WELLINGTON, March 21 -- The number of overseas visitors to New Zealand continued at record levels last month, the government statistics agency said Tuesday.

Visitor arrivals for the year ending February numbered 3.54 million, up 11 percent year-on-year and equaling the previous annual record set in January, according to Statistics New Zealand.

Visitor arrivals in the month of February were up 2 percent year on year to 380,000.

"In February, strong increases in visitor numbers from the United States and Europe were behind the overall rise in visitor arrivals," population statistics senior manager Peter Dolan said in a statement.

"These more than offset the large drop in visitor numbers from China, which was likely due to Chinese New Year beginning in January this year, and in February in 2016."

Visitor numbers from China, New Zealand's second largest tourism market after Australia, were down 36.5 percent year-on-year to 33,728 in February.

However, Chinese visitor numbers in the year ending February were up 4 percent to almost 403,000.