From the seismic, steaming landscapes of North Island to the uplifting vistas of the South Island, magical places abound in New Zealand. Its spellbinding scenery has starred in many a movie, famously doubling for Middle Earth in The Lord of the Rings. The forces of nature are perhaps more apparent in the Land of the Long White Cloud than anywhere else on Earth, creating technicoloured geothermal lakes, smoking volcanoes, mighty glaciers and jaw-dropping fiords. Here, we've subjectively ranked 29 of the country's natural wonders based on their beauty.
Read on to see which we believe is the most beautiful...
Part of a UNESCO-listed geopark, New Zealand’s coast around North Otago is strewn with weird and wonderful geologic marvels that are well worth a stop at for a photo opp. Aptly-named for their smooth, grey humps and curves, Elephant Rocks appear like a herd of fossilised elephants grazing on the green hillsides, close to the Island Cliff-Duntroon road.
The strange, weathered stones even formed the backdrop for scenes in the first The Chronicles of Narnia film.
The bewitching beauty of Kaitoke Regional Park’s crystalline rivers and rainforests won it a part in the Lord of the Rings films, doubling as the elvish realm of Rivendell. Its untouched verdant valleys rushing with water are a natural haven that’s easy to explore on foot via the well-worn walking tracks that snake between ancient native trees.
The forest canopy is home to a number of rare birds, including endemic kaka parrots and New Zealand falcons.
These huge, bulbous anomalies scattering the sand of Koekohe Beach, between the towns of Moeraki and Hampden, add a different dimension to South Island’s scenic North Otago coast. Appearing like giant cannonballs up to 6.5 feet (2m) high, the geologic wonders look as though they were carved by human hands, but in fact they are made of calcified rock concreted together 65 million years ago and slowly released from the soft seabed by coastal erosion.
Similar Koutu Boulders can be found around Hokianga Harbour on North Island.
The native Pohutukawa tree, also known as New Zealand’s Christmas Tree, is a unique natural feature common in the north of North Island but found all across the country. The wide-canopied trees burst into a profusion of scarlet blossoms every December around Christmas time, and have become synonymous with the festive period. The hardy evergreen is notable for growing in inhospitable spots too, clinging to cliffsides or transforming barren lava fields into a garden of life.
This stunning natural attraction at Dolomite Point near the village of Punakaiki on the South Island’s west coast offers elemental entertainment at its best. Part of Paparoa National Park, named for its flat-packed layers of rock that look like stacks of giant pancakes teetering over the frothing ocean, the geology itself is awe-inspiring. But the power of its air and water vents, exploding suddenly into the sky, offers all the thrill of a fireworks display.
This primordial world of towering ancient trees on the northern tip of New Zealand is the largest remaining tract of native forest in Northland. It's home to Tane Mahuta – the Lord of the Forest – a 2,000-year-old sacred kauri tree that measures 14 feet (4.4m) around its trunk and almost 59 feet (18m) up to its first branch. That's young compared to another giant kauri tree found here: Te Matua Ngahere, meaning Father of the Forest, is estimated to be between 2,500 and 3,000 years old.
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A lost world flanked by mountains and carved out by glaciers in Fiordland National Park, Sinbad Gully’s rivers and forests lay hidden for centuries. Hemmed in by the famous Mitre Peak on one side and Llawrenny Peaks on the other, the gully opens out into the jaw-dropping fiords of Milford Sound. Cut off from the world, nature has gone her own way here, creating strange species found nowhere else.
The gully was the last mainland stronghold for the critically endangered kãkãpõ (pictured), a huge, cuddly, flightless parrot now only found on Codfish Island.
Natural hydro-power at its most impressive, Huka Falls funnels New Zealand’s longest river, the Waikato, into a steep and narrow ravine with more than 220,000 litres of icy-blue water per second roaring over the edge. Right at the top of the falls, a footbridge above the spray offers magnificent views, while walking tracks lead to great vantage points along the river. To feel the sheer force of the falls from the water, board a cruise or take a jet boat tour.
The awe-inspiring proportions of Milford Sound are difficult to grasp. Its sheer mountainsides, ravines and precipitous waterfalls dwarf the cruise liners that come to visit this watery wonderland at the edge of the Southern Alps. Novelist Rudyard Kipling was so struck by the fiords, he described them as the eighth wonder of the world, and no trip to New Zealand’s South Island would be complete without taking a tour here.
