Mackenzie Region, New Zealand 3.7

The Mackenzie Region is situated at the heart of New Zealand’s South Island. It’s one of the most beautiful places in the country, with bright, sunny days and clear, starry nights.

The land is sparsely populated - just over 4,000 people live here, most in the little towns of Fairlie, Tekapo, Twizel and Mount Cook Village. The rest of the landscape is amazing wide-open spaces ringed by snow-capped mountains, including Aoraki Mount Cook, the tallest in New Zealand.

Here, golden tussocks give way to remarkable turquoise-blue lakes, fed by meltwater from glaciers including the Tasman, the longest glacier in New Zealand.

This is the place to rediscover the magic of the night sky. The Mackenzie Region has been recognized as an International Dark Sky Reserve, the largest in the world and the only one in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Mackenzie is the perfect place to experience your New Zealand outdoor adventure, or simply to relax and take in the pure, breathtaking beauty of the landscape.