New statistics show Kiwis travelled en masse during the school holidays, with the South Island the big winner.
Data from Tourism New Zealand shows Kiwis outside of their home region peaked at 550,000 on July 11, which is the highest since March.
Kaikoura saw a 56 percent increase in domestic visitors over the two weeks compared with the same time last year, and the West Coast saw a 51 percent lift.
Fiordland had a 46 percent rise and Queenstown was up 43 percent.
Wairarapa came out on top for the North Island, with a 38 percent increase, followed by Ruapehu, which had a 29 percent lift.
While all regions saw growth in tourism during this period, Auckland had the smallest increase with only six percent.
It comes as Kiwis are largely confined to New Zealand while the COVID-19 pandemic is raging overseas and instead have to look domestically if they want to travel during the school holidays.
Tourism New Zealand's commercial director Rene de Monchy says the travel increase will provide "a much-needed boost" to communities across the country.
"We'll build on the school-holiday momentum by tapping into the 64 percent of New Zealanders planning to take a domestic holiday in the next 12 months, and the 40 percent who intend to travel outside the school holidays," he says.