The fiord is best seen by boat, or scenic flights offer a bird's-eye view.
Hidden among bucolic country gardens in the little hamlet of Ohaupo on New Zealand's North Island is a natural chapel formed from entwined trees guided by human hands. This living, breathing church is a monument to nature surrounded by mature oak and maple trees. It is usually open to visitors and can even host weddings of up to 100 people.
The surrounding gardens include a hedge labyrinth and Monet-inspired pond.
A network of subterranean caves and rivers snakes beneath Waitomo’s verdant hills in New Zealand’s northeast, harbouring magical, glowing caverns. Tours by boat and on foot take visitors deep underground to witness the phenomena, with thousands of glow worms lighting the cave ceiling like a sea of white-blue stars.
Above ground, the area has more not-to-be-missed natural marvels, including the beautiful Marokopa Falls and limestone Mangapohue Natural Bridge.
New Zealand’s most active cone volcano, the imposing White Island (also known as Whakaari) forms part of the Pacific Ring of Fire and sits 30 miles (48km) offshore from North Island’s east coast. A sudden, explosive eruption in 2019 effectively ended guided tours to the island, but scenic flights over its steaming crater, sulphurous vents and acid lakes are still available, taking off from nearby Whakatane, Rotorua or Tauranga.
The South’s answer to the Northern Lights, the aurora australis is less well-known but its lime green and rosy light show is just as spectacular. One of the top places to view the curtain of electro-charged lights is around Queenstown on New Zealand’s South Island, but the closer you can get to the South Pole, the better.
Most Southern Lights shows occur during the southern hemisphere’s autumn and winter months, from March to September.
Flowing thousands of metres down from mountain peaks all the way to the ocean, the sheer scale of Franz Josef Glacier isn’t fully apparent until you come face-to-face with its base. The temperate New Zealand climate, low altitude and proximity to the town of the same name make this frozen landscape of compacted blue ice easily accessible too – you can hike around its base and come within 2,460 feet (750m) of its terminal face, opt for a guided ice walk or sign up for some aerial sightseeing with a helicopter tour.
Abel Tasman National Park is a lush coastal paradise near the top of South Island, indented with platinum bays and turquoise waters, with quirky geologic features like Split Apple Rock – which scientists believe was split by a natural phenomenon known as ‘ice wedging’ during an ice age more than 120 million years ago – sited just offshore.
The park's bounty of unspoilt beaches include Torrent Bay and award-winning Kaiteriteri beach. Kayaking tours are a popular way to appreciate the area’s immense scenic beauty, or to explore on foot, follow the Abel Tasman track along the coast.
The stunning aquamarine Blue Pools in UNESCO-listed Mount Aspiring National Park are one of South Island’s scenic masterpieces. Sited at the point where the glacial Makarora River flows into Lake Wanaka, you can follow the beautiful forest trail of Blue Pools Track at Haast Pass to a suspension bridge crossing the pools, where the clear, cool water tempts swimmers, especially on sunny days.
To admire the seismic energy of Mother Nature without the crowds, take the ferry across Lake Ohakuri to the hidden valley of Orakei Korako geothermal park. Just as spectacular as Rotorua’s fizzing landscapes, the park’s gigantic, technicolour hot springs, geysers and mud pools are a bubbling hot soup of geothermal activity.
Close to Lake Taupo, the area makes a great addition to an itinerary exploring the region’s other highlights, including Waitomo Caves and Huka Falls.
Lake Tekapo is a sight to behold. This turquoise lake in the Southern Alps, fringed by bright pink and purple lupins between November and February each year and surrounded by snow-capped peaks, is truly picturesque. The lake gets its intense colour from glacier-grounded minerals suspended in the water.
Part of a UNESCO Dark Sky Reserve, turn your eyes skywards as night falls for some of the best views of space from Earth.
Picture-perfect Bridal Veil Falls is ensconced in a region of the North Island known for its natural attractions, including the must-see Waitomo Caves. A classic beauty dropping 180 feet (55m) over a hard volcanic lip into a deep pool framed by lush greenery, the falls are the perfect place to immerse in nature, with walkways leading through the forest and along the Pakoka River to viewing points at its top and base.
Another of New Zealand’s most spectacular and accessible icy wonders, the eight-mile-long (13km) Fox Glacier slopes down from 8,530 feet (2,600m) high in the Southern Alps into the ocean, close to the Franz Josef Glacier on the country’s west coast. At Fox Glacier village, join guided tours and stay in accommodation that provides easy access to an Ice Age wilderness of frozen valleys, tunnels and caves surrounded by forest.
