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Lonely Planet s Natural World, published October 2020. Few places match the natural majesty of New Zealand’s South Island with, from top to bottom, beaches, whales, glaciers and waterfalls. New Zealand’s highest mountains are here: Aoraki/Mt Cook in the middle of the island, Mt Aspiring, and Mitre Peak, the triangular talisman marking the mouth of Milford Sound. Keep going, past the adventure towns of Wānaka and Queenstown and you’ll reach Fiordland. This craggy corner of New Zealand is a vast national park and Unesco World Heritage area, covering 4633 square miles (120,000 sq km).