, and it’s a metropolitan city whose heart beats in tandem with the people living in it. People often visit the iconic Sky Tower and look out at the amazing views of the Viaduct Harbour. Those looking for a comfortably city experience will enjoy sipping something at the many cafés and bars that are lined up along the harbour.

New Zealand tourism would be incomplete without a mention of Rotorua, a town in North Island that is known for its geothermal lakes and springs and its extensive Maori culture. This is a good place to head to if you want to experience what Maori life is all about and see their lives from close quarters.

When you’re planning a New Zealand tour, don’t miss out on Christchurch. There’s a very English feel to this South Island city, with its Avon River, verdant Hagley Park and its Botanic Gardens and of course, the Canterbury Museum. Many of the city’s historic stone buildings were destroyed in earthquakes in 2010 and 2011 but the city is remarkably resilient.

New Zealand’s capital city is Wellington, which is in North Island. Head here for the beaches and enjoy the sumptuous greenery of the Wellington Botanic Gardens. History lovers will love visiting the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa which brings its focus on culture, art and history.

Some of the other places to visit during your New Zealand tour would be Milford Sound with its gorgeous waterfalls, Wanaka with its ski resorts and the enthralling Waitomo Caves that are famed for the glow worm caves and tours.

New Zealand tourism has enabled a vast number of people to enjoy the splendours of this beautiful country. It may be small but the range of experiences that you can have here, the history and culture that you can soak up - it’s simply tremendous.