New Zealand City Makes Top 10 List of Friendliest in the World

When you think of friendly, you think of good ol' NZ right? We're often told my tourists that we are friendly and now there's research to back us up!

And you know who came out on top? Queenstown.

The Kiwi destination was rated as the fourth friendliest city in the world by Conde Nast Traveler magazine.

"The natural beauty is overwhelming," one reader noted, saying the locals were naturals at making the thousands of visitors who head to the South Island city feel right at home.

Queenstown wasn't the only Kiwi destination to rate in the top 20 list.

Auckland came in at No 15 on the list, and Wellington came in at No 17.

A reader said New Zealand is known for its friendly locals, and Aucklanders reflected that perfectly.

Wellington was described as "stunning" as well.

Though they make the top 20, both cities have slipped in the rankings this year - with Auckland dropping out of the top 10 entirely.

The magazine surveyed 128,000 Conde Nast readers to decide on the list.

Sydney, Australia came second on the list.

"Every time we stopped to stare at our map to get our bearings an Aussie would stop and offer to help us," one reader said, about their time in Sydney.

Another said: "Such friendly people, so much so that after we met an Australian woman on our flight there, she offered to pick us up at our hotel and spent a whole day showing us her favourite parts of the city."

But old-fashioned American hospitality won out in the end, with Charleston, USA, taking the top spot.

"It has the charm of the South, the sophistication of the city, and a warmth and friendliness that is unmatched."

However, the USA didn't rank too well overall, with all top ten of the world's unfriendliest cities being American, with New Jersey capital Newark snaring the number one title.

"This was one of the saddest looking cities I've ever seen," said one reader.

CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER'S TOP 10 FRIENDLIEST CITIES:

1. Charleston, South Carolina, USA

2. Sydney, Australia

3. Dublin, Ireland

4. Queenstown, New Zealand

5. Park City, Utah, USA

6. Galway, Ireland

7. Savannah, Georgia, USA

8. Krakow, Poland

9. Bruges, Belgium

10. Nashville, Tennessee, USA

TOP 10 UNFRIENDLIEST CITIES:

1. Newark, New Jersey, USA

2. Oakland, California, USA

3. Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

4. Detroit, Michigan, USA

5. Hartford, Conneticut, USA

6. New Haven, Conneticut, USA

7. Dover, Delaware, USA

8. Wilmington, Delware, USA

9. Los Angeles, California, USA

10. Balitmore, Maryland, USA