Summer tourist numbers bounced back this year to about half of what they were pre-Covid.
Overall, as well as domestic travellers, we welcomed close to 900,000 overseas visitors.
That's about two thirds of the number of international tourists who came here before the pandemic.
Lake Takapō/Tekapo Photo: 123rf.com
For the tourism industry, it's been a welcome reprieve after a tumultuous few years, but the summer wasn't without hurdles.
Tourism reporter Tess Brunton has more.