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Auckland
Auckland airport is the most common entry point for international
visitors to New Zealand, though it is also possible to fly
into Christchurch and Wellington. Auckland, despite not being
the capital, is New Zealand's biggest city, and more cosmopolitan
than Wellington. It has the biggest Polynesian population
in the country, and a large number of Asian immigrants in
more recent years give it its culturally varied atmosphere.
It is also New Zealand's financial and business centres, with
the centre' sky scrapers housing the HQ's for many of the
country's biggest companies. It has been dubbed the city of
sails after the two large and impressive harbours, with a
bridge between the two to rival Sydney's. Sailing around the
harbour on a sunny day is a popular pastime of residents,
who have the right idea - one of the most enjoyable ways to
see the city is on a harbour cruise.
Auckland is an extensive city, easily divided into suburbs,
each with quite different and individual characters. The best
shopping is to be found in Parnell and Newmarket,
while the historic part of town is in Devonport, and
an arty-crafty atmosphere can be found in the in western suburb
of Ponsonby. Good beaches for swimming include Mission
Bay and Kohimarama, while in the gulf just outside
the harbour there is a small group of islands worth visiting.
Auckland also has a small collection of fantastic museums
including Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World and Arctic
Encounter, not to mention the Auckland Museum,
located in the centre of The Domain, the city's large
public park.
Rotorua
Rotorua is at the heart of an area of much seismic activity,
based on a fault line that runs through the length of the
country and makes this town something of a thermal wonderland.
The result of all this geothermal activity is that Rotorua
has become known as the City of Sulphur, due to the
strong and pervasive smell! It has also made it into major
tourist centre, and has proliferation of tacky shops to suit.
As well as the smell, the area is known for its impressive
array of hot springs, mud pools and geysers,
all within in easy reach of the town centre. The other major
draw of Rotorua is that it is also home to one of the most
accessible examples of Maori culture in the country,
offering one of the few opportunities to see a traditional
community in action. The town is located next to picturesque
Lake Rotorua, which provides alternative options to the
usual fare, including trout fishing, and a variety
of lake cruises, from paddle steamers through
to jet boats.
Nelson
Nelson is a small city, popular with backpackers and tourists
alike for its location in the Nelson and Marlborough region,
an area full of vineyards and popular walking trails, such
as the Abel Tasman Coastal Track, and the Heaphy.
It is a pleasant and active, yet laid back area, with some
of the best beaches in NZ, and more hours of sunshine a year
in which to enjoy them than any other area.
Kaikoura
THE place to come to go whale watching, swim with dolphins,
and generally get close to wildlife (there is also a seal
colony and a proliferation of bird life). It is
also the best place in New Zealand to eat crayfish
- Kaikoura means 'to eat crayfish' in Maori, and that alone
would make this tiny town worth a visit.
Christchurch
A little England, bearing physical similarity to Oxford or
Cambridge - it even has punting on the river! It was built
to a plan created by members of Christchurch College, Oxford,
after which the town is named. It is a leafy and attractive
city, which is great place to explore by bike, as it is relatively
small and flat, as well as picturesque. For such a small city,
there's a great range of restaurants and a good nightlife,
and is considered by many to be the cultural centre of south
island. Among the museums worth visiting, the International
Antarctic Centre is particularly notable - offering visitors
the opportunity to experience first hand Antarctic conditions,
and to meet some of the local fauna.
West Coat Towns - Greymouth and Hokitika
The west coast of New Zealand is known for two things - rain
and mining - but despite this there are a few places worth
visiting, and the seascapes along the coast can be very dramatic.
Greymouth is the biggest town, and main stop along
the way, while slightly further down is Hokitika, the
biggest greenstone-carving centre in New Zealand. North of
Greymouth is Punakaiki, where you'll find the unusual
and impressive pancake rocks, part of an area declared
a National Park in 1987, which boasts a whole range of natural
attractions. There's no need to make a special stop here,
as most buses will stop here on route to other towns along
the coast.
Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers
Further down the west coast are the amazing Fox and Franz
Joseph Glaciers. They are the closest glaciers to sea level
in the world, and therefore most accessible. They are incredibly
impressive just to look at, and you can do this just by walking
around the glaciers, or to get a bit closer, book a guided
hiking tour across the ice - it's not safe to cross alone
without a guide unless you are highly trained and experienced
in the use of ice equipment. There are a whole host of other
exciting activities that you can book, including ice climbing
and helicopter trips, also heli-hiking, which
combines both activities, though all of these options can
be quite pricey.
Queenstown
Situated on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, this town
is the extreme sports capital of New Zealand, and a
general party town, with more nightlife on offer than you'll
find in almost any other part of the country. The nearby town
of Wanaka is of a similar temperament, though mildly
more sedate. It's location between the Remarkables
mountain range and Lake Wakatipu, make it ideal for a huge
number of different adventurous sports, and put it just a
short distance from some of New Zealand's most popular walking
trails. There is great skiing in winter, and hiking,
jet boating, bungee-jumping, white water rafting and
so on, for the rest of the year, all of which can be booked
in the innumerable companies' offices along Shotover Street
in the centre of town.
Te Anau
This is the closest that the Southland region gets
to a capital, a tiny town of just 1500 people. It is beautifully
located on the edge of lake Te Anau, and is kind of a tiny
Queenstown, with a wide range activities on offer. However,
most people come here to start the famous Milford Track,
or to visit the amazing Milford Sound.
Stewart Island
Visiting Stewart Island might feel a bit like coming to the
end of the earth! However, it's not as inhospitable as you
might expect, has some of the most beautiful sunrises and
sunsets you'll see, and is a great place to really get away
from it all. Due to its comparative isolation, it is the place
in New Zealand where you are most likely to see a kiwi,
or a mutton bird, as well as much other bird and animal
life, all under the canopy of a different kind of forest to
the rest of the country. The track that rings most of the
island is the best opportunity to see all the wildlife the
island has to offer, and will take to the extreme that getting
away feeling.
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