More than just a blockbuster backdrop

A place renowned for providing the spectacular natural backdrops featured in the The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film series, New Zealand not only offers visitors sandy beaches, mountains, geysers and forests, but also an adventurous experience beyond imagination, according to the country's tourism bureau.

More than 30 percent of the country's land is covered by national parks, reserves and special ecological heritage sites, it said.

New Zealand has 13 national parks filled with unspoiled natural beauty in the form of ancient forests, rock formations.