Godzone’s naturally wonderful
The natural wonders of the world, such as the Grand Canyon, will be off-limits for the foreseeable future. But we have an extraordinary array of backyard wonders to explore in New Zealand, including own grand canyon, which you can add to your domestic bucket list.
Mt Tarawera Rotorua
The summit of Mt Tarawera is an unworldly place. There are only two ways up, by guided walk or helicopter, which means few Kiwis have ever set foot on its sacred summit.
The volcano famously erupted in 1886, destroying the Pink and White Terraces, several villages, and creating the youngest geothermal valley in the world.
The ground was ripped apart for 17 kilometres, and nowhere is that force more evident than the mountain itself, where valleys, ridges and craters created a landscape that looks like New Zealand’s version of the Grand Canyon.
The time between eruptions is thought to be 700 to 3000 years (the last was 134 years ago), and GNS Science has eight monitoring stations on the mountain, so the risk when visiting is very small.
Rikoriko Cave Northland
New Zealand is home to the largest sea cave in the world. The Rikoriko Cave is found in the Poor Knights Islands, a magnificent marine reserve an hour’s boat trip off the coast of the small Northland town of Tutukaka.
The snorkelling and diving are the best you’ll find in Aotearoa, thanks to a warm current that brushes past from Australia. As a result, tropical fish and even whale sharks have been spotted out there.
The easiest way to reach the marine reserve and cave is on a snorkelling trip with Dive! Tutukaka.
After spending a few hours in the water surrounded by fish, your boat motors inside the cave, where a horn is then blasted. Due to the sound waves rebounding and travelling to the centre of the cave – where the boat is – the blast reverberates through your body.
Mangapohue Natural Bridge Walk Waikato
The Waitomo region is a wonderland of magnificent caves, waterfalls and stunning walks. The glowworm caves are, of course, the jewel in the crown, but there are highly recommended free walks, such as the Ruakuri natural tunnel walk, Marokopa Falls Walk and, my favourite, the Mangapohue Natural Bridge Walk.
The short boardwalk to the natural bridge winds along a limestone gorge, before revealing the remnants of an enormous ancient cave system. There’s even a 17-metre limestone arch that you can walk through.
Lava valley Northland
Northland’s best-kept secret is a little known ancient lava valley, millions of years in the making.
The Wairere Boulders is found deep in Hokianga. It’s a forest walkway with 22 bridges that weave through a labyrinth of enormous cracks and boulders.
The Jurassic valley began its formation
2.8 million years ago after a lava flow created a layer of basalt 15-30 metres thick. Over millions of years, the rock has eroded and slowly rolled down into a valley, where thousands of enormous multi-storey boulders now lie.
Rere Rockslide Gisborne
One of the largest natural rock slides in the world is tucked away in native bush, an hour from Gisborne. The Rere Rockslide looks a little daunting at first, but all you need to do is bring along a bodyboard or tyre tube and (most importantly), hold on tight.
The smooth 60-metre surface has been formed over thousands of years and, with a 30-degree incline, you can build up some serious speed.
Check water pollution levels before visiting as unfortunately it’s sometimes unsafe to swim.
Lava slide Taranaki
On the slopes of Mt Taranaki, you’ll find an enchanting Goblin Forest. It was formed after the volcano erupted 400 years ago, wiping out the rimu forest that once blanketed the mountain.
Since then, the ka¯mahi tree has become dominant, growing on the stumps and logs left over from the eruption. The result is a labyrinth of twisted trunks, all covered in thick dewy moss.
One of the best walks to experience the Goblin Forest is on the Wilkies Pools Loop Track, which leads to a series of swimming holes formed by a 20,000-year-old lava flow.
If you can brave the alpine water, there is a naturally formed rockslide that shoots you down the lava tube to an ice bath below.
Frying Pan Lake Rotorua
New Zealand is home to the world’s largest hot spring. Frying Pan Lake is an enormous cauldron at Rotorua’s Waimangu Volcanic Valley. It’s obvious where the name came from: it looks like a giant, smoking pan, and is heated by a magma chamber just two kilometres below the surface. The hot spring is vast, 38,000 square metres in total, roughly the size of five rugby fields. As the name suggests, it’s far too hot to swim in.
The walk at Waimangu also passes the bright blue Inferno Crater, right down to Lake Rotomahana – the site of the Pink and White Terraces.
Franz Josef and Fox glaciers West Coast
New Zealand is home to some of the easiest to reach glaciers in the world.
Franz Josef Glacier is a gentle 45-minute walk through a rainforest, emerging to find a lunar-like
valley with towering waterfalls and peaks that disappear into the clouds. At the end of the walkway, you will marvel at a hulking 12-kilometre glacier that disappears into the mountains.
The best way to appreciate the glacier is to do a heli-hike, where you’ll spend two hours weaving past ice towers, through tight corners, and even exploring ice caves.
Milford Sound Fiordland
Rudyard Kipling called it the eighth wonder of the world, and Milford Sound is deserving of the title.
The fiord was carved over millions of years by a glacier, leading to a narrow inlet surrounded by mountains that surge from the water high into the sky.
Aside from tourist boats, the landscape remains untouched, which is one of the many reasons it’s part of a World Heritage area.
Most boats take a leisurely two-hour trip around the fiord, exploring waterfalls that seemingly fall from the heavens, admiring the 1.6km high Mitre Peak and spotting rare wildlife.
Cathedral Cove Coromandel
If this magnificent stretch of coastline is on your bucket list, now is the time to visit because it’s usually overflowing with international tourists.
The 45-minute walk to the cove follows jagged white cliffs formed after an eruption eight million years ago. The soft rock has broken away over thousands of years to form little coves among the cliffs, including the cavernous coastal tunnel at Cathedral Cove. It really is as beautiful as it looks.