New Zealand - A Journey to the End of the World

New Zealand – a journey to the end of the world

19401

June 9, 2020

A must-see on almost every list of countries we want to visit is Nowa Zelandia. For many years, it has been perceived through the prism of fairy-tale landscapes that we know from the films "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" - endless green hills, snow-capped peaks, misty fjords and rivers and lakes with crystal clear water. Let's add to this the numerous volcanoes, thermal springs and geysers and endemic species of plants growing in a mild climate and we have a recipe for truly postcard views. Our imagination is equally strongly influenced by the distance that we have to cover to finally find ourselves in our dream place - the journey itself and the obligatory jet lag can take several days. We invite you to familiarize yourself with several attractions that await you during travel to New Zealand, tailor-made by Planet Escape.

A characteristic feature is the isolation of the two islands from the rest of the world. The culture of the indigenous inhabitants of these lands has mixed over hundreds of years with the traditions of English colonizers brought from Europe, and in the following decades also with the customs of other ethnic groups that gradually settled in the country of Kiwis (a symbol of the inhabitants and the country itself), also called the Country of the Long White Cloud (from the Maori language Aotearoa).

Beautiful and diverse sceneries, a multitude of interesting places with a full range of activities (New Zealand is also the world capital of extreme sports), an interesting mix of cultures and customs of indigenous and visiting residents, plus a specific feeling of traveling to the end of the world - all this means that our travel dreams often go in this direction. Travel to New Zealand with Planet Escape is a fantastic adventure and an unforgettable experience. We hope that you will be able to experience it too.

From North to South

Auckland, Matamata, Rotorua, Christchurch, Mt. Cook, Wanaka, Queenstown, Milford Sound, Franz Josef, Punakaiki, Greymounth, Kaikoura
On the opposite side of the globe, there are two islands whose natural beauty is unmatched in the world. New Zealand, saved from mass tourism, delights with endless beaches, fjords full of dolphins and seals, geysers spouting turquoise water. Stretches of green meadows, glaciers and mountains, next to which the Alps look like Babia Góra make this place truly unique. We invite you to New Zealand, where the number of sheep is still four times greater than the population!

Once you have decided on this particular destination, all that remains is to carefully choose the right route around the islands, choose a convenient date (the best weather is between November and March, and the peak travel period is December - January) and set off on an adventure!

A specialist from Planet Escape will assist you throughout the entire organisation process.

Kiwi Country's Top Attractions

Milford Sound

Probably the most popular tourist attraction in the whole country, and certainly on the South Island. A must-see on every trip around New Zealand. The route itself is an adventure: if you decide to travel by car, you will cover about 120 km of an incredibly scenic road, leading along the bottom of the valley, among the peaks of the New Zealand Alps. Along the way, there are numerous opportunities to stop to take photos of the beautiful fauna and flora or go on a short trek to numerous viewpoints. For those with more time, there are many trails of varying degrees of difficulty and length. A characteristic point is the parking lot, where you can admire the numerous kea birds living here, and the drive through the tunnel, which opens the last stage of the route to the fjord.

Milford Sound

To fully enjoy the views, it is worth admiring the areas of Fiordland National Park during a cruise. Depending on your time and budget, you can choose from a variety of options and different routes around the 20 km bay and its most beautiful corners. Be sure to take photos of the majestic Mitre Peak and sail close to the numerous waterfalls. In the peak season, group coach tours can be a challenge, so it is worth considering morning or afternoon cruises or even overnight stays on the ship. Sightseeing flights from Queenstown may interest those who love to see everything from above. Milford Sound is a UNESCO World Heritage Site - in New Zealand, this organization recognizes only 3 such places! The only downside is the capricious weather - the west coast and Fiordland are the rainiest areas in the country. Good weather is hard to guarantee even during the summer months.

Abel Tasman National Park

On the northern shores of the South Island stretches Tasman Bay and the smallest of the 13 national parks in the country - Abel Tasman. Despite its small size and location a bit off the beaten track from popular routes, it is one of the most frequently visited parks, also because of the so-called Great Walk - one of several long-distance hiking trails with exceptional natural and tourist values. If you like active recreation in beautiful natural surroundings or love kayaking trips, this can be an interesting element of your trip to New Zealand. Visitors will be delighted with kilometers of untouched and secluded beaches, beautiful bays and lush and evergreen forest full of local fauna. An additional attraction is the very diverse terrain and a large selection of accommodation, available routes and activities. This park is particularly popular among lovers of kayaking trips, part of the coastline and beaches are accessible only by water, and the most frequently visited place is a peculiar rock formation called Split Apple Rock.

