AUCKLAND—New Zealand has been named one of the top ten countries in the world to visit next year.
The travel bible named New Zealand on the basis of the adage "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".
The authors said the last time they checked "the land of Maori and hobbits certainly didn't need repairing".
The annual guide, which draws on the knowledge of Lonely Planet's staff, named the country's most inspiring activities as flying over Fiordland, kayaking in Abel Tasman National Park and paragliding over Queenstown - all South Island activities.
But the North Island's Tongariro National Park, prized for its iconic one-day crossing hike, also rated a mention.
Tasman neighbours Australia didn't make the grade in the Lonely Planet's new popular Best in Travel guide, although the south-west of Western Australia won a spot in the top ten regions worldwide.
Other countries named in the top ten were El Salvador, Germany, Greece, Malaysia, Morocco, Nepal, Portugal, Suriname and the USA.
