Trips to the Pacific: New Zealand

If you have ever wanted to travel to the Pacific, probably the first country on your list is Australia.  Well, Australia is unquestionably beautiful, but you may also want to broaden your horizons so that they include stunning New Zealand, which is located in the South Pacific Ocean.  It has another name, Aotearoa, which it gets courtesy of the Maori native language.  It has a wide, diverse mix of people ranging from Maori to Polynesian to European.  It is considered to be a very modern island country, but its population is quite sparse, which arguably makes it an ideal vacation destination.  It is very well known for the variety of adventurous and outdoor activities you can enjoy there.

If you need any more convincing, just consider this fact: New Zealand has been called the “Paradise of the Pacific,” since the beginning of the nineteenth century.  How could you resist traveling to a place like that?  Some people worry that a visit to the island country is not worth the time it takes to get there, but that is far from the truth.  Quite the contrary, when you step off the airplane into New Zealand, you will likely feel that you have gone backwards and descended from the sky only to land right smack dab in the middle of heaven.

New Zealand is actually made up of a number of different islands: two main ones and a variety of smaller ones scattered in the southern portion of the Pacific Ocean.  It is located about two thousand kilometers away from Australia on the south eastern side, so visiting each country is actually quite doable.  In fact, it is recommended!

Take a visit to Auckland, known as the “City of Sails,” and enjoy some of that fresh air and water, or head to Tauranga, which has beautiful weather and stunningly gorgeous beaches.  Rotorua is the place to go if you are interested in the Maori culture, or head to Queenstown for some seriously thrilling adventures!  Basically, anything that you are in the mood for, whether it is relaxing on the beach, scoping the natural landscapes, or having fun adventures, you can find it all in New Zealand.