2 Best Sights in Te Anau, The Southern Alps and Fiordland

Encompassing more than 3 million acres of wilderness, Fiordland is the country's biggest national park. Nearly a million people visit each year to see playful dolphins and rainforest–coated mountains, but most converge on Milford and Doubtful sounds, the park's stars. Don't worry—the park is massive enough to easily absorb the crowds. The scenery actually quiets them, too: entire boatloads of visitors have been known to just hush out on the water. Sand flies and rain (along with your job, breaking news, and the rest of the world) will seem like tiny nuisances when you behold Milford Sound, with Mitre Peak rising along the coast and waterfalls tumbling into the sea. I see the falls, said one returning visitor, and everything just falls away.

If there was nothing to see at the end of this road it would still be worth the journey. It's a spectacular route, on one of the highest highways in New Zealand, traveling through mossy beech forests, past waterfalls and grand sweeping valleys. The road is narrow and winding at times, so allow at least three hours. Stop for some great photo ops at Mirror Lakes, Knobs Flat, and Lake Gunn before reaching the Divide, a watershed between rivers flowing both east and west and the starting point for the Routeburn Track. When you reach the Homer Tunnel think of the unemployed workers who began building it as a relief project in 1935 using picks and shovels. Before making the trip, check the transit website or phone for avalanche warnings. Between May and November, come equipped with tire chains, which you can rent in any Te Anau service station. Take care and drive to the conditions, and if you're just not comfortable, you can always take a bus from Te Anau or Queenstown. There have been a number of accidents on this stretch of road caused by overseas drivers, who are unfamiliar with the conditions and are driving too fast or on the wrong side of the road.