If you ask me, which is the most visited tourist destination in NZ and also the most picturesque one, without any hesitation I’d say - Queenstown. To get the best view you should go atop the Skyline Gondola. Rest assured - satisfaction guaranteed!!
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Queenstown is certainly a beautiful place and that’s a great photo of it that you have shared but I have to disagree with you in that Milford Sound in the Fiordland National Park is by far the most visited tourist destination in NZ.
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@AdamGT Totally agree and I’ve been to Milford Sound. I drove all the way from Queenstown, camped at Te Anu and then did the Milford Sound cruise. As you rightly said, it is unquestionably ‘one of the’ most magnificent tourist destinations in NZ and probably the whole world. Any LOTR fan would love the picturesque view of the place, so did I. However statistics reveal that out of the 3.3Mn visitors to Queenstown approx. 875k visited Milford Sound last year. Being the closest travel hub with Airport access could possibly be the reason why there are more visitors to Queenstown. Anyways, these are my thoughts. Cheers!
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- @kaiarahiNZ_Cyril I already felt in love with this town, forever will be in my heart!*
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Stunning view! When did you visit Queenstown? How long did you stay there? I think New Zealand as a country has so many amazing places to see. I bet the gondola ride is really cool.
Which places would you recommend for first time visitors? Thanks!
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@DanniS I visited Queenstown in January this year (2020). Was there for a week. For first timers in NZ, I would surely recommend South Island. Every little town across NZ has its own beauty, but my personal favorite is Queenstown. It has a different beauty in each season. I did a road trip from Christchurch - Lake Tekapo - Mt. Cook - Cromwell - Arrowtown - Wanaka - Queenstown - Glenorchy - TeAnu - Milford Sound - Dunedin.
Highlights of the trip: Gondola, Ferg Burger, Milford Sound Cruise, Lord of the Rings movie sets, Jet boat, 12 scenic spots enroute to Milford Sound, Wine tasting (one of the finest in the world), bungee. NZ is ideal for campers and has thousands of beautiful walking trails. There’s still more to cover on the west coast of South island, which I plan to do some other time.
Check out my suggestion (Google Maps list) on places to visit in Northland, New Zealand
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@Sophia_Cambodia I’m glad you did 
… Indeed is a lovely place
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- @kaiarahiNZ_Cyril it is, too cold for us Asian but I don’t mind that at all. It was such a lovely small town - everyone was carrying skis I was so impressed of what I saw. I had a chance to go on Cadrona ski field but not the Remarkables. Beautiful!*
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- @kaiarahiNZ_Cyril what a list of places you have visited. I haven’t got a chance to do all of these as I was traveling solo and by the bus. I think it was more than enough thought - like paintings!*
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@Sophia_Cambodia Cardrona Ski Resort is a great spot
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@Sophia_Cambodia I see you’re from Wellington. Picton is close by to you. One of my bucket list is to drive down from Picton-Blenheim-Kaikoura-Christchurch. Heard it’s a great drive.
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- @kaiarahiNZ_Cyril of all the places you mentioned, I could manage only Christchurch twice. I also heard about Kaikoura but did not get a chance as most of the time I traveled solo. My friends took the ferry to Picton and then Kaikoura and they said it was amazing.*
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