The Ziplining Forest Adventure at Rotorua Canopy Tours has been named the number one thing to do in the South Pacific this year by Tripadvisor.
The global travel guidance platform announced its 2023 Travellers' Choice Awards on Wednesday with Aotearoa claiming multiple spots on the South Pacific lists, but not earning a spot on the Top 25 Attractions in the World list.
That was topped by the Basílica de la Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, with Rome's Colosseum in second place and Amsterdam's Anne Frank House in third.
Rotorua Canopy Tours is "ecstatic" with the honour, for which they beat out stiff competition from experiences in French Polynesia, Australia and elsewhere in Aotearoa.
"To be ranked number one in the South Pacific based solely off of our customer's enthusiasm and enjoyment for the Rotorua Canopy Tours' experience is unreal," said general manager Paul Button.
"Our business is built off strong customer relationships and a dedication to providing a world class experience day-in-day-out. The South Pacific is home to some of the world's greatest tourism outfits - it's an honour to be recognised amongst this prestigious cohort."
Other New Zealand placements in the lists include Te Papa, Waitomo Caves, a Milford Sound scenic flight and boat cruise package, white water rafting at Kaituna Cascades and self-guided wine tours by bike in Marlborough.
The 2023 Travelers' Choice Awards are said to be based on the quality and quantity of user reviews and ratings on the website between May 1, 2022 and April 30, 2023, as well as Tripadvisor's "additional editorial process".
More of the results are listed below.
Top 15 Experiences in the South Pacific:
- Ziplining Forest Adventure - The Original Canopy Tour Rotorua
- ABC Snorkel Charters Port Douglas, Australia
- Snorkelling excursion, discovery of the lagoon and its fauna, Moorea, French Polynesia
- Margaret River Wine Adventure, Australia
- Swim with Whale Sharks in the Ningaloo Reef, Exmouth, Australia
- Full Day Lagoon Group Tour in Bora Bora, Bora Bora, French Polynesia
- Nocturnal adventure Glow-worm tour, Rotorua
- White Water Rafting - Kaituna Cascades, Okere Falls, New Zealand
- Full-Day 1770 Tour by LARC Amphibious Vehicle, Seventeen Seventy, Australia
- Three-Quarter Day Hervey Bay Premium Whale Watching Cruise, Hervey Bay, Australia
- Self-Guided Wine Tours by Bike in Marlborough, Renwick, New Zealand
- The Big Island Day Tour - Full day tour to Whitehaven Beach, Airlie Beach, Australia
- Wildlife Waterfalls and Wine Day Tour from Sydney
- Sea Scooter Jet Snorkeling 'Moorea Dream Adventure' Moorea, French Polynesia
- Milford Sound Scenic Fly-Cruise-Fly departing Queenstown.
Top 10 Experiences in the World:
- Grand Circle Island and Haleiwa Tour, Honolulu, Hawaii
- Thai Cooking Course, Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Ubud Tour - Best of Ubud, Ubus, Bali
- Red Dunes ATV, Sandsurf, Camels, Stargazing & 5* BBQ, Dubai, UAE
- Best DMZ 3rd Infiltration Tunnel Tour from Seoul, Seoul, South Korea
- Reykjavik Food Walk - Local Foodie Adventure, Reykjavik, Iceland
- Amsterdam Luxury Guided Sightseeing Canal Cruise, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Angkor Wat Sunrise Tour, Siem Reap, Cambodia
- San Juan Guided Snorkel Tour, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Hanoi Jeep Tours, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Top 25 Attractions in the South Pacific:
- Sydney Opera House - Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Kings Park and Botanic Garden - Perth, WA, Australia
- Sydney Harbour - Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa - Wellington, New Zealand
- Sydney Harbour Bridge - Sydney, NSW, Australia
- South Bank Parklands - Brisbane, Qld, Australia
- Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria - Melbourne, Vic, Australia
- Mount Wellington - Hobart, Tas, Australia
- Convict Penitentiary Chapel Historic Site - Hobart, Tas, Australia
- Redwoods, Whakarewarewa Forest - Rotorua, New Zealand
- Hamilton Gardens - Hamilton, New Zealand
- Australian War Memorial - Canberra, ACT, Australia
- Milford Sound - Te Anau, New Zealand
- Uluru - Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, NT, Australia
- Christchurch Botanic Gardens - Christchurch, New Zealand
- The Australian Armour & Artillery Museum - Cairns, Qld, Australia
- Royal Botanic Garden Sydney - Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Fremantle Prison - Fremantle, WA, Australia
- Umpherston Sinkhole - Mount Gambier, SA, Australia
- Blue Mountains - Katoomba, NSW, Australia
- Flinders Chase National Park - Kangaroo Island, SA, Australia
- Ruakuri Cave - Waitomo Caves, New Zealand
- Maleny Botanic Gardens & Bird World - Maleny, Qld, Australia
- Magic Mountain - Moorea, French Polynesia
- Maire Nui Gardens & Cafe - Rarotonga, Cook Islands.
Top 25 Attractions in the World:
- Basílica de la Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain
- Colosseum, Rome, Italy
- Anne Frank House, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- The Dubai Fountain, Dubai, UAE
- Empire State Building, New York City, USA
- Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France
- Eiffel Tower, Paris, France
- Trevi Fountain, Rome, Italy
- Central Park, New York City, USA
- Plaza de Espana, Seville, Spain
- Duomo di Milano - Milan, Italy
- Parque del Retiro - Madrid, Spain
- Kilmainham Gaol Museum - Dublin, Ireland
- Acropolis - Athens, Greece
- Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center - Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Iguazu Falls - Foz do Iguacu, Brazil
- Angkor Wat - Siem Reap, Cambodia
- Gardens by the Bay - Singapore, Singapore
- Iolani Palace - Honolulu, USA
- Jardin Majorelle - Marrakech, Morocco
- Museo Nacional de Antropologia - Mexico City, Mexico
- Stanley Park - Vancouver, Canada
- Taj Mahal - Agra, India
- Petra - Petra - Wadi Musa, Jordan
- Les 7 Cascades - Riviere Noire, Mauritius.
