Francesca Freeman looks at the best New Zealand destinations for extreme sports, culture, wine, exploration and beach holidays
Whether you’re looking to explore the great outdoors, get your pulse racing with some adrenaline sports, hit the beach or enjoy a laid-back food and wine break, New Zealand has something for you.
Rotorua: Perfect for culture fans
Where? North Island
Why? Although best known for its bubbling geothermal springs, Rotorua is also a centre of Maori culture. A popular spot with visitors is Whakawerawera, which houses a replica Maori village, indigenous arts and crafts centres and stages a Maori concert every day.
In the 19th century, Rotorua attracted tourists with its famous pink-and-white silica terraces, until a volcanic eruption destroyed them in 1886. However, many natural spectacles remain, including hot mud pools, natural springs and geysers.
Sample product: Kirra Tours offers a six-day Northern Explorer escorted tour, including trips to Maori cultural centres, visits to the region’s natural attractions, transfers and two meals a day. Prices start at £660, excluding flights (020 8944 5423).
Queenstown: Perfect for thrillseekers
Where? South Island
Why? An adrenaline junkie’s heaven, Queenstown offers extreme sports for those wishing to put their nerves to the test.
Set on Wakatipu, New Zealand’s second largest lake, with the imposing backdrop of the Remarkables mountain range, Queenstown provides a dramatic setting for daring pursuits.
If skydiving or bungee jumping from a 134-metre-high cable car appeals, Queenstown is the place to be. White-water rafting on the Kawarau River is also a firm favourite, and visitors flock to the area’s ski slopes during the winter.
Sample product:Australian Pacific Touring offers a six-day, small-group Queenstown-Christchurch safari tour, taking in the region’s spectacular fjords. Prices start at £605 per person, including all breakfasts and two dinners, but excluding flights (020 8879 7444).
Canterbury: Perfect for explorers
Where? South Island
Why? The Canterbury region is a land of extremes, with towering mountains, snowfields and glaciers, pastoral landscapes and waters rich with sea life.
Mount Cook National Park is the home of New Zealand’s highest peak, the Aoraki Mount Cook (meaning ‘cloud piercer’ in Maori), and famously provided a training ground for Sir Edmund Hillary before his historic Everest bid.
The best way to appreciate the region’s dramatic landscape is from the air, with scenic flights proving popular for visitors wishing to view the snowfields and glaciers.
Skiing is also an option in some locations, and the Tasman glacier is a firm favourite with winter sports enthusiasts.
The deep waters off the coast of Kaikoura provide the perfect habitat for whales, dolphins and seals, making this a great destination for watching wildlife.
Sample product: AAT Kings offers a six-day Glacier Explorer escorted tour, with prices starting at £735 per person, including some meals but excluding flights (020 8225 4220).
Hawke’s Bay: Perfect for wine lovers
Where? North Island
Why? Boasting more vineyards than Bordeaux, Hawke’s Bay is New Zealand’s most famous wine region. With a temperate, Mediterranean climate, conditions in Hawke’s Bay lend themselves perfectly to the production of red wine.
The region’s two main centres, Napier and Hastings, are remarkable for their abundance of art deco architecture – the result of an extensive rebuilding programme following the region’s 1931 earthquake.
Hawke’s Bay is also notable for hosting colourful celebrations of the Maori new year in June.
Sample product:Travel 2 offers a half-day wine, food, Maori culture and artists’ tour of Hawke’s Bay from £89 per person. The price includes a platter lunch at a local winery and a visit to Te Mata Peak (0800 022 4302).
Northland: Perfect for beach holidays
Where? North Island
The subtropical paradise of Northland, two hours north of Auckland, is a largely unspoilt 188-mile peninsula that offers fantastic water sports and fishing.
Drive or cycle down the hard sands of Ninety Mile Beach to discover the spot where the Tasman and Pacific oceans collide, or soak up the sunshine on one of the pristine beaches of Doubtless Bay.
Alternatively, the Bay of Islands proves popular with visitors, who come to explore its 144 islands.
Sample product: Qantas Holidays offers a 19-day Coastal Discovery self-drive tour, taking in the Bay of Islands and the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island, and Milford Sound in the South Island. Prices start at £3,140 per person, including international flights (020 8222 9119).