[Editor’s note: Matador is participating in this week’s #blog4NZ event, which is intended to raise travelers’ awareness about New Zealand.]
I’VE NEVER BEEN to New Zealand. But after spending several hours touring Flickr to collect these shots…wow, somebody buy me a ticket. 
Mount Taranaki
Situated in the region of the same name, on the North Island's western coast, Taranaki is a 2518m volcanic cone that last erupted in the mid-19th century.Photo: dcysurfer / Dave Young
Fox Glacier cave
The South Island's Westland National Park is home to this glacier and its spectacular ice caves. In 13km, the Fox drops from the peaks of the Southern Alps to rainforest along the coast.Photo: anoldent
Stormy Milford Sound
The southwestern coast of the South Island is cut by numerous fjords. Milford Sound is the best known, and is the country's most popular tourist attraction.Photo: Adam & Tess
Southern Alp peaks
New Zealand's tallest mountain range contains 20 peaks over 3,000m, the highest being Aoraki/Mt. Cook at 3,750m. It's a great starter range for mountaineering.Photo: winkyintheuk
Rakaia River from the air
Home to good salmon and trout fishing, the Rakaia deltas into Canterbury Bight, around 50km south of Christchurch.Photo: C. K. Hartman
Lake Wakatipu
A finger lake shaped like a lightning bolt, the Otago region's Wakatipu is 80km long and shares a shore with the resort town and adventure tourism capital of Queenstown.Photo: mcaretaker
On the Tongariro Alpine Crossing
The Tongariro Crossing trail runs for 19km through volcanic terrain in the center of the North Island. It passes the base of Mt. Ngauruhoe, known to a lot of the world as Mt. Doom. The national park is the country's oldest.Photo: Mister Jo
Shotover River canyons
Running for 60km through Otago, the Shotover is narrow and fast flowing, making it a super popular whitewater destination.Photo: anthonycramp
Intermission
Lake Pukaki mist
Good views of the main Southern Alp peaks backdrop this Canterbury lake. The water's particular tint of blue comes from glacier-ground particulates.Photo: Stas Kulesh
Sailing through mangroves
The coastal landscape of the country's northern regions is where the most southerly mangroves in the world occur. Photo above was taken near Rawene, Northland.Photo: PhillipC
Moeraki Boulders
These strange geologic formations line the beach on Otago's eastern coast, just south of Hampden.Photo: El Groo
Waterfall in Mount Aspiring National Park
Mt. Aspiring is the only 3,000+ peak to stand outside the Aoraki/Mount Cook area. Its tiny national park is just 20 miles as the crow flies from Milford Sound and about 10 from the northern reaches of Lake Wakatipu.Photo: Jason Pratt
Nugget Point
A lighthouse of the same name gives a good view of these southern Otago islets and their wildlife. If you could see for 2,000 miles out to sea, you'd be looking at the coast of Antarctica.Photo: Wostlan
Tararua Range
These mountains rise at the southern tip of the North Island. The view above is from Mt. Victoria, in the city of Wellington.Photo: PhillipC
Whakarewarewa Redwood Forest
The Whakarewarewa area is geologically active, home to a number of geysers and hot springs, as well as a grove of California coast redwoods, planted here in 1901.Photo: Donna_Rutherford
Tasman, New Zealand
The shot above was taken near the start of Farewell Spit, a 26km sand spit sticking out of the northernmost point of the South Island.Photo: Aaron Jacobs
Huka Falls
Close to 220,000 liters of water flow through this falls every second, as the Waikato River suddenly narrows from 100 meters to just 15.Photo: Robert Nyman
Franz Josef Glacier
Like the Fox Glacier (listed above and located 20km south), the Franz Josef falls from mountains to rainforest in just 12km.Photo: anthonycramp
Lake Tekapo panorama
Tekapo is similar in many respects to Pukaki (listed above), including fronting a killer view of the Southern Alps.Photo: joka2000
Doubtful Sound
Also located in Fiordland National Park, Doubtful Sound is larger yet less accessible than its famous cousin to the north.Photo: stevecadman
Bridal Veil Falls, New Zealand
In the Waikato region of the North Island, close to the town of Raglan, this plunge falls has a height of 55m. Photo: Hot Meteor