Travel to New Zealand for spectacular scenery
Here are the best ways to soak up spectacular scenery across the ditch.
What is it about the Land of the Long White Cloud that draws so many Australians to its shores — 40 per cent of the country’s international air arrivals, in fact? Ask most people and they’ll say: the scenery. Alpine vistas, mirror-like lakes, perfect rows of pinot noir vines and beaches so pretty they bring tears to the eyes. Look up in New Zealand and there’s most likely a spectacular view right in front of you.
Here’s a selection of where to go in New Zealand and the best ways to soak up the scenery.
Making tracks
If you're wondering where to go in New Zealand, a drive ensures you can see more. Road trips are a great way to explore the Land of the Long White Cloud but be sure to plan at least one scenic railway journey. The Northern Explorer takes travellers in both directions between Auckland and Wellington and is the country’s longest-running passenger service. Modern carriages have panoramic windows and glass roofs plus GPS-triggered commentary available through supplied headphones in a range of languages. Passing through five distinct geographical regions of the country’s North Island, you can either marvel at the spectacular volcanic peaks of Mount Tongariro, Mount Ngauruhoe and Mount Ruapehu as you pass (my Kiwi husband always challenges me to identify which is which when we drive this route) or, for a closer look, book a fare that allows stops at any of the interesting towns en route, including National Park on the central volcanic plateau.
The South Island has an even more spectacular commute. The TranzAlpine journey between Christchurch and Greymouth on the west coast includes tunnels, viaducts and narrow mountain passes as the train makes its way up the Alps. Both services feature dedicated luggage carriages, making it much easier for bad packers such as me as there’s no need to stress about finding space for an oversized bag near your seat.
Take a bike
The only potential spoke in the wheel is too much choice. How do you pick a bike trail from New Zealand’s 22 Great Rides, every one of which takes cyclists on a panoramic pedal? But the choice of where to go in New Zealand is a good problem to have. Start with your own fitness. All rides are helpfully graded from 1 (easiest) to 5 (expert). Whether you want a family fun day or an extreme mountain-biking adventure, there’s something for everyone, clearly laid out on the NZ Cycle Trail website and the free Great Rides app. There are multi-day trips around wineries or through wilderness, and trips that follow a rail line, timber or gold trail. Choose which option and check the partner directory for the level of freedom or support you want for your ride.
Flights of fancy
While possibly enhanced by a gentle buzz from tasting flights, vineyards are mostly picturesque places. New Zealanders might talk a big game of being humble, but they’re happy to pop that cork when showing off their wineries. Tickle your tastebuds with a helicopter tour from Blenheim, Marlborough, widely considered the birthplace of the nation’s modern winemaking success and, in particular, Cloudy Bay, with an artful label that evokes the misty hills of the region. You fly over the high country with views over the Wairau Valley and Cloudy Bay and, if it’s clear, you’ll be able to spot the North Island on the other side of Cook Strait. Serious wine buffs will love that the chopper lands in various Cloudy Bay vineyards for up-close examination of the soil and microclimate. Everyone will love the landing for a mountain-top glass of Pelorus bubbly. A private tasting back at the winery caps off the tour. Of course, tastings are available to terrestrial tourists, too. The cellar door is open seven days a week, except Good Friday and Christmas Day, and there’s a raw bar in summer.
A fair bit further south in Central Otago, Amisfield, where the first vines were planted in 1999 on a former merino sheep station, hits heights almost as elevated as the snow-capped peaks of the Pisa range behind the winery. The tasting menu at the acclaimed bistro hits the high notes, too, and it’s one for the treat list if you’re heading to Queenstown or the nearby ski fields of Coronet Peak or The Remarkables.
Surely everyone knows about Waiheke, but just in case: It’s an island in the Hauraki Gulf, a 40-minute ferry ride from Auckland, and a one-stop shop for multiple Kiwi delights. There are excellent wineries and restaurants, beaches (please don’t swim after wine tasting), olive groves, ziplines and walking trails through the forest, and the best ice cream imaginable (my tip is Island Gelato Company). There’s a public bus service on the island or hire bikes, motor scooters or cars, making a day visit easy, but way better to book in for a night or three.
Greens peace
It doesn’t take much imagination to invent a myth that Aotearoa rose up a base plate specifically for designers to create formidable golf courses with views that are almost enough to disrupt your tee shot (true, nothing will put off a diehard golfer). New Zealand has more golf courses per capita than any country outside Scotland and what’s lovely is that visitors can access many of these, a privilege that is sadly rare in the exclusive world of front nines, back nines and clubhouses.
