Road-trip fjords, glowworm caves, and Maori heartlands of New Zealand
Visit Christchurch, the largest city in New Zealand's South Island. Explore the Botanic Gardens (established in 1863 with native and exotic plants), see the Cardboard Cathedral (temporary cathedral built after the 2011 earthquake using cardboard tubes), ride the Christchurch Gondola (offering panoramic views of the city and Lyttelton Harbour), and stroll through the Riverside Market (indoor food hall with local produce and eateries).
Visit the Hobbiton Movie Set in New Zealand, the filming location for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies
Visit Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. Ride the historic Wellington Cable Car (opened in 1902) for panoramic views, explore Te Papa Tongarewa (national museum with interactive exhibits and Maori artifacts), stroll along the waterfront to see the iconic Wellington sign and sculptures, and sample a flat white coffee at a local cafe in Cuba Street (known for its bohemian vibe and street art).
Visit Auckland, New Zealand's largest city. Explore the Sky Tower (328m tall with panoramic views and a sky jump), wander through the Auckland Domain (city's oldest park with the Wintergardens and Auckland War Memorial Museum), take a ferry to Waiheke Island (known for vineyards and beaches), and see the Auckland Harbour Bridge (iconic structure with bridge climb and bungee options).
Visit Queenstown, the adventure capital of New Zealand. Experience bungee jumping at the Kawarau Bridge (the world's first commercial bungee site), ski or snowboard at Coronet Peak or The Remarkables, take a scenic cruise on Lake Wakatipu to see the stunning alpine scenery, and explore the historic gold-mining town of Arrowtown.
Visit the Cook Islands, a tropical paradise in the South Pacific with stunning beaches, lagoons, and Polynesian culture
See New Zealand's spherical beach stones
Visit Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu, the longest place name in the world, located in New Zealand. This Mฤori name translates to 'the summit where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, the slider, climber of mountains, the land-swallower who traveled about, played his nose flute to his loved one'. It's a hill near Porangahau in Hawke's Bay, standing about 305 meters high, and offers scenic rural views.
Visit Gibbs Farm, a large-scale outdoor sculpture park in New Zealand featuring contemporary artworks by international artists.
Watch The Quiet Earth (1985), a New Zealand post-apocalyptic sci-fi film directed by Geoff Murphy. It follows scientist Zac Hobson (Bruno Lawrence) who wakes to find he is apparently the last man on Earth after a global energy project misfires. Filmed around Auckland and the Waikato, it is celebrated for its haunting empty-city imagery and a famously ambiguous ending.
Eleven Oscars, Pelennor Fields and a very long goodbye.
Nine walkers set out from Rivendell; New Zealand becomes Middle-earth.
Helm's Deep, Gollum, and the best battle sequence of its decade.
Bilbo leaves Bag End with thirteen dwarves and a wizard.
Climb New Zealand's highest peak (3,724m) in the Southern Alps
A mute Scottish woman, her piano and a Maori-tattooed settler on a New Zealand beach; Campion's Palme d'Or.
Vampire flatmates in Wellington argue about the dishes; Waititi and Clement's mockumentary.
A Maori family under a violent father in South Auckland; the film that shook New Zealand.
A girl claims the chiefdom her grandfather refuses her; Keisha Castle-Hughes at 13.
Benedict Cumberbatch as a cruel Montana rancher and the boy who undoes him; Campion's Oscar.
A foster kid and his grumpy uncle on the run in the New Zealand bush; Taika Waititi before Marvel.
Draw subway lines for a growing city until it jams; the minimalist transit puzzle.
An active volcano you can ski in winter, with a hot acid lake in the crater.
A near-perfect cone on the Taranaki coast, so symmetrical it stood in for Mount Fuji on film.
The lone tree in the lake, the Roys Peak hike and the quieter alternative to Queenstown.
The sunniest city, craft beer and the gateway to the golden beaches of Abel Tasman.
Rebuilt entirely in Art Deco after the 1931 earthquake, in the Hawkeโs Bay wine region.
The Edinburgh of the south: the steepest street in the world, albatrosses and yellow-eyed penguins on the peninsula.
Sperm whales all year, dusky dolphins and crayfish, where the mountains meet the sea.
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