Ecotourism has recently become very popular, due to an explosion in the awareness of the natural world. As a result, tour guides are now taking people to the farthest reaches of the planet, where they are spending their days in pristine environments. New Zealand is one of the most popular destinations for ecotourists, with many tours taking off from Auckland. Some of the ecotours available are: bird watching trips, cruises (both day and overnight), natural wildlife watching trips, observatories and planetariums, and volcanic/geothermal explorations. The latter is most intriguing in this city, which has the distinction of being surrounded by over sixty extinct volcanoes.