Places rlaurak Wants to Go

This hilltop warren of monastic dwellings is the result of centuries worth of Mongol attacks.

The platform atop this verdant volcano was built with the help of a royal elephant.

A galaxy of glowworms—larvae of a gnat—hides deep in the belly of these caves.

The "Rocky Horror Picture Show" character has a hidden camera that broadcasts people doing the "Time Warp."

Major tourist destination known for its bubbling mud-pools and hot thermal springs.

A Maori village obliterated by an 1886 volcanic eruption.

The once and future home of New Zealand's famed Pink and White Terraces.

Deadly scalding and one of the largest hot springs in the world.

The explorer Captain Cook may have named it White Island, but the Maori call it Te Puia o Whakaari – The Dramatic Volcano.

This museum/fur store is devoted to educating guests on how awful opossums can be.

The world's only complete colossal squid specimen is on display at the Te Papa Museum.

New Zealand's only running funicular railway.

These phallic stone spires once served as Tolkien's Paths of the Dead.

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

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

An unusual and powerful memorial in which earthquake victims are remembered by empty white chairs.

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

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

An artistic garden environment of tile mosaic sculptures.

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

Highly spherical boulders on the shores of New Zealand.

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

Three rooms of bones, curios, and one artist's collection of natural artifacts create this intriguing museum.

New Zealand's epic shrine to all things puzzling.