The Ultimate Travel Guide to New Zealand: History & Attractions

Middle-earth made real — fjords, volcanoes, glaciers, Maori culture, adventure sports and the world's cleanest landscapes in one breathtaking country.

A Glimpse into History

New Zealand's human history is one of the world's most recent, beginning when Polynesian navigators — the ancestors of today's Māori — arrived by waka (canoe) from eastern Polynesia around 1280–1350 AD, guided by stars and ocean currents across thousands of kilometres of open Pacific. They named their new land Aotearoa — the Land of the Long White Cloud. The Māori developed a sophisticated warrior culture of tribes (iwi) with complex genealogies, oral tradition, elaborate woodcarving, and the famous haka war dance. Abel Tasman became the first European to sight New Zealand in 1642, but British explorer James Cook's three voyages (1769–77) mapped the coastline and catalysed British colonisation. The 1840 Treaty of Waitangi — signed between the British Crown and around 500 Māori chiefs — is New Zealand's founding document, though its interpretation has been contested ever since. Land wars from the 1840s–1860s dispossessed many Māori of their lands. New Zealand became a self-governing colony in 1856, gained Dominion status in 1907, and was the first country in the world to grant women the right to vote in 1893. ANZAC forces fought with great distinction in WWI at Gallipoli and WWII in North Africa and the Pacific. Modern New Zealand is a progressive, multicultural nation of 5 million where Māori language and culture are experiencing a powerful renaissance.

Top Attractions in New Zealand

Milford Sound / Piopiotahi

Rudyard Kipling called Milford Sound the eighth wonder of the world — sheer rock walls rising 1,200 metres directly from the glassy fiord, waterfalls tumbling hundreds of metres, and dolphins, seals, and penguins swimming in waters so clear you can see the bottom. Reached via the dramatic Milford Road through Homer Tunnel, it is the most visited place in New Zealand.

Queenstown Adventures

Queenstown, set on a glacial lake surrounded by the Remarkables mountain range, is the world's adventure capital — birthplace of commercial bungee jumping, offering skydiving, jet-boating, white-water rafting, canyon swinging, and world-class skiing at nearby Coronet Peak and The Remarkables in winter.

Hobbiton Movie Set, Matamata

The fully intact movie set for the Shire from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies sits on a working sheep farm in the Waikato — 44 hobbit holes, the Party Tree, the Green Dragon Inn, and Bilbo's bag-end door. Peter Jackson's decision to keep the set standing has made it one of New Zealand's most popular tourist attractions.

Rotorua Geothermal & Māori Culture

Rotorua sits atop one of the world's most active geothermal areas — bubbling mud pools, shooting geysers including Pohutu (New Zealand's largest), sulphur steam vents, and rainbow-coloured silica terraces fill the town with an otherworldly atmosphere. Rotorua is also the heart of Māori culture — Te Puia cultural centre offers haka performances, traditional carving schools, and hāngī feasts.