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

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

The most southerly spot on New Zealand's South Island is home to surreally shaped, permanently mangled trees.

One of the world's largest Tesla coils.

A Maori village obliterated by an 1886 volcanic eruption.

A gigantic sculpture garden is packed with innovative oddities.

A glacier pocked with ice caves and surrounded by rainforests.

A solitary tree has grown up all alone on Lake Wānaka, backdropped by the beautiful Southern Alps.

Though its celestial ceiling is impressive, the true star is the vast collection of French books.

Leaf through over 30,000 artists' sketchbooks in what may be the world's largest collection of doodles

Sniff the Titan Arum's rotting flesh.

This whimsical group of statues is a favorite of children who love to climb all over Lewis Carroll's beloved characters.

A crumbling hospital from the 1850s on Roosevelt Island.

Abandoned Japanese ghost town gives a glimpse into what our own metropolises may leave behind.

A Japanese cat island also populated by the descendants of a band of banished samurai.

Go through the looking glass in Tokyo's Wonderland-themed shop.

Colloquially known as “piss alley,” this narrow street filled with tiny bars and barbecue stands looks like it was pulled straight out of “Blade Runner.”

Twelve hundred stone carvings guard this off-the-beaten-path Buddhist temple.

Japanese island famous for poison gas and fluffy bunnies.

1,001 carved statues of the Buddhist God of Mercy, each with a unique face.

A 70-foot-deep ice cave formed by lava from Mt. Fuji on the edge of Japan's "Suicide Forest." 

This Buddhist temple is home to the graves of the Japanese national legends, the 47 Ronin.

A 20-meter (65-foot) robot towers over Tokyo Bay.

Hanging over one of Japan's "hidden valleys," these vine bridges must be remade every three years.