Abel Tasman National Park

Coromandel Peninsula

When travelling to New Zealand, often due to the very limited amount of time, we focus largely on visiting the South Island. This is understandable: it is the South Island that attracts us with its beautiful views, mountain ranges, glaciers and fjords. Additionally, it is the larger of the islands and most of the most frequently visited places or national parks are located there. However, one of the most charming areas in the country is only a few dozen kilometres from Auckland: travelling east around the Hauraki Gulf, we will reach Thames - the gateway to the Coromandel Peninsula and its treasures. This is also a very popular destination among the islanders themselves, where everyone will find something for themselves. Beautiful and wild beaches hidden in picturesque bays, charming roads running along the coast, numerous hiking trails, famous geological formations of The Pinnacles peaks, traces of old mining and the unique atmosphere of small towns... The region's world-recognizable landmarks include Cathedral Cove - a rock window in the seaside cliff revealed during low tide, Hot Water Beach - a free geothermal spa, as well as majestic and rare kauri trees.

Coromandel Peninsula

Mount Cook

The highest peak in New Zealand is well known to anyone who has ever visited this distant country – after all, the mountain itself, along with the likeness of the famous Sir Edmund Hillary, is featured on the $5 banknote. The path to the heart of the national park and the small town of the same name first leads along the picturesque shores of Lake Pukaki. There are numerous bays on the route, allowing you to park your car, capture the landscape in a photo, use a designated place for a short rest or go down to the shore of the lake and spend a moment alone with nature. After reaching the destination, tourists will find numerous trekking routes through glacial valleys, between the snow-capped peaks of the New Zealand Alps. The most popular choice is the perfectly prepared and marked route in the Hooker Valley. In total, you will have to cover about 10 km. Sometimes the path leads over rushing streams, and the final point is a glacial lake with an open view of Mount Cook towering in the distance and its glaciers. For those with more time and energy, there are steep, rocky slopes of the surrounding ridges and many hours of high-mountain trails and the possibility of spending the night in one of the mountain huts. The lake can also be admired from the water, planning a cruise in the neighboring valley in advance, where you will enjoy the view of the already melting Tasman Glacier.

Mount Cook

West Coast. Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers, pancake rocks and pounamu

The entire length of the South Island is crossed by Route 6, a significant section of which runs along the west coast and the Westland region. As you cover the next kilometres, you will have the opportunity to see the most diverse forms of landscape, rocky coasts and sandy beaches, evergreen forests, waterfalls and glaciers. The latter in particular attract tourists to this rainy region of the country. Two small towns, 20 km apart, are bases for admiring these disappearing wonders of nature. There are usually two ways to see them. The first is a short trek/walk along the bottom of the valley from which the glacier has already retreated. Along the way, you will see the changing landscape, which at the head of the glacier brings to mind the scenery known from films about other planets - inventive rock formations, monumental mountain walls and rushing rivers. Adventure seekers will definitely decide to take a trip around the glacier, its narrow corridors, numerous chambers and its surface. You will reach the place where you will spend several dozen minutes under the watchful eye of a guide and equipped with the right equipment, by helicopter. Unforgettable emotions guaranteed.

Fox Glacier

Not far from the town of Fox Glacier is Lake Matheson. If you go for an early morning walk around the reservoir, you can admire the mirror reflections of the distant Alps, including the towering Mt. Cook, in its surface – don't forget your camera!

Franz Josef Glacier

Another must-see is the so-called Pancake Rocks on the coast near Punakaiki. Over hundreds of years, turbulent waters and abundant rainfall have formed rock formations that are not found anywhere else.

Punakaki – Pancake Rocks

The town of Hokitika has been the capital of handicrafts and products made from the characteristic green rock for many years. I'll tell you. Intricate jewellery and decoration designs are an important element of the culture of the country’s indigenous people – the Maori.

Visiting the land of Hobbits

Auckland, Coromandel Peninsula, Rotorua, Napier, Wellington, Nelson, Paparoa National Park, Westland National Park, Queenstown, Lake Te Anau, Dunedin, Christchurch
On the opposite side of the globe, there are two islands whose natural beauty is unmatched in the world. New Zealand, saved from mass tourism, delights with endless beaches, fjords full of dolphins and seals, geysers spouting turquoise water. Stretches of green meadows, glaciers and mountains, next to which the Alps look like Babia Góra make this place truly unique. We invite you to New Zealand, where the number of sheep is still four times greater than the population!

