Places TheArtfulLibrarian Wants to Go

Mounds of fine golden sand that can rise nearly 500 feet tall.

An immersive Māori village where you can learn history and heritage through dance, ceremony, song, architecture, and food.

The wooden sculptures are studded throughout a small New Zealand town.

This beach provides a glimpse of the ancient seafloor without getting wet.

This mechanical clock performs "Romeo and Juliet" in a Shakespeare-themed New Zealand town.

This bakery sells traditional Māori sourdough.

New Zealand's oldest prison holds a dark history and the scars of a deadly earthquake.

The 16-foot sculpture of a hand looks out from his perch on top of an art gallery.

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

This fine-dining restaurant features native New Zealand ingredients and Māori cooking.

Hundreds of bras, blowing in the wind.

New Zealand's only running funicular railway.

New Zealand's west coast is one of the best places in the world to view these large seabirds.

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

Inside this faux cave, visitors can learn how some of their favorite fantasy characters were created.

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

The most remote tree in the world is more than 170 miles from its nearest neighbor.

Largest Kauri tree in New Zealand.

A bronze kitty adorns the grave of the polar explorer who brought the original feline to the Antarctic.

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

You may recognize this beautiful grove within Kaitoke Regional Park as location of the house of Elrond.

Watch the seas clash at the place where according to Maori tradition, the spirits depart for their journey to the afterlife.

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

Highly spherical boulders on the shores of New Zealand.