Take Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club, on the Kapiti Coast about an hour north of Wellington. Set just back from the beach with the greens undulating like sand dunes, PBGC has hosted the NZ Open Championship a record 12 times. It has tee times available for visitors seven days a week and prides itself on being part of the local community. There’s plenty of high-end swing, too. Award-winning Robertson Lodges has three exclusive lodges across New Zealand, all regional members of Relais & Chateaux and Luxury Lodges of New Zealand, and two with world-class golf courses. The northernmost is Kauri Cliffs, in the Bay of Islands north of Auckland, where 15 of the holes look out to the Pacific Ocean.
At Cape Kidnappers on farmland on the east coast of the North Island, in the food bowl of Hawkes Bay, the course with its cliff-edge fairways is ranked No 16 in Golf Digest’s Top 100. The five-star lodges all have beautiful suites, spas and non-golfing experiences to lure less sporty guests. If you don’t care a birdie about golf, sister property Matakauri Lodge on the South Island, by the shores of Lake Wakatipu near Queenstown, with views to The Remarkables, is for you. You can play as a guest — green fees for international visitors start at around $NZ400 ($368) a person.
paraparaumubeachgolfclub.co.nz
Hit the slopes
The snow is already a scenic sporting backdrop, and snowboarding and skiing ranges across both islands with 18 main ski resorts, offering everything from hard-core heli-skiing to family-friendly slopes. On the South Island, adventure hub Queenstown is the acknowledged destination for apres action. Coronet Peak, one of Queenstown’s four ski fields, has race training facilities and the mountain is floodlit for spectacular night skiing every Wednesday and Friday in July and August. Cardrona is closer and has learners and non-skiers covered, with snow tubing and a gondola ride to the mountaintop Vista Bar. At nearby Wanaka, everything’s more laid-back and Snow Farm’s cross-country skiing across the Pisa Range includes access to three rustic back-country huts.
Wet and wild
Two islands, one country and more watery wonders than you could poke a keel at. World Heritage site Fiordland National Park on the South Island includes famous Milford Sound and is overflowing with scenic showstoppers. Te Anau is generally regarded as the gateway town to the sounds, from where you can hop aboard a scenic flight, a day or overnight cruise or take a hike, including the start of the Milford Track.
Scuba divers can plunge into the Piopiotahi Marine Reserve with local operator Descend Milford Sound. The ecosystem has what’s believed to be the highest concentration of black coral trees (they’re actually white) in the world. Usually found at around 100m and deeper, the combination of high rainfall and mountains blocking the light has allowed these giant corals to grow at diveable depths here.
Wild Fiordland has options to fly, snorkel, kayak, sail or stroll around the park, via set adventures or craft-your-own excursions choosing from myriad locations. Breaksea Girl, a 60ft steel ketch that’s sailed these waters for decades, including on sub-Antarctic scientific missions, now comfortably accommodates 12 for Wild Fiordland’s tours, which range from two to five nights (or more for bespoke options). Keen fly-fishers can find a next-level fly-fishing experience at Poronui Lodge, a sporting retreat east of Lake Taupo, a fabled trout-fishing destination on the North Island. Heli-fishing expeditions take anglers high into the mountains to so-called trophy pools where fat brown and rainbow trout await.
Tramp this way
Bushwalking is called tramping in New Zealand. And thongs are known as jandals, but shouldn’t be worn when tramping, though you probably will want to go barefoot for the tidal crossing section of the Abel Tasman Coast Track. The walk is 60km one way, open year-round and one of the intermediate tracks among the 10 Great Walks of New Zealand.
The Abel Tasman National Park is considered the most weather-friendly and those of us with a perpetual coastal crush will revel in the chance to swim, snorkel and spot fur seals and dolphins, as well as birdlife. Milford Track is another of the intermediate Great Walks.
There are almost as many short walks as there are sheep wherever you are in New Zealand. Head over to Coromandel Peninsula on the east coast of the North Island, where the 2.5km Cathedral Cove Walk takes trampers to a spectacular natural rock archway that can only be accessed by sea or along this trail to a stretch of sand that often makes the top-10 list of New Zealand beaches.
The Department of Conservation website has detailed information and downloadable brochures on all walks. For Great Walks, you will need to book if you’re travelling in season. You can do most self-guided, but for guided luxury consider Ultimate Hikes or Only Luxe. DM Concierge can arrange a variety of high-end experiences across New Zealand, all with an implicit promise of panoramas galore.
PENNY HUNTER
This story was originally published in April 2021 and has since been updated.