Bridge to Nowhere: stunning walking in the Whanganui National Park

There’s something about spending time next to a lake that’s good for your soul. In Wānaka, the lake is so picturesque you may never want to leave.

Cruise Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown aboard the elegant ‘Lady of the Lake’, the last remaining coal-fired steamship operating in the southern hemisphere.

It's one of the country’s most famous walks so, let’s get the house- (or hut-) keeping out of the way first: you’ll need to book in the heavy season.

The drive to the start of the Roby Roy Glacier Track is almost as energy-sapping as the walk to the top of the glacier. But it's worth it to experience one of the region’s most stunning walks.

Queenstown Hill, just out of town, is more than worth a peek, and you can make its peak in an hour if you get a wriggle on.

Autumn. That’s the time to visit. Much of this part of the South Island takes on a splendid glow at that time of year. None more so than Arrowtown which is, frankly, already right off the cutesy scale as it is. 

Enjoy forty-five minutes of emerald lake water and bush-clad hills, against a backdrop of snow-touched mountains as you drive from bustling Queenstown to picturesque Glenorchy – via Paradise. 

At Punakāiki, walk into an ancient world of pancake-shaped rock formations 30 million years in the making, along with mighty blowholes and a terrific surge pool. 

Explore the lagoon and river channels by kayak and journey through this divine wetland wilderness into the heart of the rainforest.

Discover pristine rainforest, limestone caves with cathedral-like passages and magnificent, magical arches at the Ōpārara Basin in Kahurangi National Park.