New Zealand Drone Videos

Multiple Drone Video of the Week winners and 2023 DVOY nominees DigitalTravelCouple brings us this stunning travel video from the South Island of New Zealand.  Created with drone and ground camera footage, the video opens with shots from the Southern Alps, a chain of mountains which runs roughly parallalel to the western coast of the island and whose peaks reach up to 12.2k ft. above sea level in altitude (3.7k m).  Starting at about 2:00, you'll be treated to some epic views of the island's coastline, then head back into the mountains.

Multiple Drone Video of the Month Winner DigitalTravelCouple brings us this stunning travel video from New Zealand.  At the :07 mark, there's a shot of Mt. Taranaki, a dormant volcano on the North Island.  At :35, there's a beautiful shot approaching Marokopa Falls in the North Island's Waikato region.  At the 2:20 mark, you'll see the islands of Lake Wakatipu on the South Island, and at 2:43 you'll see the "Three Sisters" rocks of the North Island's Taranaki region.  Other spots include Tongariro National Park and the Southern Alps.  

For a first upload to AirVuz, brand-new contributor Pierre.bk brings us this DVOW nominated film of New Zealand.  Shot with a DJI Mavic Pro drone mounted with PolarPro filters, the video features footage from numerous spots across the South Island, the larger but less populous of the country's two main islands.  Featured locations include Milford Sound, Mt. Cook (New Zealand's highest mountain), Nugget Point on the Otago (southeastern) coast, and Abel Tasman National Park at the island's northern end.  

Top AirVuz contributor Leni Sadiva returns after a three year hiatus with this fantastic drone video from New Zealand.  Shot in the Autumn of 2022 (which was the Spring of 2022 in the Northern Hemisphere), the video features stunning footage from across this South Pacific island nation.  One of the areas featured is the area around Wharariki Beach, which is located at the base of Cape Farewell, near the northern tip of the South Island.  Another is in the region of Wānaka, a resort town near the middle of the South Island.  

RJurevics created this beautiful DVOW-nominated video from New Zealand, the product of six months of travel through its North Island. The video uses drone footage (including timelapses) with a bit of ground camera footage to capture some epic views of the island, forever associated with the Lord of the Rings movie series.  One of the video's highlights is some rare footage of the Putangirua Pinnacles, a "badlands" area on Palliser Bay which appeared in Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003).  

Check out this magnificent DVOW nominated film from New Zealand, compliments of top AirVuz contributor and pilot hamzamuj.  Most of the footage was taken from the South Island, the larger (in area) but less populous of the two main islands.  Featured locations include  Piha Beach, Kite Kite Falls, Aoraki/Mount Cook, Lake Tekapo, Lake Pukaki, Franz Josef Glacier, Queenstown, Wanaka, Roy's Peak, Haast, Thunder Creek Falls, Christchurch and Greymouth.  The video uses footage from a DJI Mavic Pro 2 along with some ground camera footage.  

AirVuz contributor MikeLuvecce aka Skystream Media, is a Wellington, New Zealand based drone filming company that specialized in highly cinematic first person view (FPV) drone video content.  In this impressive reel, you'll see some of the highlights of his work.  Filmed throughout New Zealand, the reel features an impressive mix of landscape, urban, action, and "people" shots.  Highlights include some stunning shots flown over music festivals; chase sequences involving bikers, boaters, and cars; and more.  

Merriam-Webster defines ‘phantasmagoria’ as “a constantly shifting complex succession of things seen or imagined; a bizarre or fantastic combination, collection, or assemblage,” and this aerial showcase complete with snowy mountains, sand dunes, steamy rainforests, and scenic vistas makes it easy to see why drone pilot and drone video creator Jtupe uses the word to describe his exploration of New Zealand.  This video was shot with a DJI Mavic Pro drone.

