Otago wonders of natural beauty have been given international exposure by Lonely Planet in its guide book, 1000 Ultimate Sights.
The global travel publisher has marked its 40th anniversary by re-releasing this month its 352-page book of world attractions, which features 100 ''top 10'' lists detailing the world's most breathtaking man-made marvels and natural wonders.
New Zealand attractions feature on 15 of the book's lists. Three of the sights are in Otago and one is on the West Coast.
The Shotover River is hailed as the seventh ''mightiest river'' in the world, beating the Great River Amazon Raft Race in ninth place and the Sumida River Fireworks Festival, in Tokyo, in 10th place.
''As the throttle opens and the scenery blurs by, the sheer canyon walls come startlingly close as you pull out of another 360-degree spin,'' the book said.
''Crawl back to land, regain your balance and relax - now you can absorb the full glory of the surroundings.''
Albatrosses on Otago Peninsula rank as the third ''top ornithological sight'' worldwide, beating toucans in Ecuador in fifth position, bald eagles in Alaska in eighth position and birds of paradise in Papua New Guinea in 10th position.
1000 Ultimate Sights revelled in Taiaroa Head, at the end of the Otago Peninsula, pointing out it is the site of the world's only mainland royal albatross breeding ground, ''where you can observe the spectacle of albatrosses ... coming in to land like a succession of 747s''.
The Moeraki Boulders are credited as being the third ''best rock formation'' across the globe, the ''bowling alley for the gods'' solidly ahead of Mt Augustus, in Australia, in fourth place.
''Scattered about [Koekohe Beach] is a collection of large, remarkably spherical boulders, which Maori legend says are the remains of eel baskets, kumaras and calabashes washed ashore from the wreck of a legendary canoe,'' the book said.
1000 Ultimate Sights also recognises a ''best sight from above'' on the West Coast.
Franz Josef Glacier is ''a breathtaking river of ice shouldering through stern mountains'' and in fifth place puts in the shade Piazza San Pietro, in Vatican City, in ninth position and the Uffington White Horse, in England, in 10th position.
Destination Queenstown chief executive Graham Budd said he thought everyone was well aware Lonely Planet was one of the international bibles of travel information.
''Without question, it's one of the go-to places for recommendations and information, so to have any one of our features in this region, let alone a number of them, included is great news for the region,'' Mr Budd said.
