Read about and view pictures of New Zealand
towns and cities.
Destinations A - F | Destinations G - N | Destinations O - Z
Hmmm, what to say about Greymouth. When we holidayed in the country we drove the entire west coast thinking that it would be something completely different than what it ended up being...and the same was true of Greymouth. Ahh, poor Greymouth, it has such potential, but all it really is is a regular town with industry and hard-working people who cater to the tourists that come through, but only with the bare minimum they can muster up.
Hamilton is the largest inland city in the country and is at the heart of the Waikato Region, the heart of Maori and the King Movement. The main transportation hub across the region for generations had been the Waikato River and today it has great spiritually symbolism. Hamilton isn't a great tourist destination, but it is a place to visit to understand Maori culture a bit better.
Hanmer Springs lies in the middle of the South Island--not here in this picture of the road to Hanmer Springs over Lewis Pass--and is mainly a resorty destination for local weekenders who want to stay the (only) thermal springs resort...and there's skiing.
While this picture is of the stunning drive from Blenheim to Kaikoura, the town is worth a visit for sure because of all the activities you can do there. Small and somewhat unattractive, there is great hiking up the local hills for a view, you can swim with or just view all sorts of marine wildlife, you can shop for native shells and stones, and you can eat crayfish fresh out of the ocean (be sure you don't have allergies, Angela learned the hard hives way) 
Kaiteriteri (and Little Kaiteriteri) One of Angela's favourite places in all the country, these twin beaches are lovely to look at, warm to lie on, and easy to swim in with minimal waves and deeper waters. In recent years the surrounding environs have become a bit obnoxious with all the boating, water skiiing, and massive rich-people houses, but if you just walk around on the sand and swim in the water and don't bother to take in all that other noise, it's still wonderful. 
Lake Pukaki Lake Pukaki is just like fellow Lake Tekapo except that it is the launching pad toward the Mount Cook region. You'll drive by here on your way to the mighty mountain.
Lake Tekapo Perhaps one of the most stunning views in all of New Zealand is at the base of this lake looking toward monstrous Mount Cook. The pictures do not in any way capture the etherial quality of the lake or the pure turquoise coloring of the water derived by the "'rock flour' sediment created when the lake's basin was gouged out by a stony-bottomed glacier moving across the land's surface, with the rock-on-rock action grinding out fine particles that ended up being suspended in the glacial melt water. This sediment gives the water a milky quality and refracts the sunlight beaming down, hence the brilliant colour." ~ Lonely Planet Guide to New Zealand 
This is a picture of Lewis Pass as we drove over it in late winter, covered with ice and snow and scary as hell. Especially when Don suggested Angela pass a slow-moving truck as someone was coming head-on the other side. Says Angela, "I've never sped up so quickly on iced road in all my life, and I got the bird for it." Well deserved, probably.
Finally, we visited this little seaside community 12km outside of Christchurch, one we had heard such good things about. Whatever! It was a ... seaside community, a port, a huge port and a port community. Nothing special here, don't waste your time as even the touristy locations and shopping are not worth even half a day! The scenery is nice once you look past the dockyard, though.
ManapouriManapouri is a tiny village on the edge of Lake Manapouri just south of Lake Te Anau and the town of Te Anau, the gateway to Milford Sound. Lake Manapouri is large and beautiful and is your gateway to Doubtful Sound.
Marlborough SoundsThe Marlborough Sounds lie on the northeast tip of the South Island and are best visited by boat--probably your own, as there is little tourism in the area. This might be because there is huge Maori significance to the land that is still in dispute.
Either way, the view from the few roads that you can drive on, you are seeing here. Stunning and picturesque. You can also tramp along the Queen Charlotte Track over several days to see the area by foot. There are several lodges and spas as well as backpacker facilities should you want to water taxi about. But the land is otherwise largely undeveloped.
Milford Sound is not really a sound, but a fiord in Fiordland on the southwest part of the South Island. It is one of many fiords (fjords) and has amazing statistics on rainforest activity, the grandest waterfalls and just some of the most stunning scenery you may see. It is Don's favourite place in the country.
We were fortunate on our first visit to see two different Milford Sounds--one in the early morning leaving the shore for the boat ride, mist covering the peaks and clouds all around, but serenly beautiful.
As we took these pictures, we had turned around after reaching the sea to look back upon a clear sky and Milford in all its glory, waterfalls as high as the peaks themselves. Just beautiful, a must visit spot for everyone coming to the country. Be prepared for sandflys with repellent, cannot stress this enough!
Visit our dedicated page of pictures of Milford Sound and Fiordland.
Motueka is a non-descript town between Nelson and Abel Tasman National Park. It is known both for it's very hippie-like, laid back people and some religious fundamentalists in the area. Worth a stop for lunch and browsing for sure.
Mount Cook
Mount Cook is the tallest peak in the country at 3753 metres. It opens up from Lakes Tekapo and Pukaki and there are many hiking trails of varying levels of difficulty in the area, but there is little lodging so either plan and book early or stay in icky Twizel nearby.
Murchison is a key stopover when driving between Nelson and Christchurch, with the best public toilet on the route (pictured right).
The city boasts a gold rush history and there is some launching pads 
to some low key tramping in the area, but mostly it sits near Nelson Lakes National Park and guides you toward the West Coast and down to Christchurch.
Here are two photos of the town, looking both ways down the main street.
Napier and HastingsNapier is the key town here, with Hastings playing a clear second-fiddle. Boasting some sort of art-deco architecture (pictured left, and not-so-much we-thinks), Napier has very little to offer other than views of Hawke Bay, wineries, and the Possum Museum.
NelsonWhat can we say about Nelson ... we have a dedicated web page about our fab hometown.
Glacial Lakes Rotorua (larger) and Rotoiti make up the Nelson Lakes National Park, about 1.5. hours drive outside Nelson. You can do all sorts of hiking and boating in the area, plan on a day trip or camp out and stay longer. The area is a good weekend getaway spot for the Nelson region. For more information, see our 7 January 2007 blog entry as well.
Not really 90 actual miles, it's more like 90 kilometres, but for some reason the name didn't change. No one really lives along this amazing and gorgeous stretch of beach. It's just used as ... a beach, not a development for tourism. All you see for miles and miles and miles is white sand. 
Destinations A - F | Destinations G - N | Destinations O - Z
