Travelling New Zealand
Before You Travel
New Zealand's spectacularly beautiful landscape includes vast mountain chains, steaming volcanoes, sweeping coastlines, deeply indented fiords and lush rainforests.
Comparable in size and/or shape to Great Britain, Colorado or Japan, New Zealand has a population of only 4 million - making it one of the world's least crowded countries. It is a haven for those seeking peace, rejuvenation and relaxation as well as a playground for thrill seekers and adventurers. A temperate climate with relatively small seasonal variation makes it an ideal year-round holiday destination.
On any trip to any country you’ll have a list, the things that you can do, the things that you’d like to do, and the things that you absolutely must do. Time to make a list.
Go hiking. New Zealand is a country of spectacular and diverse beauty. You can walk through rainforest, along golden-sand beaches, at the foot of mountains and up mountains. You can walk for half an hour, half a day or for days at a time.
Go kayaking. Paddle the dark waters of an ancient fiord or the sun-filled calmness of a South Island Sound. Lift your adrenalin with a whitewater rush or lift your soul with a pod of dolphins.
Go scuba diving. See the world of beauty and wildlife underwater that is so different but no less spectacular than the world above the water. Dive the Poor Knights, one of the world’s best dives. Dive with dolphins. Or just dive for dinner.
Go bungy jumping. It’s New Zealand. You have to try bungy jumping.
Landscapes:
New Zealand is a land of immense and diverse landscape. You’ll see things here that you will not see –in the same country – anywhere else in the world. Within a day or two’s drive you can see spectacular glaciers, picturesque fiords, rugged mountains, vast plains, rolling hillsides, subtropical forest, volcanic plateau, miles of coastline with gorgeous sandy beaches. Much of these landscapes are protected by National Parks with thousands of kilometres of walks and trails opening their beauty to the public.
Straddling two tectonic plates and sitting on the Pacific Rim of Fire has resulted in some spectacular geothermal areas and volcanoes, some of which are still active. Lake Taupo is the result of one of the largest and most destructive volcanic eruptions in the world. Visit Rotorua and you will see this geothermal activity close up with spouting geysers, hot water pools, and bubbling mud pools.
New Zealand has a long 15,000-kilometre coastline which has its own unique diversity. The West Coast is rugged and untamed while the coastal highlights of the East Coast are its gentle sandy beaches and harbours dotted with islands.
And if you don’t do anything else, take a flight and look down on this marvellous incredible land. And think of all the things you must do down there.
Cruises:
Getting out on the water is a big part of the New Zealand experience.
As an island nation we have a non-stop coastline, and our mountainous interior provides hundreds of inland waterways that run to the sea.
There are islands, harbours, sounds, gulfs and beaches to be discovered and rivers, lakes, fiords and glaciers waiting to be explored.
You can hire a punt on an urban river; relax for days on a houseboat, motor yacht or sailing vessel; be your own captain or hire an experienced professional crew.
The pristine landscapes and waterways of the Southern South Island offer a favourite cruising experience for many, and it is there that 2008 Tourism Award winner Real Journeys offers scenic cruises through Fiordland, Queenstown and Stewart Island.
Whether you prefer a high speed jet boat ride or a leisurely jaunt, you’ll find New Zealanders are happy to share with you their love of water-borne transport.
New Zealand Tours
