Overview to New Zealand: Travel Guide and Tourist Information

  Mountain View in New Zealand

New Zealand is dwarfed by its vast Antipodean neighbor Australia, on the other side of the Tasman Sea. But size isn’t everything and, in New Zealand’s case, great things really do come in (relatively) small packages.

Its cities, Christchurch, Auckland ,and the capital Wellington, all have their attractions: Christchurch is smart and pleasantly paced; Auckland ,- and in particular its Ponsonby quarter - is more bohemian; whilst Wellington is home to the country’s great religion - rugby.

But as is the case in Australia, the availability of backpacker-priced ‘buy-back’ cars allows travelers to really get out and explore the more out of the way corners of this absolutely stunning country. Movie fans might want to make for the Remarkables, a spectacular mountain range that’s just one site featured in ‘The Lord of the Rings’.

In amongst all the dramatic scenery there are a wide variety of outdoors activities. White-water rafting in Waitomo, canoeing in the fjords of the Southern Island, surfing in (amongst others) Tauranga Bay, Raglan and Dunedin, sky-diving in Taupo and a little of everything in Queenstown.

New Zealand also offers less frenetic outdoors pursuits. The infamous Milford Track – known as ‘the best walk in the world’ – in the southern Fjordland National Park is just one of a series of ‘Great Walks’ on which the countless ravishing views can be taken in at a more leisurely pace.

This natural and geographical diversity, ultimately, is what really makes the country stand out for travelers. Its Maori name, ‘Land of the Long White Cloud’, is highly evocative, suggesting a country of unspoilt rainforests, active volcanoes, glaciers and remarkable coastlines, very much in touch with its natural side.

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