Photo: Lake Wakatipu, New Zealand

With Queenstown located on its shore, Lake Wakatipu is a favorite of boaters and travelers from around the world. Most of the outdoor scenes in the Lord of the Rings trilogy were shot near here and in the national parks nearby. There are several rivers that allow kayaking, or hire one of the concessionaire like Dart River Safaris to take you on an exciting jet boat trip ion the fast-flowing wild braided rivers flowing from the glaciers on the high mountains.