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

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

A charmingly old-fashioned reminder of the historic building's former life.

A New Zealand communications tower stands as the tallest structure in the Southern Hemisphere.

Handcrafted thermal spa washes away each night with the tide.

Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauo tamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronuku pokaiwhenuakitanatahu.

The "punniest place on Earth” has nearly as many bull-themed puns as it does people.

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.

Taihape's claim to fame is a fictional Kiwi farmer wearing gumboots.

Tubing through a cave lit with glowworms is a magical underground experience.

These two delightful animal-shaped buildings host a visitor center and wool shop.

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.

This electric green sulphur lake in New Zealand looks like a cartoonish radioactive dump site.