--- description: Find out why Northland, New Zealand is on TIME’s 2021 list of the World’s 100 Greatest Places. title: Northland, New Zealand: The World’s 100 Greatest Places of 2021 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7ccd8a3f68f8ea3c/698a1e12b3fce319c90c8732/worlds-greatest-places-2021-001-Northland-New-Zealand.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Jul 20, 2021 # Northland, New Zealand Legendary experiences by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  The guided storytelling experience at Manea Footprints of Kupe, a cultural attraction in Northland, New Zealand. The guided storytelling experience at Manea Footprints of Kupe, a cultural attraction in Northland, New Zealand.Courtesy Tiaana Anaru New Zealand’s northernmost region is its fastest growing in terms of population. But regardless of whether visitors are there to stay—or to stay for the night—a host of new offerings are sure to delight. The geothermal and hot-spring complex of Ngawha Springs reopened this year after refurbishment, as did Te Ahurea, a re-created Maori village featuring workshops on traditional handicrafts. Meanwhile, on the shores of Hokianga Harbour, Manea Footprints of Kupe is a new cultural center and guided exhibition that tells the story of Kupe, a mythical explorer who is reputed to have originally discovered New Zealand, through performance, film and large-scale artworks. Off the east coast, the Poor Knights Islands are home to some of the world’s best diving and Rikoriko, the world’s largest sea cave. _—Ali Wunderman_ Northland, New Zealand Is One of the World’s Greatest Places ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2021/6079285/northland-new-zealand/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2021/6079285/northland-new-zealand/"},"headline":"Northland, New Zealand","datePublished":"2021-07-20T10:33:56.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-02T23:50:50.565Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2021/6079285/northland-new-zealand/","keywords":["franchise","Magazine","World's Greatest Places"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7ccd8a3f68f8ea3c/698a1e12b3fce319c90c8732/worlds-greatest-places-2021-001-Northland-New-Zealand.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7ccd8a3f68f8ea3c/698a1e12b3fce319c90c8732/worlds-greatest-places-2021-001-Northland-New-Zealand.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2021/6079285/northland-new-zealand/","name":"Northland, New Zealand"}}]}] ```