Auckland – city of sails

It is the largest and most important city in the country, although its capital is Wellington. When travelling around New Zealand, it is hard to miss this place due to the presence of an international airport. Since the beginning of the state, Auckland has been an important administrative, commercial and industrial centre. Currently, the urban area is home to about 1/3 of the entire population of the Kiwi country. It is here that you can best see the international, cosmopolitan blend of cultures that shapes the modern face of the country. The symbol of the city is the Sky Tower (the tallest building in the country and in the entire southern hemisphere) towering over the business centre adjacent to the bay, where the brave can walk on the viewing platform and do a bungee jump, and lovers of good food can enjoy a revolving restaurant with a panoramic view. Several times a year, the tower lights up during light and music shows, and on 31 December it is the centre of a fireworks show. The city itself can bring you a bit closer to the popular stereotype of the life of an average New Zealander. Here you can try delicious cuisine from all over the world, including the ubiquitous seafood and fish, taste excellent coffee and famous New World wines produced on the neighbouring island of Waiheke. Every self-respecting resident has their own boat moored in the city bay, because water sports are the most popular form of spending free time, and numerous parks and green recreational areas are the perfect place to meet with friends, have a barbecue or play a game of rugby - this is the local national sport, and the All Blacks team is the pride of Aucklanders. Nature lovers can be satisfied with the proximity of the reserve on Rongitoto Island or the volcanic Piha beach with the characteristic Lion Rock and the rocky coastline of the west coast.

Auckland

Queenstown and around

When travelling around New Zealand, it is hard to miss its winter capital, also famous for extreme sports. Its convenient location, the multitude of nearby attractions and those in the city itself make it an important point on the route around the South Island. We invite you to Queenstown, because it is simply impossible to get bored, everyone will find something for themselves. The city's location on the hills descending to the shores of Lake Wakatipu captivates with an unusual and beautiful view. Lovers of hiking and beautiful panoramas will be delighted by the surrounding hills and peaks, we especially recommend a gondola trip to Ben Lomond, a visit to the popular winter resort The Remarkables or going to the northern end of the lake to Glenorchy or Paradise. The last name says a lot about what you will see here. The roads themselves are definitely among the most beautiful in the world, and if you add the Crown Range Road to Wanaka to this, you must plan a few days here. The lake itself can be viewed from the deck of the historic TSS Earnslaw steamship from the early 20th century, and history buffs will definitely appreciate the mining town of Arrowtown and its atmosphere. If you are looking for an adrenaline rush, you will find a number of attractions here, such as bungee jumping, mountain biking trails, jet boating in narrow river canyons or sightseeing flights over the area or Milford Sound and its fjords. Afterwards, it is worth stopping by one of the local restaurants and enjoying delicacies served with famous Central Otago wines (try the amazing Pinot Noir).

Queenstown

Rotorua

When planning your trip to New Zealand, you will certainly hear about the city of Rotorua, located on the lake of the same name. Located about 200 km from Auckland (on the way you can see the famous Hobbiton), it is an important tourist center on the map of the country. Its convenient location and wide range of attractions attract tourists from all over the world. Nature lovers are attracted by geothermal and volcanic phenomena, the formations and processes of which are visible throughout the area. These are multi-colored lakes and springs, geysers, fumes of steam and sulfur escaping from the earth's mantle, mudflats or craters and rock formations reminiscent of cosmic landscapes. Here you can learn about the history of the creation of the world with your own eyes and see how these same processes shape the current environment. In the immediate vicinity there are several hundred places related to geothermal activity, additionally you can admire beautiful lakes or evergreen hills and recreational areas, monumental sequoias and huge ferns. The area has a rich history of health and healing and also attracts many visitors in this respect. It is also one of the few places where you can admire the symbol of New Zealand – the modest and shy flightless bird – the kiwi. Rotorua is also the most important centre of Maori culture. You will be able to learn the detailed history, traditions and art of the indigenous people in the thematic open-air museum park.

Rotorua

Tongariro National Park and Lake Taupo

Located in the heart of the North Island, the park is the oldest protected area in the entire country. Due to its unparalleled natural and landscape values and elements related to the indigenous Maori culture, it is unique on the map of New Zealand and is one of three areas that has been included on the UNESCO list. Visitors can admire the landscapes presented in the films from the "Lord of the Rings" series as the land of Mordor. The Tongariro Alpine Crossing hiking trail, measuring 19,4 km, is referred to as the best one-day trekking in the world. The route leads through spectacular ridges and peaks of the surrounding hills, offering unlimited views of active volcanic cones and volcanic lakes colored from minerals; the trek ends in green valleys covered with moist forest. A more extensive version of the trail is over 40 km long and is counted among the 9 so-called Great Walks existing in New Zealand. When choosing this longer option, you should ensure appropriate physical and equipment preparation and plan the route for 3–4 days.

You can also admire the snow-capped mountain peaks from Lake Taupo, located a few dozen kilometres to the north, which is the largest reservoir in the country and, as a result, a popular holiday destination for water sports enthusiasts and anglers. A charming road with numerous stops and viewpoints leads along the eastern coast. A popular attraction is the Huka Falls and a fast motorboat ride up the Wakiato River to the waterfall itself.