New Zealand Guides
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| Cathedral Cove, Coromandel |
See a list of guides to places in New Zealand including beaches, cities, gardens, lakes, mountains, museums, parks, rivers, and waterfalls.
Cities
Dunedin is the South Island's second-largest city after Christchurch. What is one of New Zealand's oldest cities nestles the end of an approximately 20-km-long inlet from the sea on the east coast of the South Island.
Hawke's Bay is a region of New Zealand on the east coast of the North Island. It is the hinterland of the huge 100 km long Hawke Bay, facing the South Pacific Ocean.
New Zealand's five largest cities are Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, Hamilton, and Tauranga. However, the word "city" has become somewhat problematic when it comes to ranking these five by size.
Queenstown is a tiny rural town in the wilds of the South Island of New Zealand. It advertises itself not only as the nation's "Home of Adventure" but as the "Adventure Capital of the World". Small and remote though it may be, Queenstown packs a punch well above its weight as New Zealand's scenic playground for outdoor sports fans and adventure seekers.
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| The volume of water at Huka Falls would fill an Olympic swimming pool in 11 seconds |
Nature
New Zealand has some great beaches and it is almost impossible to choose a top five. However, here is our choice and all are some great places to soak up some sun. Do be careful in the water, however; drowning is the leading cause of recreational death in New Zealand and the third highest cause of accidental death.
Bridal Veil Falls (Māori: Wairēinga, or "Water of the Underworld") is 55 meters in height. The waterfall is in the Waikato area in the North Island.
Huka Falls is near the town of Taupo on the Waikato River. The river is the longest in New Zealand and is known for its white-water rafting. The falls are one of the most visited natural attractions in the country. In the Maori language "huka" means foam which is appropriate, as the river gushes 20 metres down through a narrow 20-meter wide gorge.
The largest lake in New Zealand is Lake Taupo in central North Island, and, at 623 square km, it is twice the size of the next largest lake, Lake Te Anau. Indeed, Lake Taupo is the largest freshwater lake in Australasia. Lake Taupo has a perimeter of 193 km and a maximum depth of 186 metres. The lake is a crater lake situated in the caldera of the Taupo volcano and is drained by the Waikato River - also the longest river in New Zealand.
Koekohe Beach, in New Zealand's South Island, showcases the extraordinary Moeraki Boulders. The boulders are a geological feature that look almost artificial in their spherical perfection. The rocks give the beach the look of a fantasy landscape. Not only are they ball-shaped, but they have almost regular-looking cracks all over them - some filled with crystals, which look like pale cement. This give them a sort of "turtle shell" look. They are even a little reminiscent of textbook pictures of the human brain!
As well as its many rivers, New Zealand has a large number of lakes. In total the country has over 700 bodies of water with the majority in the South Island. Many are formed from the highland glaciers found here.
New Zealand has a total of 13 National Parks covering over 30,000 square kilometres of land. They encompass some of the most beautiful and unforgettable parts of the country. Areas of New Zealand's National Parks form part of the country's three UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
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| Kawarau River rapids, Queenstown. |
New Zealand is blessed with hundreds and hundreds of rivers, with well over 20 of them 100 km or more in length. They help make the country both an agricultural powerhouse and an adventurer's and nature lover's paradise. The rivers are usually known by their Maori names.
With many high mountains (taking up about one-third of New Zealand's land area), fairly high rainfall (among the top 50 rainiest countries in the world), and even glaciers, it is no surprise the country has an abundance of waterways.
Like the kiwi in its many manifestations, another icon of New Zealand is the humble sheep. To many people, particularly the older generation, the first two things that spring to mind when thinking about New Zealand are New Zealand lamb and New Zealand wool.
Captain Cook first brought sheep to New Zealand in 1773, but the poor things apparently ate poisonous plants and died. Later importations by others were more successful.
Rakiura Stewart Island is the southernmost and smallest of the three main islands of New Zealand. Located 30 km south of South Island across the rough seas of the Foveaux Strait, it is known as Rakiura ("Glowing skies") in Maori. The densely wooded, 1,746 square kilometre island is a haven for wildlife, particularly birds, due to a lack of introduced predators, which have been largely eradicated.
New Zealand is called "sub-tropical" in terms of climate, meaning the average temperature is about 20 degrees Celsius (67 degrees Fahrenheit). But New Zealand is quite a long country from north to south: about 1,600 kilometres (990 miles). That's roughly the distance from Beijing to Taipei, New Delhi to Goa, London to Lisbon, or Philadelphia to Miami.
New Zealand has three sites inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage listing. These are Tongariro National Park, Te Wahipounamu, and the Subantarctic Islands.
New Zealand's plentiful rivers and lakes mean it is blessed with some super scenic waterfalls. Here is a list of some of our favourite falls in New Zealand in no particular order of beauty.
Whakarewarewa is a New Zealand settlement that styles itself as "the living Maori village." It is located in the central North Island, in Rotorua, which is famous for its extensive geothermal activity.
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| Larnach Castle is now owned by the Barker family and available for hire for weddings and other functions |
Historic Places
Tāmaki Paenga Hira (or simply the Auckland Museum) is one of New Zealand's most important museums and war memorials. Located in the Auckland domain and viewable from the harbour, the museum has a huge collection of Maori and Pacific Island exhibits.
The "Beehive" in New Zealand's capital city, Wellington, is the country's most distinctive building and houses the executive wing of the government.
There are over a dozen Anglican, Catholic and Orthodox cathedrals in New Zealand. See a listing of some of the best including churches in Auckland, Dunedin, Christchurch and Wellington.
The Church Missionary Society's Kerikeri Mission Station has the oldest European building in New Zealand. The Mission House (aka Kemp House) in Northland in the North Island dates from 1822.
Larnach Castle bears the name of the man who had it built, William Larnach (1833-98). The Australian-born Larnach was born into a wealthy family and was sent to New Zealand to manage the Bank of Otago. He added power to his wealth by getting into politics.
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| Pond at Lan Yuan, Dunedin Chinese Garden |
Gardens
Lan Yuan Dunedin Chinese Garden
Lan Yuan, Dunedin Chinese Garden in Dunedin is a garden that styles itself as "only truly authentic Chinese Scholar's Garden in the Southern Hemisphere."
Auckland Botanic Gardens in Manurewa opened in 1982 and covers 64 hectares (156 acres) of land, including 10 hectares of native New Zealand forest. It is owned and operated by Auckland Council.
Books on New Zealand
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