Top Ten Tourist Attractions in New Zealand

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An image of Fiordland

Land of the Long White Cloud

New Zealand is an breathtakingly beautiful place with a plethora of amazing natural attractions that have seen explorers, tourists, and movie makers alike beating a path there for years.  So much so the New Zealand government even got in a slight bit of bother when they crumbled under the pressure of high flying movie execs to subsidize the filming of The Hobbit films.

Now, we are not politicians but for a country that lives and breaths its iconic pure image and directly leverages it to drive the tourism dollar.  Then why the heck would you not do anything to keep a movie series which continues to show off the land of the long white cloud.

Geography Matters in this Southern Hemisphere Island(s)

Outside of the obvious beauty of New Zealand, it’s other great asset, whilst relatively boring is still no less important and that’s it’s local geography. There are not too many places on this earth that can claim so many amazing natural tourist attractions crammed into one small island.  From skiing in the morning at Ruapehu to surfing Hawkes Bay beaches in the afternoon or walking the golden sands of Nelson to the next day being in the mountainous terrain of Queenstown.

An image of Abel Tasman

With so Many Choices, What Do I See?

If you are going to visit and soak up the beautiful scenery then what are the Top Ten places to go and see in the land of the long white cloud? The Natural South team obviously want you to spend your money wisely so based on our local knowledge of tourist attractions in New Zealand we have come up with the following best of list:

  1. Fiordland National Parks

    www.fiordland.org.nz

  2. Abel Tasman National Park

    www.abeltasman.co.nz

  3. Westland National Park

    www.doc.govt.nz

  4. Mt Cook

    www.mtcooknz.com

  5. Bay of Islands

    www.bayofislands.net

  6. Queenstown

    www.queenstown.com

  7. Tongariro National Park

    www.doc.govt.nz

  8. Coromandel Peninsula

    www.thecoromandel.com

  9. Kaikoura

    www.kaikoura.co.nz

  10. Malborough Sounds

    www.marlboroughsounds.co.nz


Quick Tip

If you are only coming for two weeks then focus on only 5 things to see, don’t try and fit everything in as you will not appreciate the scenery. Often this means making a choice between either the North or the South Island. Whilst the South Island is more famous for it’s diverse landscapes, the North Island have some of the most stunning beaches in the world.  Ideally you would need a minimum of 5 weeks to complete the above top 10 list and feel like you have still had a holiday.

We have also made it super simple to understand when is the best time of year to come to New Zealand based on your activity preferences. To find out more just go to our article here: Best Time to Visit New Zealand. Enjoy!

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4 comments

  1. Best Places in New Zealand for a Honeymoon - Natural South Reply

    […] It depends on what time of the year you are coming and how long you have to spend in New Zealand. So rather than spilling out line after line of boring detail we have recommended places across NZ we think you should travel to based on your available time and if you are coming in the cooler or warmer months. Also remember that these locations are meant to be great exploring points for see some of New Zealand’s famous tourist attractions. […]

  2. Top Ten Foods Produced in New Zealand - Natural South Reply

    […] New Zealand produces great quality, fresh food and beverages, consumed in every corner of the world each day.  We would be honoured to have you visit our shores ad sample the food and wine delights first hand.  Tour the North and South Islands, visit Marlborough, Hawke’s Bay, Auckland, Northland, Taupo, Wairarapa, Wellington, Nelson, Canterbury, Otago and everywhere in between and meet the locals. You can also view our top ten attractions here. […]

  3. Best Places to Visit on a Lord of the Rings Vacation Reply

    […] we’ve found the best places to visit on a Lord of the Rings vacation (many of which rank on the top 10 places to visit in New Zealand list) so you don’t have […]

  4. Sangeeta Reply

    I have just visited New Zealand and every single thing about NZ is breathtaking! From the people to the roads, to the mountains, the schools, education system, mannerism, lakes, wild life,….you name it..
    I wanted to explore the possibilities of getting a job there…Are there any reliable sources?

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