Cataclysmic geological events and earth-spewing uproars have shaped this country. Volcanic activity created features you will see all around the North Island—the black-sand beaches, the perfect peaks, and the crater lakes. Whakaari Island is home to the country's only live marine volcano. Mid-island, Rotorua oozes with surreal and smelly geothermal activity. Parklands at Tongariro and Mt. Taranaki offer outstanding hiking, while world-renowned trout fishing is the main activity at the dramatic caldera that holds Lake Taupo. But that's just the beginning of the island's attractions. Ninety Mile Beach gives way to the revered and mighty 1,200-year-old kauri (cow-ree) trees of Northland. The miles of island-strewn coastline of the Coromandel Peninsula are a perfect foil for the bustle of Auckland, New Zealand's largest city. Townies revel in the famous wine-producing Hawke's Bay region, while the nation's capital city, Wellington, remains an arts and culinary haven.
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