Mount Cook is the highest peak in Australasia, and its Ngai Tahu tribe nickname is Aoraki. Aoraki means the “cloud piercer”, which aptly describes this 12,349-foot peak.  It’s also home to New Zealand’s longest glacier, the Tasman Glacier, which is 18 miles long and a mile wide.  One way to see Mount Cook National Park is by taking a scenic flight that flies over the park and lands on a glacier.  Tourists can also experience Tasman Glacier by heliskiing.

There is only one hotel within the Park, and that’s The Hermitage.  It has over 200 rooms, for every type of budget, and covers lots of acreage, with many amenities such as family rooms, children’s rooms, and a restaurant.  There are also around 20 alpine huts and shelters for hikers (or trampers as they’re called in New Zealand).

Fiordland National Park also faces the Tasman Sea, but looks nothing like Paparoa. Covering the Western side of the tip of the South Island, this park contains snow-capped mountains, waterfalls, dense forest and of course fiords. It’s 8,100 square miles of fiords, forest and lakes…New Zealand’s largest National Park. The lakes are glacial lakes, which means they’re surrounded by steep, cliffy mountains, making for stunning visuals.

Tourists will want to bring a camera because you can’t help but take memorable, beautiful pictures in this land of fiords. One of the largest, Doubtful Sound is 25 miles from open water to base of inland mountain. Also notable is Dusky Sound because you can take an overnight cruise in to see it. Or, if you prefer to walk, leave 10 days and take the Dusky Track. Either way, it’s beautiful, unique New Zealand at its best.

Other walks well worth looking into are the Hollyfor, the Milford, Routeburn (ouch!) and Kepler. Go it on your own with a friend, or go with a guided tour…these walks are best during the warmer months which, since New Zealand is in the Southern hemisphere, fall between October and April. Make sure you get a hut pass or campsite pass before you go. These walks range from 3 to 5 days, with Kepler Track the longest at 42 miles.

If you’re an animal lover, watch for the native Fiordland crested penguin. New Zealand Fur Seals can be seen on a trip to Doubtful Sound, as well as Bottlenose Dolphins playing in the water.

PAPAROA NATIONAL PARK

One of the most beautiful spots in all of New Zealand is Paparoa National Park, on the coast facing the Tasman Sea. Near the town of Punakaiki, centuries of salt water pounding has formed limestone structures that resemble stacked gray pancakes, tens of feet high, like giant pedestals overlooking the sea. Found down between the stacks of pancakes there are blowholes from which pressurized sea water that’s been trapped will suddenly release into a huge plume of sea spray. There are other parts of Paparoa National Park, but the pancakes and blowholes are the most unique.

You also might want to check out the “ballroom overhang”, another limestone structure, but which requires a two-hour treck through subtropical forest. For some, that’s all the more reason to go! Paparoa National Park is located on State Highway 6, in Punakaiki, and the pancakes and blowholes are easily accessible from the highway. Wheelchair friendly, too.

Driving New Zealand is the best way to get around this country. Bus schedules are hard to coordinate and you will lose time and flexibility if you rely on public transportation. If you have all the time in the world and want to save money, then buses are your best bet, however. Don’t forget, when driving New Zealand, stay on the left side of the road, like the British.

Drive to Northland

If you rent a car, then you can take a road trip to Northland on the Twin Coast Discovery Highway. This road loops around the Northland region so you can explore any way you like. There’s the east coast section and the west coast section, so you could do one section going up and one section going down. Time it right and catch the sunrise on the east coast, then the sunset on the west on the return trip a few days later.

Driving Tours From Auckland

Starting out in Auckland, which is where most tourists arrive by plane, drive north. About 45 minutes into your drive, you’ll hit BeesOnline. It’s at 791 Highway 16, Waimauku. It’s a restaurant, but they make gourmet honey here, and you can ask to taste their honeys. They serve food, and almost everything has some honey in it.

Drive a little further north and hit Whangarei Falls. It’s free, and located just outside the town of Whangarei. The falls drop 26 meters, or 82 feet, in parallel columns.

For beaches on your New Zealand driving tour, try Muriwai Beach and Aranga Beach. Aranga Beach can be combined with a hike up a steep hill. At the top you get a great view from Maunganui Bluff. In a country known for amazing scenic ocean views, even this one stands out. Muriwai Beach is popular for surfing, and has rocks galore. Located 28 miles northwest of Auckland.

