New Zealand’s Best Mountain Views
New Zealand is famous for its beautiful scenic vistas. Here’s a list of some of the best places to see mountains in New Zealand.
Mountain views in Auckland
Auckland is built on a volcanic field and there are around 50 volcanic cones around its metropolitan area. The most famous is Rangitoto Island, which erupted some 600 years ago. Rangitoto is one of the Hauraki Gulf islands, sitting just outside the Waitemata Harbour, and can be viewed from most parts of the central city and suburbs. You can see Rangitoto from several vantage points on an Auckland city sights tour, visit the island by ferry and hike to its summit.
Mount Eden is another prominent Auckland mountain. Close to the central city, its summit is 196m above sea level, making it the highest natural point on the Auckland isthmus with great views over the region. The mountain is a popular place for a stroll to the summit, followed by a visit to the neighbouring village.
Rangitoto Island in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf
Mountain views in Wellington
Wellington is famous for its hilly landscape surrounding the central city. Head to the top of Mount Victoria for unrivalled views of the city and harbour. You can take a trip up Mount Victoria on a Wellington City & Bays Tour with GreatSights.
Mountain views in Christchurch
The Southern Alps dominate the landscape from almost every point in the South Island. From Christchurch, you can take the Lord of the Rings Edoras Tour and visit Mt Potts and Mt Sunday, experiencing views of snowy peaks and high country farms. You’ll also see the sites of key Lord of the Rings filming locations like the Misty Mountains, the battle of Helm’s Deep and Edoras.
Aoraki / Mount Cook
If you want to see New Zealand’s most impressive mountains, then an Aoraki/Mount Cook day tour will be top of your list. Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park was made a UNESCO World Heritage park in 1986. In the centre of the Southern Alps, it boasts over 30 peaks more than 3,000 metres high, including Aoraki at 3,724m. It also has five of New Zealand’s largest glaciers. Scenic flights over the park provide unparalleled views of this spectacular region.
Mighty Aoraki/Mount Cook, New Zealand’s tallest mountain
Mountain views in Queenstown
The resort town of Queenstown sits on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, surrounded by beautiful mountain peaks. These include the Remarkables with their distinctive outline, Walter Peak and Cecil Peak. Queenstown and nearby Wanaka are popular bases for ski or snowboard holidays at the surrounding skifields. Take a relaxing stroll along the lakefront and enjoy the picture-postcard views, or get active and soak up the vistas from on high before taking off on another run down the slopes. Queenstown is also the starting point for Milford Sound day tours, which travel through stunning alpine scenery in Fiordland National Park.
Queenstown and the Remarkables mountain range
Mountain views on the West Coast
You can also experience the grandeur of the Southern Alps from the West Coast of the South Island. During your visit to Franz Josef or Fox Glacier, take a sightseeing plane or helicopter up into the alps for a birds-eye view of the glaciers, which flow down from the lofty heights of the mountains above.
