There’s a whole lot of doom and gloom in the world today. With ISIS terrorizing the world, President Trump running rampant, and climate change threatening the very world around us, the world can seem like a doomed place that’s all too real. But that perception is easy to change if you just know where to look. If you’re hungering for a little bit of fantasy, a little bit of magic in the world, you need only explore the incredible environments on display in New Zealand. The island nation boasts a human population of just five percent. The rest is willingly given to some of the most breathtaking natural splendor in the world. Filled with vistas you thought only existed in a fairy tale, New Zealand is enough to restore your faith in the world around around you.
1. The Church of the Good Shepherd Sits on Tekapo, an International Dark Sky Reserve, Which Means the Stargazing Is Unparalleled

2. The Wildlife Is Incredibly Plentiful Throughout New Zealand

3. Wai-O-Tapu Is Consistently Rated One of the Most Surreal Places on Earth

4. Lake Matheson Is Home to Some Stunning Reflective Views

5. Located on the Northern Island, Hobbiton Is — You Guessed It — The Shire Come To Life … For Real

6. The Northeastern United States Has Nothing on the Lighthouses Scattered Along Iceland’s Coast

7. The Hollyford Track Covers Several Miles That Runs Along Rocky Beaches and Through Fern-Covered Rainforest

8. Motukiekie Beach Is a Hidden Location on the Southern Island

9. Rare Trees Are All Over the Coast of New Zealand

10. Rudyard Kipling Once Called Milford Sound the Eighth Wonder of the World

11. You’ll Never Forget the Sunset You Witness in Kaikoura

12. The Paths of Franz Josef Glacier’s Are Incredible For Intrepid Hikers

13. The Beauty of the Snaking Islands of the Matauri Bay Region Are Hardly Covered With Photographs

14. New Zealand’s Largest Glacier, the Tasman Glacier, Is a Helicopter Flight and Hike You Will Never Forget

15. The Blue Maomao Arch Offers Incredible Views Above and Below the Waves

16. Mt. Cook, the Highest Mountain in New Zealand, Is Easily Climbed in a Short Three Hours

17. Cathedral Cove Is Home to Several Unique Formations

18. Mt. Taranaki Is So Perfectly Shaped It Looks Hand Carved

19. The Views From Auckland, New Zealand Can’t Be Beat

20. Insects Called Glowworms Provide Otherworldly BioLuminescence to Caves Throughout New Zealand

21. The Flora Found Throughout the Island, Like this Flower in Queenstown, Is One of a Kind

22. Lake Wanaka is One of New Zealand’s Most Photographed Locations

23. Nowhere in the Country Is Farther than a Hundred Miles From Beaches Like Wharariki Beach

24. The Moeraki Boulders Are Strange Formations that Dot the Coast