Content creator and drone pilot Huette skillfully condensed over a month of travel throughout New Zealand into this epic 60 second drone video of the great Pacific Ocean island country.  His video features aerial footage of mountain hikes, glaciers, ocean kiteboarding, the magnificent Milford Sound on the South Island, and the North Island's Cathedral Cove nature preserve.  Shot with a DJI Mavic Pro drone, the video will show you the incredible beauty of this magic Pacific Ocean country.  

Professional photographer Ben Mack packed his drone on a family trip to New Zealand's South Island, and the final product was a breathtaking Drone Video of the Week nominated film that we can't stop watching.  The views of this southwestern Pacific country are woven beautifully with poignant clips of his family enjoying those same sights.  With a terrain boasting the Southern Alps, glaciers, forests, and beaches, we can see why this two-island nation is a top tourism destination for families and drone pilots alike!

New Zealand is one of the most visually interesting and dynamic islands in the world. This incredible 4K aerial film by traveladdicted, a DVOW winner in April 2019, explores some of the incredible locations on the country's North Island.  Featured locations include Cathedral Cove on the Coromandel Peninsula, on the western end of the Bay of Plenty; Cape Reinga on the Aupouri Peninsula, at the northern end of the island; Tangarino National Park, of "Lord of the Rings" fame, and more. 

Take an aerial tour of the North Island of New Zealand, compliments of contributor and drone pilot RJurevics.  The North Island, while smaller in land area than the South, is by far the more populous of the country's two main islands.  It includes most of the country's main cities, as well as some of its most spectacular natural scenery.  The focus of this video is on the natural landscapes of the world's 14th largest island.  It was nominated as a Finalist for the Drone Video of the Week contest in April, 2019.

"Breathtaking" is an apt description for this magnificent drone tour of New Zealand, compliments of top AirVuz contributor Alexander Schmidt Photography.  The video opens with an iconic New Zealand scene: a giant offshore rock formation.  You'll also be treated to some great footage of other archetypal landscape scenes from this island nation of the South Pacific.  Take in the stunning views of rushing waterfalls, towering volcanoes, magnificent coastal cliffs, and scenes which were captured so beautifully in the Lord of the Rings series.  

Misty scenes dominate this ethereal aerial video of New Zealand by contributor Chris Grewe.   He shot this video with a DJI Phantom 4 drone over a three week trip, which covered both the North and South Islands.  Expansive beach cliffs are contrasted with detailed forest foliage and streams, and beach spray turns to mountain fog as chrisgrewe’s drone moves inland from the coast to showcase the country's wide variety of life.  For those contemplating a trip to the country, it's not to be missed.

Top contributor and drone pilot Chris Jeon condensed a 40 day trip to New Zealand into this epic five minute drone video.  Covering both islands, the video features some amazing timelapse shots, including an amazing sequence of a moon "rising" and another of rotating constellations.  Specific locations include the North Island's Tongariro National Park and its famous crater lakes, the Bluff seaport near the country's southern extremity, the South Island's Milford Sound, and much more.

Top contributor 8 Fifty Productions put together this fantastic highlight reel from a trip to New Zealand.  The video features footage from some of the most iconic locations including the South Island's Milford Sound and Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park; Piha Beach, just west of Auckland; Waimangu Volcanic Valley in the Rotorua area in the northern part of the North Island; Tarawera Falls, in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island; Tongariro National Park, in the middle of the North Island; and more.   

Top contributor Gizmio Drones brings us this stunning drone video of Auckland, New Zealand.  Situated near the base of the long peninsula which extends northwest from the main body of the North Island, Auckland is the country's largest metropolitan area and the fourth-largest city in Oceania.  The video features some excellent footage of the city's Central Business District skyscrapers as well as of the adjacent Sky Tower, which stands 1.075k ft. (328 m) and is the tallest freestanding structure in the Southern Hemisphere.   

“As important as that is to look where you’re going, also take the time to stop and look back at where you’ve been.” In this vivid aerial showcase, drone pilot and filmmaker Michael Roberts reflects on an epic year of travel around New Zealand with his drone and his imagination.  The video features epic aerials of iconic New Zealand scenes such as boating Milford Sound and fishing the cliffs of Canterbury. A year in the making, this is a drone video which is not to be missed! 

