New Zealand is a prime destination for the responsible eco-traveller, a vast wilderness of unspoilt beauty. A landscape filled with wonder, there are massive chunks of frozen glacier, rugged Alpine peaks and raging torrents to explore. Those people who have seen the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, will find the landscape reassuringly familiar, New Zealand is Middle Earth.
The northern region of the North Island with its volcanic activities, sulphurous pools and viscous mud baths is a natural location for an evil lair. At the same time, it proves to be the perfect place to relax. Therapeutic and curative, the evil lords inspirational homeland is both relaxing and rejuvenating. The Southern Alps also are the source of some great white water rafting and if you fancy taking your Elvin boat over some serious watercourses then the waters around Rotorua are excellent.
If you and your fellowship see yourselves more like hikers in nature’s rich landscape then in New Zealand you can travel across Fox’s Glacier, explore the depths of Otaki Totara Forest or trek across the open expanses around Poolburn Lake and the Ida Valley. This beautiful country is filled with every conceivable landscape in which to have adventures.
The New Zealand Tourist Board are aware of the massive impact the film has had on its popularity and are now busy balancing the desire for people to travel around the country and the need to protect these delicate environments. They are developing a network of local, knowledgeable tourist guides who can explain about the areas, show off the animals and leave the landscape unspoilt by human invasion.
Everyone wants to see the slopes of Mount Doom or the wooded wilderness of Fangorn Forest, this however, is being tempered with responsible tourism and non-intrusive activities. Visitors are being encouraged to watch the albatross and dolphins but to ensure that their habitats remain in tact for future generations.
Areas like to Otago peninsula are a wonderful place to visit but their proximity to Dunedin means the landscape must be carefully managed to protect is delicate nature.
As increasingly people flock in to see the views of Fiordland and the Southern Alps commentators are calling for greater interaction between tour operators, ecologists and conservationists to make sure that the prosperity of the country is not accomplished at the expense of the countryside.
New Zealand is the last major land mass to be colonised by humans who only arrived on the islands some 1,000 years ago. In this time 75% of the bush cover has been stripped away and only 5% of the lowland forests remain. For this reason it is important that education forms as much a part of a holiday, as the sightseeing does.