The big league players of New Zealand Tourism

Deutsche

In a previous post I explained to you about how most of the tourism operations in Whakatane are very small and not registered with tourism wholesalers.  Now, just in case you missed it, I want to present to you the main players in the big league of New Zealand tourism.  I'm not being cynical about this.  All of these things are worth a visit, and they comply with quality standards.  It's not unusual for travellers to plan their holiday down under so that it is spent mostly in Australia, and then they do one week in New Zealand before returning home.  Once they get here, they often express regret that they didn't give themselves more time.  But maybe that's just because they don't want to go back to work.
Anyway, here is the list of big tourism attractions:  (starting south and working towards the north).....


1.  Fiordland:  This is a wonderland of mountains and sea.
2.  Queenstown:  beautiful alpine lake, bungee jumping, jet-boating
3.  Kaikoura: delicious crayfish and awesome whale-watching.
4.  Able Tasman National Park  beautiful beaches and bush!
5.  Te Papa Museum in Wellington:  state-of-the-art exhibitions in an amazing building.  Group tours in German language can be arranged!
6.  Lake Taupo:  The lake is really a giant volcanic crater.  The water is pristine and icy-cold.  It's great for trout-fishing and water skiing.
7.  Waitomo Caves and Kiwi House in the King country.  Waitomo caves is a series of diverse caves most famous for their glow worms.  Kiwi house will be your best opportunity to see a Kiwi as they are shy and nocturnal.
8.  Rotorua:  the Agrodome:  This is an exhibition farm that also includes a lot of fun rides and "adrenalin activities" such as zorbing.
9.  Rotorua: Waiotapu thermal wonderland and Hell's gate.  Rotorua is built on a caldera, so there is a lot of steam and sulphur in the air.  Because there is so much tourism here, there is a lot of entertainment, good food and fun shopping.  Also, the polynesian spas are nice for the evenings.
10.  Sky City Casino in Auckland
11.  Cape Reinga and 90 mile beach:  Maori traditionally believe that when you die, your soul walks northward along 90 mile beach and then climbs down the pohutukawa trees at Cape Reinga into the underworld.  I don't think there's really a lot of money being made from tourism here, but it's still an important place.
12.  The Bay of Islands:  A popular place for yatching, dolphin-watching and taking historical tours.