Strap yourself in for this brilliant aerial tour of New Zealand, compliments of contributor FrenchRC.  The video features footage from some of the country's top spots, including: (1) the Waiotapu active geological zone near the Bay of Plenty on the North Island, (2) the Putangirua Pinnacles in the Wellington Region of the North Island, (3) the South Island coastal town of Kaoura, (4) some spectacular rocks off the coast near Auckland, (5) the Moeraki Boulders on the South Island's Otago Coast, and more.

Take a virtual tour of New Zealand in this amazing travel video by AirVuz contributor and drone pilot silvano1988.  The video features epic footage of iconic sites on the country's North and South Islands.  North Island spots featured include the Bay of Islands on the island's northeastern coast and the Coromandel Peninsula, which defines the Bay of Islands' western extent.  South Island spots include Mt. Cook, Roy's Peak, Abel Tasman National Park at the island's northern end, and more.  

Check out this fantastic drone tour of New Zealand, compliments of AirVuz contributor and drone pilot buzzy777.  Helpfully captioned, the video features footage of the following North Island and South Island locations: Port Tarakoe, Urau Point, Ligar Bay, Tata Bay, Tata Beach, Lands End, Wainui Inlet, South Island West Coast, Lake Hawea, Cromwell, Lindis Pass, Lake Pukaki, Lake Alexandrina, Lake Tekapo, Waiu River, Havelock, Tongariro National Park, Matahiwi, Ohakune, Whakamaru, Tairua, Te Hoho Rock, and Stingray Bay.

Take in the beauty of New Zealand's South Island in this stunning, captioned piece by JasonJiNz.  The video features footage of the following locations: Hawea, Ohau, Pukaki, and Tekapo Lakes; Pete's Lookout in MacKenzie; Tunnel Beach; Lakes Wakatipu, Te Anau, and Wanaka; the Diamond Lake Conservation Area; Mt. Cook Road in Aoraki National Park; Thunder Creek Falls in Mt. Aspiring National Park; Shag Point Reserve; Pines Beach in MacKenzie; Coast Road on the Tasman Sea; the Devil's Staircase in the Queenstown Lakes; and more. 

Let top content creator and drone pilot Vaughan Wilson light up your screen with this epic aerial collage from a trip to New Zealand.  In quick succession, you'll get to see some of the most beautiful spots in this country, often considered one of the 2-3 most beautiful lands in the world.  Some of the highlights include an epic selfie from Queenstown (the main city on New Zealand's South Island), beautiful shots of Mt. Cook (the country's tallest peak), waterfalls, wildlife, and much more.   

Contributor MavicExplorer created this fantastic aerial video from a two week road trip across the South Island of New Zealand.  Larger and far less populated than the North Island, the South Island is home to some of the world's most pristine natural scenery.  The video includes epic bird's eye footage of some of these spots, including Lake Wanaka, Lake Pukaki, and Lake Tekapo.  It also includes aerial views of some of the island's better known sights, such as the Southern Alps and Milford Sound.  

Top contributor YoumiTrip spent a year traveling through the South Island of New Zealand with a drone.  He put some of his best footage together to make this amazing video, which covers nearly three-dozen spots on the island.  Here is what you'll see: Fishermans Bay, New Brighton, Wanaka, Mount Aspiring, Nugget Point lighthouse, Hooker Lake, Wharariki Beach, Castle Hill, Roy's Peak, Angelus Hut, Avalanche Peak, Waiau river, the Kaikoura Peninsula, Hinapouri Tarn (Angelus Hut), and more.

Top AirVuz contributor and drone pilot Damienlair takes us on an epic aerial tour of the North Island of New Zealand.  The smaller of the two main islands area-wise, the North Island is home to roughly three in four New Zealanders, most of whom live in its two largest cities, Auckland and Wellington.  In this video, you will see that the North Island also has some of the most exotic scenery to be found in this or any other country.  The video combines epic drone footage with some amazing post-production editing to amazing effect.  