Ambitious explorers can even arrange a heli-hike to the peak of the glacier, or take in the magnificent view from the ground at Cook Flat Road, en route to Lake Matheson.
This sparkling freshwater-filled crater is New Zealand’s largest lake, measuring half the size of London and rimmed by epic scenery including stratovolcano Mount Ruapehu and Tongariro National Park. While there are boundless outdoor activities available at Taupo, kayaking to see the Maori rock carvings at Mine Bay is an absolute must.
The spectacular Orakei Korako geothermal park and thundering Huka Falls are both close by too.
No list of New Zealand’s natural wonders would be complete without mentioning the country’s tallest mountain, Mount Cook, also commonly called Aoraki. A pure alpine wilderness of snow fields, glaciers and vanishing peaks more than 9,840 feet (3,000m) high make up Mount Cook, which is surprisingly accessible to visitors.
Walking trails fan out from the village, including a one-hour hike to view the spectacular Tasman Glacier. You may even encounter cheeky kea (mountain parrots) along the way.
The iconic Ninety Mile Beach at the far northern tip of North Island is a wide band of seemingly endless golden sand, which, contrary to its name, is in fact 55 miles (89km) long. The beach is used as an official road at low tide, with buses offering tours along the beach.
Boasting one of the best left-hand surf breaks in the world, the beach is a haven for surfers, while beach activities also include bodyboarding down the sand dunes. The beach is also renowned for its stunning sunsets.
The Rotorua area is jam-packed with geologic marvels, but Pohutu Geyser towers above the rest – suddenly erupting boiling water 98 feet (30m) into the air at least once every hour to the delight of onlookers. The largest active geyser in the southern hemisphere, Pohutu is part of Te Puia’s Te Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley, full of bubbling pools and coursing elemental energy.
Look out for the nearby Prince of Wales Feathers geyser, which always shoots water just before its bigger neighbour erupts.
Fiordland National Park is one of the world’s largest protected areas, covering more than 5,000 square miles (12,950sq km) of pristine wilderness and harbouring more than just a few spectacular sights. They include Sutherland Falls – the country’s highest waterfall – overflowing down steep cliffs from a lake just less than half a mile above the valley floor.
There are two ways to see the falls up-close – hiking the renowned Milford Track or taking a scenic flight from nearby hubs such as Milford and Te Anau.
In Lake Matheson, nature has created a perfect mirror of South Island’s immense ancient forests and towering Southern Alps that form the island’s backbone. Also known as Reflection Lake, its serene, dark waters are a looking glass for two of New Zealand’s mightiest peaks – Mount Cook (Aoraki) and Mount Tasman – positioned just to the east.
The lake was made when nearby Fox Glacier retreated and makes for an ideal stop on an itinerary mapping southern New Zealand’s natural wonders.
The epicentre of New Zealand’s volcanic wonders, Tongariro was the country’s first national park and won UNESCO World Heritage status several decades ago. Crowned by three mighty volcanoes – Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro, which are part of the Pacific Ocean's Ring of Fire – the park encompasses a phenomenal landscape of craters, old lava flows, strange emerald lakes and steaming vents.
New Zealand’s best day hike – the Tongariro Alpine Crossing – takes travellers to the highlights.
This geothermal wonderland powered by Earth’s core was dubbed ‘Hellsgate’ by famous playwright George Bernard Shaw, due to its steaming landscape of colourful sulphurous springs. The highlight – Champagne Pool – appears like a giant artist’s palette of electric-blue, orange and yellow.
Surrounded by bubbling mud cauldrons, neon-green ponds and spraying pools, visitors can lose themselves in the surreal scene by following the secure tracks around the site. Arrive before 10.15am to catch Lady Knox Geyser’s dramatic daily eruption.
Te Waikoropupu Springs contain some of the clearest water ever measured, and the beautiful colours it reveals are reason enough to be in our number one slot. The springs are the largest cold freshwater springs in the southern hemisphere, releasing a staggering 14,000 litres of water per second.
Close to the town of Tanaka, a half-mile (1km) loop trail threads through forest and across streams to a platform suspended above the still, crystalline water, where you gaze down into a blue-tinged underwater forest. Please note that swimming is forbidden here due to the springs’ spiritual significance to the Maori people.