Lightfoot Travel
WhatsApp Business Account
Choose Lightfoot Travel
- Knowledge
- Expertly Crafted
- Value
- Peace of Mind
Whether you’re riding through movie sets, hurtling along in jet boats, or heli-skiing in the mountains, it’s practically impossible to be bored in New Zealand. Here are 15 other reasons why this quirky country ceaselessly surprises us
01
Meet a movie star
While on a Lord of the Rings tour, you can ride a horse that was featured in the film.
02
Girls first
New Zealand was the first place in the world that legalized women’s vote – girl power!
03
You can ski and surf on the same day
Adrenalin addicts, your Motherland is calling.
04
There are more sheep than humans
According to Beef and Lamb NZ, there are seven sheep for every person, which equates to roughly 30 million sheep.
05
Nothing will bite you
While they say that New Zealand has no poisonous spiders or snakes, it’s not quite true. There are a few sea snakes and marine snakes off shore and the Red Back spider has found its way over from Australia. However, on the whole, the land mammals are a pretty friendly bunch.
06
It was the set of more than one famous movie
The Lord of the Rings saga wasn’t the only award-winning blockbuster that was filmed there. James Cameron’s highly successful Avatar was also filmed in Middle-Earth and he is now filming three sequels.
07
It was used as practice for Everest
Edmund Hillary sharpened his climbing skills on Mount Cook before successfully taking on Mount Everest.
08
It has the world’s steepest street
Move over Lombard Street, New Zealand’s Baldwin Street in Dunedin is the steepest in the world.
09
They’re addicted to helicopters
There are more helicopters per capita than anywhere else in the world.
10
They created nuclear physics
Ernest Rutherford is the father of nuclear physics, yet there’s absolutely nothing nuclear in New Zealand.
11
They have two national anthems
They sing God Save The Queen and God Defend New Zealand.
12
It was mistaken for Argentina
When Tasman discovered the South Island of New Zealand, he named it Staten Landt, assuming it was connected to Staten Island, Argentina.
13
It’s in the Guinness World Records
There is a hill called Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu (translation “The summit where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, the climber of mountains, the land-swallower who travelled about, played his nose flute to his loved one”). Those 85 letters make it the longest place name listed in Guinness World Records
14
They have a meat-eating snail
There is a giant albino snail in New Zealand that is carnivorous.
15
There are no mammals native to New Zealand
The country’s native species are all bird life when the landmass split from Australia years ago. The birdlife was hunted to extinction by the Maoris for survival and for sport by the Europeans.
Suggested Itineraries
From $24,150 pp
The Ultimate New Zealand Honeymoon
Auckland & Waiheke Island Lake Taupo & Rotorua Queenstown, Milford Sound & Southern Lakes Wellington & Wairarapa Franz Josef & the West Coast New Zealand Australasia
- Spending the first few days on relaxing Waiheke Island, enjoying time as a couple as well as a private wine tour of the island’s iconic vineyards
- Staying at one of the most romantic accommodations in the country, Seascape at Annandale
- Experiencing the lesser-visited Ahuriri Valley just 2.5 hours outside of Queenstown, before ending your trip in the country’s adventure capital
From $12,450 pp
New Zealand for Adventure Lovers
Auckland & Waiheke Island Lake Taupo & Rotorua Queenstown, Milford Sound & Southern Lakes New Zealand Australasia
- Explore 6,000 acres of virgin beech forest at Poronui Lodge
- Cruise around the breathtaking beauty of Abel Tasman National Park
- Fly over glacial landscapes and cruise the magnificent Milford Sound
- Discover trout fishing on the rivers and lakes of Rotorua
- Enjoy a zipline adventure through evergreen forests at the Mamaku Plateau
From $7,480 pp
Luxury Lodge Experience In New Zealand
Bay of Islands & Northland Napier & Hawkes Bay Queenstown, Milford Sound & Southern Lakes New Zealand Australasia
-
Experience three of New Zealand’s top luxury lodges
-
Play a round of golf on two of the world’s top golf courses
-
Enjoy scenic flights over some of New Zealand’s most stunning landscapes
-
Meet the kiwi, New Zealand’s rare and endangered national bird
-
Discover the beauty of Milford and Doubtful Sounds on South Island
Destinations Featured in the Article
Similar Articles
