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A World First

The Pink and White Terraces.

New Zealand was a draw card for international visitors as early as 1840. As word spread of New Zealand's thermal and scenic wonders, such as the Pink and White Terraces, an increasing number of visitors made the long journey by sea.

The visitor numbers put pressure on infrastructure, and in February 1901, Sir Joseph Ward announced the creation of a new tourist department - the Department of Tourist and Health Resorts, the first department of this kind anywhere in the world.

Kiwi Innovations

Skiplane

The ski Plane - a kiwi invention.

New Zealanders embraced tourism in their usual unconventional way. Some of the best known contributions to our tourism industry have been kiwi inventions such as the ski-plane (a controlled crash on snow-covered precipices), the jetboat (taking a flat bottomed boat against the river's flow) and popularising bungy jumping, (throwing yourself off great heights with a rubber band attached to your ankles!).

Early Visitors

Mark Twain an early celebrity visitor to New Zealand.

During the early 1860s - 1880s many distinguished literary visitors from abroad arrived in New Zealand. Early celebrity visitors included George Bernard Shaw and Mark Twain.

Mark Twain travelled to New Zealand in the mid-1880s. He stayed just over a month, exploring the country by sea and rail. He described the country as "…a New Zealand Switzerland, a land of superb scenery, made up of snowy grandeurs, and mighty glaciers, and beautiful lakes..."

Zane Grey, renowned novelist from the USA and keen angler, dubbed the Bay of Islands the 'Angler's Eldorado'. Grey's book, Tales of the Angler's Eldorado, New Zealand (first published in 1926), describes his encounters with swordfish, marlin and mako sharks in the big-game fishing waters of New Zealand's Bay of Islands. It was a sought after publication and helped establish a world-wide reputation for big-game fishing in New Zealand.

More Information

In 2001 Tourism New Zealand celebrated its centenary you can download our centenary magazine, 1901 -2001: 100 Years Pure Progress. Tourism Centenary.pdf

Hard copies are available please contact suea@tnz.govt.nz

Published in 2004 The Wonder Country by Margaret McClure charts the history of government involvement with tourism in New Zealand. The book is available in major booksellers, or contact Auckland University Press c.obrien@auckland.ac.nz