New Zealand is an island nation situated in southwestern Pacific Ocean and geographically consists of two primary landmasses – South and North Islands along with plethora of smaller islands. It is located around 900 miles east of Australia across Tasman Sea and approximately 600 miles south of Pacific island nation of Tonga, New Caledonia and Fiji. Due to its remoteness, New Zealand is one of the last lands to be settled by humans. It is known in native Maori language as Aotearoa, often translated as The land of the long white cloud. NZ is a nation of diverse and striking natural beauty, including jagged peaks, active volcanic features, steep fiords, scenic beaches, pristine lakes and raging rivers. There are quite a lot of New Zealand Tourist Attractions.

During the long remoteness, New Zealand developed unique biodiversity of both plant and animal life. Most notable include multitude of distinctive bird species, many of which became extinct after arrival of introduced mammals and humans. The majority of inhabitants of NZ are of European descent; indigenous Maori are the biggest minority followed by non-Maori Polynesians and Asians, New Zealand Sign Language and Maori are official languages with English predominant. It is structured into 67 territorial authorities and eleven regional councils for local government purposes; these have less autonomy as compared to its long defunct provinces did. Countrywide, executive political power is exercised by Cabinet, led by Prime Minister. Queen Elizabeth II is the nation’s head of state and is symbolized by Governor General. The Realm of New Zealand of Queen also includes the Cook Islands and Niue; the Ross Dependency, its territorial claim in Antarctica and Tokelau (a dependent territory). New Zealand is a member of Commonwealth of Nations, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, Pacific Islands Forum, United Nations and Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

New Zealand has a strong presence amongst Pacific Island countries. The huge proportion of its aid goes to these nations and plenty of Pacific people migrate to New Zealand for employment. Permanent migration is synchronized under 2002 Pacific Access Category and 1970 Samoan Quota Scheme that enable up to 750 other Pacific Islanders and up to 1100 Samoan nationals respectively for becoming permanent New Zealand residents annually. The seasonal workers scheme for temporary migration was launched in the year 2007 and in 2009 around 8000 Pacific Islanders were employed under it. NZ is involved in Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum and Pacific Islands Forum. New Zealand is also a member of Commonwealth of Nations, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Five Powers Defence Arrangements and United Nations.

New Zealand has spirited global teams in netball, rugby union, rugby league, softball and cricket and has conventionally done well in rowing, triathlons, cycling and yachting. It has performed well on medals-to-population ratio at Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games. Their national rugby union team is often considered to be one of the best in the world, and are reigning World Cup holders. New Zealand are also the reigning rugby league world champions and is quite famous for its extreme adventure tourism, strong mountaineering tradition and sports. Other outdoor pursuits like fishing, cycling, running, swimming, canoeing, tramping, snowsports, surfing and hunting are also popular. The Polynesian sport of waka ama racing has increased in popularity and is now the global sport involving teams from all over Pacific.

New Zealand Travel Guide will provide you with comprehensive information all New Zealand Tourist Attractions and Sights, which include:

Te Papa:
Te Papa, a Museum of New Zealand and interactive, inspiring repository of historical and cultural artifacts. ‘Te Papa Tongarewa’ loosely translates as ‘treasure box’ and the building dominates Wellington waterfront, becoming a national icon – a pioneering celebration of essence of NZ.

There are multitude of other New Zealand Tourists Attractions and Sights, which include Abel Tasman National Park; Aoraki Mount Cook National Park; Bay of Islands; Coromandel Peninsula; Hawke’s Bay; Milford Sound; Taupo; Tongariro National Park; Westland National Park and more.

The author who has written this article has great knowledge about New Zealand attractions and sights. He has been following the travel industry from quite a long time and has great interest in all amazing places of the Earth. New Zealand Travel Guide will provide you with comprehensive information all New Zealand Tourist Attractions and Sights.