Best Reasons to Visit New Zealand

New Zealand is a great place to visit and I loved it, but it might not be for everyone. It is not Europe. If you want walking, outdoors, unique fauna, and easygoing people, it is the place for you. Here is a summary list, with links to relevant parts of my trip.

* Tramping - This is the #1 reason to come here. They an extensive system of trails and there are also low cost cabins placed so that you can walk for days in reasonably remote areas and still have a minimal level of comfort and safety.

* Scenery - Closely related to the tramping, you can find steep-sided mountains, rainforests, and pristine beaches, all in a relatively small area.

* Thermal Activity - New and old volcanoes, especially on the North Island, make for some more amazing scenery.

* Whale Watching - I went dolphin swimming instead, which was probably the single best thing I did in New Zealand. But I'm told that on rough days it is more like torture than fun.

* Bird Watching - There are many unique kinds of rare birds here and they are so bold that it takes no skill to watch them.

* Fishing - Some of the biggest trout in the world (bigger than this one). Deep sea fishing is good here too (bigger than this one). I met two professional fishing guides from the US who came here on a fishing vacation.

* Extreme Sports - For a lot of people this is a major activity. I admit I skipped all the bungy jumping, parachuting, and jet boating, but I did go hang gliding.

* Ocean Sports - NZ has a ton of coastline so sailing, surfing, and scuba are pretty huge.

* Skiing - I don't ski, and it was the wrong time of year, but here is a picture with snow.

* Flora - NZ also has lots of unique plants and some huge trees.