Milford Sound (at the south-west bottom of the South Island), is one of the jewels in the crown of New Zealand tourism. It has been one of the most popular and visited sites for over a century - but somehow manages to keep a feeling of aloneness and a sense of raw untouched nature. It's like an undiscovered world that humans have not yet set foot on.
However it is very tourist-friendly with a beautiful hotel and accomodations, boat cruises, cafes etc. But they've kept them all in one place and they don't intrude an the incredible beauty of this magical place.
If you do the Milford Track Walk you will end up nearby and can relax on a cruise up the sound accompanied by dolphin surfing your bow wave. The sound is home to beautiful virgin native forest (bush), and magnificent waterfalls falling from the towering mountains on either side of you.
There are many fiords in this most south-western area of the South Island - all worth a visit - however Milford Sound is the most accessible.
On the Coromandel Peninsula - about ninety minutes drive from Auckland - there is a beach called Hot Water Beach - you pick a nice bit of sand and dig a hole for yourself. Hot sea water, warmed by underground volcanic activity, fills it up from underneath and you sit in it drinking wine and watching the waves roll in on the white sands. A natural and free hot jacuzzi! Bliss!!!!
That's Auckland in the photo - taken at night obviously. The Sky Tower is the tall thing in the middle - of the photo - and of Auckland. Auckland AKA "The City of Sails" because of its two harbours and yachting-crazy inhabitants.
The Sky Tower was built by Ron Brierley - a permanently miserable looking, millionaire businessman - in the 1990s. I hated it when it was being built. I hated the idea that a fat-cat with a big ego could use his ill-gotten millions to build a rich man's folly on my skyline. I hated that he made sure it was higher than Mt Eden - our beautiful iconic volcanic cone. What arrogance! As it grew we all thought it looked like a hypodermic syringe - and loathed the imagery.
BUT..... I have to admit now - and I dislike doing so - I think I actually like it! The junkie needle and big business connotations have faded from my mind and it is a focal point - pun intended - for the CBD. It also helps me when I get lost - a navigational aid that can be seen for hundreds of miles - okay tens!
The only thing I hold against it now is that it sits atop the casino - a misery-making place if ever there was! But don't get me started on that one!
Auckland is the largest city in NZ - a million plus souls - so not large by world standards. However it is one of the largest geographically - about the same size as Los Angeles. It is a great starting point for tourists and has heaps of great things to do. You could bungy off the above Sky Tower for instance. More sedate activities - like eating and drinking - are also on offer.
