New Zealand Tourism

New Zealand tourism received a enormous boost from the Lord of the Rings trilogy since so many fans saw the wonderful surroundings in the movies and wanted to know more about where it was filmed. One of the key reasons the Trilogy was so beneficial to New Zealand tourism was that it was filmed in so many locations. A number of guidebooks are available to show the enterprising follower around the country, pointing out all of the shooting locations for the movie. Many private businesses that helped convey those working on the movie to the various locations are now more than pleased to transfer fans to the same locations for a fee. LOTR travel has become a huge bonus to New Zealand tourism; even though most people don’t travel to New Zealand to see the shooting locations many of them will take side-trips to see the locations for some of their preferred scenes.

I used to be only vaguely aware of New Zealand, imagining it as to some extent Australia’s Canada; near to Australia, alike to Australia, just not quite the same. After spending five months of the previous year in New Zealand I’ve come to know it somewhat better, at last learning why Peter Jackson chose it as the site of Tolkin’s Middle Earth.

Though the Lord of the Rings tourism has helped the country’s economy greatly, the major boost to New Zealand tourism has come from the advent of adventure tourism. These days taking a holiday no longer means merely hanging about on a cruise ship or roaming to a nice seashore where you can lay around, drink cocktails with small umbrellas in them and perhaps read a book. More and more people, particularly younger travelers, are looking for a little more adrenaline in their holidays. New Zealand had jumped at the opportunity to supply travelers with all sorts of adventure opportunities. Near Rotorua you can go zorbing, which consists of sliding into what amounts to a giant hamster ball and rolling yourself down a hillside. Many companies supply jet-boat rides up whitewater rivers and through tight canyons at rapid speeds. You can throw yourself off the tallest bungee jump in the world or take part in world rank whitewater rafting. The Waitomo region offers a vast host of caving opportunities, from the board-walked traveler caves to rappelling and sliding through mud and water to discover extensive underground labyrinths. Although this new type of New Zealand tourism may not give you any difficulty finding adventure, you may have a bit of a dilemma fitting it all in.