Check out this absolutely stunning drone video of New Zealand's North Island, compliments of contributor CH Drone.  The North Island spans almost 115k square km (about 44k square mi.), making it the world's 14th largest island by land area.  It's about 30% smaller than the South Island, but about 3x as populous.  Even with its higher population density, the North Island is still characterized by vast spaces which are rarely touched by humans.  It's known as Te Ika-a-Māui in the aboriginal language.  

Florida drone pilot and AirVuz contributor 8Fifty Productions traveled from native Florida to New Zealand and captured some incredible aerial footage of the country.  In this video he takes us through Mt. Cook National Park on the South Island, home of Mt. Cook, the country's tallest peak, with an altitude of almost 3.8k meters (12.3k ft), as well as other amazing sights. It's part of the Southern Alps, an range which runs almost the length of the South Island and is one of the country's top tourist attractions.

It’s hard not to have fun with top contributor and drone pilot Thib from Above as he explores urban Auckland, New Zealand on his Penny skateboard with his guitar and DJI Mavic Pro. It's a perfect setting for the action; Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand and often counted amongst the most beautiful urban areas in the world.  From dodging traffic and pedestrians to visiting city landmarks, the only thing more impressive than his skating is his flying - he says he does it all manually!  

You've heard of the Great Barrier Reef, but what about the Great Barrier Island? This dynamic drone video by Cameron McGeorge showcases the natural beauty of New Zealand’s Great Barrier Island, which lies to the northwest its North Island. About 60% of the island is a nature reserve and boasts some of the best diving and boating in the country in its turquoise-colored eastern bays. On the island, dramatic rocky shoreline contrasts with sweeping sand beaches and thick tropical forest.

This cinematic aerial exploration follows contributor Lilabmedia’s 18-day journey from Queenstown to Auckland, as she travels across both the North Island and South Island of New Zealand with her companion Van. A drone video rich in detail reveals tall steamy mountains, waterfall tendrils ending in glassy pools, pristine beaches, and shadows from clouds as they move across the blowing countryside. For a brief aerial tour of the length a beautiful country, it's hard to beat this production.

Contributor FreD used a drone to give us an aerial view of one of the most famous spots in New Zealand.  Matamata is a small town in the state of Waikato on the country's North Island.  Matamata achieved world renown as the closest town to a primary shooting location known as Hobbiton in the Lord of the Rings and later The Hobbit movie series. The area was "discovered" in the late 1990s via an aerial search during the pre-production phase of the Lord of the Rings series, one of the most lucrative franchises in cinematic history. 

In this video, you'll get a bird's eye look at Wellington, New Zealand and its surrounding area.  Wellington is the capital of this Australasian country, as well as its second largest city.  It is situated near the southern tip of the North Island, some distance from New Zealand's #1 city Auckland, which lies nearer to its northern end.  Wellington generally appears at the top of lists of the world's most beautiful capital cities, and when you watch this drone video by Vaughan Wilson you'll see why.

Contributor and pilot theStyleJungle created this amazing drone video of one of the most spectacular sights of New Zealand.  The Karangahake Gorge is situated on the Coromandel Peninsula on the North Island.  It offers some of the best hiking in New Zealand, particularly the Windows Walk, which passes through old gold mining areas and over a suspension bridge.  The canyon was formed by the Ohinemuri River, which is a tributary of the Waihou River, one of the main waterways on the North Island.

The mountains of the Southern Alps on the South Island of New Zealand provide an abundance of recreation for its winter season.  Top AirVuz contributor and travel blogger YoumiTrip caught the highlight of winter fun when he flew his drone over the 'mad spring party' known as the Mount Hutt Snow Palooza.  Revelers cruise their way down the ski mountain either via snow kayaking, proving that the winter in the Southern Hemisphere is not to be missed. This video was a Drone Video of the Month Staff Pick.

