Global travel authority Lonely Planet has today named Bay of Islands & Northland, New Zealand as the number-three Asian-Pacific destination to visit in the year ahead.
Expanded this year to include Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, Best in Asia Pacific is Lonely Planet’s fourth annual agenda-setting list of the region’s 10 best destinations to visit in the next 12 months.
Announcing Bay of Islands & Northland’s number-three-ranking, Lonely Planet said: “Endless extraordinary surf beaches, myriad islands and forests of giant trees are the hallmarks of the northernmost part of New Zealand (Aotearoa) – but that’s only part of the story. Northland is the cradle of the country’s culture and history – both for the indigenous Māori people and for the European settlers who followed them.”
Lonely Planet continues: “The two formally came together with the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in the Bay of Islands, and 2020 sees the 180th anniversary of that key nation-building event.
Expect extra gusto at the annual festivities at Waitangi on February 6 – New Zealand’s national day – including the opening of a brand new museum devoted to the Māori Battalion who fought in the World Wars.”
Some of Lonely Planet’s Best in Asia Pacific 2019:
- Bay of Islands & Northland, New Zealand
- Palawan, Philippines
