Places mscpilot Wants to Go

A winding staircase that appears to lead to nowhere is actually a diving platform into the Wellington Harbour.

The world's first fully-fenced urban ecosanctuary is a haven for New Zealand's rare and endangered species.

One of the iconic moai of Rapa Nui stands guard in Lyall Bay as a symbol of the friendship between New Zealand and Chile.

Anyone wanting to know what a dwarven mine sounds like need only visit the tunnels of this New Zealand artillery compound.

A mysterious castle "in the clouds" has had many lives including a radar bunker, dog hotel, and conference center.

This deadly little sliver of beach has seen hundreds of whales beach themselves over the years.

Some of the clearest water anywhere in the world.

This unusual rock formation looks like an apple that has been neatly sliced in half.

The real place where the One Ring to rule them all was forged.

This strange geological landscape erupts with sudden bursts of water.

One of the largest collections of traditional Māori artifacts in New Zealand.

An artistic garden environment of tile mosaic sculptures.

The ruins of New Zealand's largest classical-style church.

The Dalai Lama named this New Zealand landscape the "Spiritual Center of the Universe."

Edoras, capital city of Rohan in Lord of the Rings, once sat atop this isolated New Zealand mountain.

The glacier tucked within a New Zealand rainforest.

A glacier pocked with ice caves and surrounded by rainforests.

A giant chain sculpture that plays on the Māori myth that Rakiura (Stewart Island) is an anchor stone chained to the South Island.

This charming stone church on the shore of Lake Tekapo is an icon in astrophotography.

The premier place to experience the Victorian imagining of the steam-powered future.

A perfect turquoise lake colored with glacier dust.

One of New Zealand’s few castles boasts beautiful gardens, grand architecture, and a history filled with family drama.

Highly spherical boulders on the shores of New Zealand.

The most southerly spot on New Zealand's South Island is home to surreally shaped, permanently mangled trees.