New Zealand's Milford Sound is home to some of the world's most beautiful natural scenery.  It's surrounded by the Southern Alps, a chain of mountains which run up and down the country's South Island.   The area received a boost in terms of exposure when it appeared as a primary filming location for Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018), the sixth installment of the Mission Impossible series.  Both the opening scene and the now-famous helicopter chase scene were filmed near Milford Sound.  

Behold this beautiful drone video of Queenstown, New Zealand by content creator Tathra_Kendall.  Queenstown is on Lake Wapatiku in the foothills of the Southern Alps, the chain of mountains which runs down the western side of the island.  The area around Queenstown, disguised as Kashmir, was a primary filming location for the 2018 film Mission: Impossible – Fallout.  The famous scene where Tom Cruise races a helicopter through a canyon was filmed in the area between Queenstown and Milford Sound.  

Without doubt, New Zealand is a hiker's dream.  On both the North and South Islands, you'll find a wealth of walking treks through some of the world's most beautiful natural scenery.  In this video, content creator and pilot Michael Roberts used a DJI Mavic Pro supplemented with a ground camera to record the highlights of a five day hike to Milford Sound.  Situated in a national park on the South Island, Milford routinely appears atop authoritative lists for the best hiking areas in the world.

Autel Robotics used New Zealand's stunningly beautiful Bay of Islands to show off the power of their new EVO compact foldable drone.  The area is formed by a group of islands off the northeastern coast of the country's North Island, near the city of Whangarei.  The bay contains nearly 150 islands, most of which are uninhabited.  It's one of the most popular destinations on the North Island, and is considered a world class fishing area.  It's also become a magnet for the worldwide sailing community.  

New Zealand is much more than its two main (North and South) islands.  One of the country's lesser known islands is called Whakaari.  Formed by a volcano, it is situated off the northern coast of the North Island, in a body of water called the Bay of Plenty.  With an altitude of about 320 meters (just over 1k ft.), it's only about 3 square km (just over a square mile) in area.  Check it out from above in this beautiful drone video by Autel Robotics, who used their EVO drone to film the beautiful island-mountain.  

Content creator and pilot Silas used a DJI Mavic Pro drone to create this magnificent aerial video of a two distinct sub-regions of the North Island of New Zealand.  The Northland Region covers the northernmost part of the island.  It's sometimes called the Winterless North in reference to its subtropical climate.  The other area covered in the video is around the town of Taupo.  Located near the geographic center of the North Island, Taupo is home to an eponymously named lake as well as a volcano.  

Top contributor damienlair created this stunning aerial tour of the northern and southern extremities of New Zealand's North Island.  First, from the north end of the island you'll see some epic footage of the Coromandel Peninsula in the Bay of Plenty, as well as Ninety Mile Beach.  The video also features footage from the southern tip of the island, around Palliser Bay.  The trip will take you all the way to the tip of Cape Palliser, the southernmost point on the country's most populous island.

Top contributor and pilot sfdrones created this stunning drone video of the area around Milford Sound on the South Island of New Zealand.  The title of the video is a play on words; "Aotearoa" is the name for New Zealand used by the Māori, the country's indigenous inhabitants.  The video brilliantly captures the reflections of the Southern Alps on the pristine waters of the area, widely considered amongst the most beautiful in the world.  Milford Sound lies in the southwestern part of the South Island.

For a three minute aerial tour of New Zealand, check out this awesome drone video compilation by last2raven.  It opens with a brilliant shot of the skyline of Auckland, the country's largest city, which is distinguished by the nearly 330 meter (just under 1.1k ft.) Auckland Skytower.  From there you'll be able to see a mix of natural and cultural scenery from both islands, including some epic shots of the coastline, the Southern Alps mountains, and the obelisk atop the One Tree Hill on the outskirts of Auckland.  

Some of the most other-worldly scenery to be found in New Zealand is on neither the North Island nor the South Island but rather on a small island which sits off the coast of the North Island in the Bay of Plenty.  It's called White Island (Whakaari), and it's formed by one of the country's most active volcanoes.  The roughly circular island is only about 2 km (around 1.2 mi.) in diameter but that's only what is visible - most of the volcano is underwater.  You can check it out in this awesome video by Walker Vision.  

