Visiting New Zealand

Now, when a lot of people think of New Zealand, a certain phrase pops into mind; well, it does at least for me. That phrase is "Middle Earth", due to the fact that New Zealand`s breathtakingly beautiful natural scenery was used to create a lot of the areas for the filming of the Lord of the Rings trilogy of films, adapted from Tolkien`s frequently bemusing and enchanting works. However, this is just one example of why New Zealand is a great place to visit, with the gorgeous natural scenery just one reason to set out there.

New Zealand itself is an island nation situated in the south Pacific region and although it is believed to be almost contiguous to Australia, they are actually a good distance apart. Like Australia, New Zealand used to be a British colony and as such has a large population of European descent, as well as the indigenous peoples of the island, the fearsome Maoris who have a history and culture that stretches back a long, long way. This cultural mix is also one of the interesting things about New Zealand, as it offers a number of different cultures and ways of life to experience. What New Zealand does offer too is variety, as in the northern reaches of the islands you can experience sandy beaches and warm sun, whereas the more southerly areas are almost Antarctic, with many areas inaccessible. It is also interesting to note that New Zealand has been repeatedly voted the top travelling destination in the world, as well as the best long haul holiday destination by many august institutions.

In a way, it is a bit wasteful to really state that there are "must-see" or "must-do" things when visiting New Zealand, as a trip there tends to be of a sandbox variety, in that your own explorations will give you the best experiences. However, what can be done is to point out some of the bigger attractions to you, so you can make them pit stops on your way!

Wellington is the capital of New Zealand and is really the arts and cultural centre of the nation, with a lot of museums and galleries. The national museum, Te Papa, is there and there are many beautiful picnic areas and theatres, bars and pubs to wile away the nights in. It is fair to say that, if you`re in New Zealand, you are never far from lovely views and scenery and Wellington is no exception. The most populous area in New Zealand is Auckland, another large city with all the sights and sounds you would expect. As well as the cities though there are a large number of natural parks, for instance the Tongariro National Park, which is home to three volcanoes. In short, getting out there and exploring for yourself is often the best thing to do whilst in New Zealand.

Whilst travelling that far would have once been prohibitively expensive and hard to arrange, the advent of the internet has made it very easy to search for the best deals on everything, from car parking at Heathrow Airport to entrance fees the attractions when you are over there. So, now you know you are missing out on one of the great worldwide destinations, get on the net and sort yourself out a trip!