If you make it all the way north to Paihia, save time for some hiking. A nice and easy, scenic hike can be found at Russell. Russell is a short ferry ride from Paihia, with boats leaving every half hour. It takes about fifteen minutes. Russell was the first permanent settlement of Europeans on New Zealand so it’s a good destination even if you don’t want to go hiking. It’s really a vacation town now. There’s a walking path that leads to some very steep inclines, but don’t worry, the hike is pretty easy. You get up to the peak, called Flagstaff Hill. You get a 360 degree view of the Bay of Island region, one you won’t ever forget.

Queenstown New Zealand is located on the South Island, in the lower quarter of the island. It’s not a coastal town, but rather nestled way inland. It’s a hustle bustle world here, with energy pulsing around the city like elecrtricity. There are so many pubs and restaurants.

For a laid-back experience, have dinner at Joe’s Garage. They have toasted sandwiches and they serve breakfast all day long! With your rental car drive just ten minutes outside of Queenstown New Zealand and visit Amisfield Winery & Bistro. The structure is stone and wood, very interesting itself. Eat lunch here for a pleasant and delicious afternoon of local eating. View the vineyards from your table and see how good life really is! It’s located at 10 Lake Hayes Road.

For more how about some shopping?  This town is full of quaint shops to explore.  Discover Queenstown shopping.

Shopping in Queenstown New Zealand

After trying any number of extreme sports in Queenstown New Zealand, relax with a little bit of shopping. There are funky, exquisite boutiques and great souvenirs for you and your folks back home.

Queenstown is located on the edge of Lake Wakatipu. This beautiful lake is fed by glacial rivers so it’s full of trout salmon. Head to Outside Sports on Shotover Street for colorful metallic lures for fishing. Or just use them for Christmas tree decorations.

New Zealand is known for sheep farming, and skin creams made with sheeps wool make awesome gifts for people back home. Sheep farmers have soft hands because of the lanolin in the wool of the sheep. This is the important ingredient in the HIgh Country Lanolin Intensive Cream found at Mary’s Sheep on Beach Street.

Native manuka plants make great flavorings for candy, found at Queenstown Health & Sport Nutrition on Camp Street. Great for sore throats, manuka plants and the honey made by bees that buzz around them, are key ingredients in lollipops for sale here.

The founder of New Zealands’s homeland sport of bungee jumping, also has a winery called Freefall Wine Company. The vineyards overlook Kawarau Gorge, main site of bungee plunging in Queenstown New Zealand.

Go native and get some kitchen utensils with hei-tiki symbols on them. The hei-tiki is good luck for the Maori, and at In the Pink on Camp Street you can buy salad tongs for good luck.

Sheep are prevalent in Queenstown New Zealand. Merino wool products make very fitting souvenirs. Buy them at Kiwi South Knitwear. Also buy hats and gloves here. Then stop by Jade Factory on Beach Street and get some local abalone necklaces. The jewelry here pays homage to Maori culture and its closeness to the sea.

Go horseback riding! Take your rental car and drive just fifteen minutes outside of town to Moonlight Stables. There are 800 acres of ranch land and horseback riding through open fields. You’ll ride between mountain peaks and see some of the best views ever in a country that is known for its gorgeous views. Less than $100 to ride.

Or try Dart Stables, longer drive outside of Queenstown New Zealand. Lord of the Rings was filmed here! That tells you how great the scenery is…when part of a major motion picture is filmed there! Horseback riding costs about $20 more than at Moonlight Stables. Located at 58 Coll ST. in Glenorchy.

Visit Oamaru on the east coast of the South Island. There are blue penguins here! In the early evening, they come out of the water after fishing all day and return to their nests. Do not disturb!!! Go to Waterfront Road in Oamaru. $15 charge.

New Zealand satellite map, print, poster, photo – $ 29.95
24″x36″ “Museum Quality” Photo Gloss Print of New Zealand This is a beautiful satellite map/print of New Zealand. Notice that bathymetry (oceanic depth) has been used to enhance this island nation.

Because of the island setting and abundant rainfall, New Zealand has lots of vegetation.  Even today, much of this country is untouched, leaving a lush natural environment, of which 30 percent is protected by parks and reserves.

The islands have no native land mammals…those you will find were brought by early Maoris and Europeans.  Northland’s forests contain massive Kauri trees, kiwis (the bird), and giant wetas, which are crickets that can’t fly.

Other climates of New Zealand include the Shrublands which are shorter forests that may once have been logged and are now making a comeback, coastal areas with rocky terrain and sandy beaches AND 11,300 miles of coastline, and mountain regions, ranging from 2,900 feet  in the South Island to 4,270+ feet above sea level on the North Island.

The mountain regions experience severe weather in all directions, from frigid conditions to dry heat and high winds.  It’s here that visitors will find Keas, or mountain parrots, who possess intelligence and playfulness, and therefore make for excellent bird-watching.