Top contributor Thib from Above created this beautiful drone view from two of the top sights on the North Island of New Zealand, the more populous but smaller of the country's two main islands.  The first part of the video features the Coromandel Peninsula, which sits opposite (east of) the  Hauraki Gulf from the city of Auckland.  Then the video shifts about 75 km (around 50 mi. as the crow flies) west to Auckland, the country's largest city and home to one of the world's most recognized skylines.  The video was shot with a DJI Mavic Pro drone.

Check out this stunning first person view (FPV) video from one of the most famous spots in New Zealand, compliments of FPV pilot smontlouis.  It was shot in the Tongariro National Park, which is located in the middle of the North Island.  The oldest national park in the country and only the sixth park in the world to be so designated by its national government, Tongariro is known for its three active volcanoes and their crater lakes.  For his efforts, our contributor earned himself a spot on the FPV Pilots to Watch list in June, 2019.

Top contributor and pilot Cameron McGeorge created this stunning drone video from the South Island of New Zealand.  The video features footage from the following locations: Lake Pukaka, an alpine lake in the McKenzie Basin in the center of the island; Lake Wanaka, a bit to the southwest of Pukaka, New Zealand's fourth-largest lake; Aoraki, also known as Mt Cook, the country's highest mountain; and the Tasman Glacier, the country's largest glacier, which flows into the McKenzie Basin.  

Check out this stunning 4k drone video of the Bay of Islands in New Zealand, compliments of top contributor and pilot Cameron McGeorge.  This fabled area lies off the northeastern coast of the North Island, and is one of the top attractions in the entire country.  The oddly-shaped bay is home to almost 150 islands, virtually all of which are uninhabited.  The first area of New Zealand to be settled by Europeans, the waters around the Bay Islands are known around the world as a big-game fishing destination.

Contributor and drone pilot Marmot put together this beautiful drone tour of three lakes on New Zealand's North Island. First up is Lake Rotokakahi, or Green Lake. It's one of the smaller lakes within a group that sits just south of the Bay of Plenty, towards the northern end of the island.  The next stop is Lake Tikitapu, or Blue Lake, an even smaller lake just to the north of Green Lake.  The last stop is Lake Waikaremoana, which is located well to the southeast of the other two lakes, in Te Urewera.

New Zealand's South Island has a series of long, narrow glacial lakes which run parallel to its western coast and on the opposite (eastern) side of the mountains which also run parallel to the coast.  Lake Pukaki is the largest of three lakes which lie in the Mackenzie Basin, which covers an area southeast of Mt. Cook.  In this drone video by contributor noeels, you will get a great aerial view of this beautiful lake, which was used as a filming location for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012).

Check out this magnificent 4k drone video from New Zealand's North Island, compliments of Zonieland. The locations featured in the video include (1) Auckland, the country's most populous city; (2) Hobbiton, site of the most well known film set for the "Hobbit" movie franchise; (3) Lake Taupo, a caldera which is New Zealand's largest lake; (4) Huka Falls, on the Waikato River; and (5) Tongariro National Park, the country's oldest national park, which is located near the center of the island.  

Lake Coleridge is one of the northernmost of a series of lakes which run through New Zealand's South Island, parallel to its western coastline and just to the east of its mountains. It's part of the Canterbury region, which covers much of the northern part of the island. Formed by a glacier roughly 20k years ago, the lake covers about 47 square km (around 18 square mi.) and is up to 200 meters deep (around 660 ft.).  Check out this beautiful glacial lake from above in this drone video by contributor Marmot.

Top contributor YoumiTrip did a phenomenal job combining drone and ground camera footage to create this video of a trek to a little-known peninsula on the South Island of New Zealand.  It's called the Banks Peninsula, and it's a landform of volcanic origin that sits just south of Christchurch, the largest city on the South Island.  The peninsula was formed by two shield volcanoes that have partially eroded.  The video does a great job of capturing some of the unique-looking geology of the area.

Check out this fantastic drone video from New Zealand's Wairapa Coast, compliments of AirVuz contributor and pilot One Planet Music Films.   Wairapa is a region that covers the southeastern part of the country's North Island.  It's coastline begins just east of Wellington and runs on a generally northeastern course, ending just below Hawke's Bay.  The area show in the video is called White Rock, and it's located near the southern end of the coastline, about a 2.5 hour drive southeast of Wellington.  

Check out this rather stunning drone video taken from one of the most scenic vistas in New Zealand, compliments of top contributor agrippa907th.  He filmed it flying over Roy's Peak, which is a mountain in the south-central part of the country's South Island.  The peak is part of a larger mountain called Mount Aspiring / Tititea in the Southern Alps.  With a maximum elevation of just under 1.6k meters above sea level (around 5.2k ft.), Roy's Peak offers spectacular views of Lake Wanaka, New Zealand's fourth-largest.  

Check out these aerial views of a beautiful spot on New Zealand's North Island, compliments of new contributor Ryan Clark Visuals.  The area filmed is around Kairakau Beach, which is on the eastern coast of the island, about 30 km (around 20 mi.) south of the mouth of Hawke's Bay.  As you'll see in the video the rocky beach is backdropped by grass-covered hills which slope down to the water at differing angles.  The video also features footage from the Mangakuri River, whose mouth is just south of the beach.  

Contributor Ryan Clark Visuals brings us this excellent drone video from a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand.  The city of Tauranga lies toward the western end of the great bay in the northern part of New Zealand's North Island.  It's the largest city in the region and the fifth-largest in the country, after Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, and Hamilton.  The city is very much connected to the sea, and its port is the country's largest.  A very new city, Tauranga was only incorporated in 1963.

This drone video of New Zealand is absolutely incredible. Showing off the island nation in all of its natural grandeur is pilot Masoud Sahkinia, who used a DJI Mavic Air to capture the aerial footage of both the North and South Islands.  Some of the locations featured include the Bay of Plenty on the eastern side of the North Island, the area around Tongariro Park near the center of the North Island, and the areas around Tekapo and Mt. Cook on the South Island (the larger but less populated of the two main islands).

Take in these fantastic aerial views of the North Island of New Zealand, compliments of contributor Matt38130.  The video includes footage from Cathedral Cove, part of a marine reserve on the island's northeastern coast; Lake Taupo, New Zealand's largest lake by surface area; the Coromandel Peninsula, which forms the western side of the Bay of Plenty; Ōhura, a small town on the western side of the island; Colville Bay, on the western side of the Coromandel Peninsula; and the Taranaki Region in the western part of the island. 

New Zealand is not-infrequently cited as the world's most beautiful country.  If you want to see why, check out this stunning drone video from top contributor French RC.  The video will take you around the stunning natural scenery of both the North and South islands.  You'll see some of the country's amazing coastal cliffs and rock formations, the gigantic rocks just off its shores, endless green interior forests, gushing waterfalls, and the epic mountain scenery around Milford Sound on the South Island.

If it wasn’t for the occasional car or farm fence, this wide-ranging drone video compilation would be straight out of Lord of the Rings’ Middle Earth. Shot on a DJI Mavic Pro across New Zealand’s North and South Islands, this video by AirVuz contributor and pilot jasone_drone visits rolling green hills, white cliffs, steaming geothermal fields, turquoise lakes, and more.  The "otherworldliness" of these islands, which drew the producers of the Lord of the Rings series, is on full display here.  

Aerial Traveler is the newest of AirVūz Originals programming.  Each episode has hosts Allie and Rusty featuring a jaw-dropping travel destination via the incredible drone videos uploaded to AirVuz.  A finely curated collection packages these videos into a virtual travel itinerary, inviting us all to experience the aerial views from the best seat you’ll never need to reserve - right where you are now. This month, Aerial Traveler heads to New Zealand, watch the episode now to see it all for yourself!