If perfect ski snow is your passion this is the Japanese destination for you, but don't count on admiring the scenery, writes David Lewis.

Lions and cheetahs roar and hippos bellow while Michele Crawshaw and her son try to sleep just metres away.

Paul Charman spent last week in the Auckland Islands, where only a few people get to go. DOC, the Navy and universities send people down a few times a year, while a few specialist technicians preform tasks such as eradicating pests, or fixing-up heritage buildings. Common mortals seeking a sub-Antarctic adventure must shell-out for a ticket aboard one of the few eco-tourist boats which ply the Southern Ocean.

Rosalie France explores National Park without snow.

Catherine Smith checks out waterfront activities celebrating the Volvo Ocean Race.

Twenty-six years ago, Nicholas Jones' father tested his youthful stamina on the mountainsides of Nepal. Recently, he returned to the roof of the world with his sons to relive his trekking adventure.

A year-long global ed-venture (education adventure) is giving a mother and her young son a year of discovery they will never forget.

Lace up your hiking boots and discover north-east Spain by foot. P.K. Stowers pays homage to Catalonia.

In the adventure sports world, dangerous and unsafe have different meanings, writes Diana Balham.

The Motu Trails are a dream for nature lovers and suitable for first-timers and old hands.

Smiles, spinnakers and hangovers prevail in the world's friendliest yacht race, writes Ian Lloyd Neubauer.

Leah McLennan looks at what's big and what's new on the Otago skifields.

Ian Henderson relished the chance to venture beyond the world of safe, scheduled travel. His wife was not so sure...

Paul Abercrombie gets to grips with Venice's watery warrens during a once-in-a-lifetime rowing lesson.

Head over heels for NSW waves, Duncan Gillies feels the fear but does it anyway.

A bird's eye view is your reward when you take to the skies above Waiheke, discovers Helen van Berkel.

Raising your children on a sailing boat has its dangers, but seafaring parents claim the benefits are vast.

Elisabeth Easther goes in search of animal encounters in the untamed central North Island.

An adventure holiday in the Colombian forest is an exhilarating experience, writes Christopher Adams, as he reflects on a few bumps and bruises.

Dionne Christian is cleared for a nervous lift-off on a Rotorua eco-adventure tour.

On visiting a women-only surf and yoga retreat, Elisabeth Easther found everyone on the same wave length.

Scott Kara takes his family to Fiji's Coral Coast where they experience two extremes of island life.

Judy Bailey takes a soul stirring cruise down the Murray River.

Manuel Meyer takes a close look at beautiful fish off the Spanish coast.

Each week, Flight Centre's team of experts answers your travel question

Suzanne Morphet enjoys more than the bear necessities on a wildlife-filled wilderness cruise in British Columbia.

Hayden Donnell hops on a bicycle to explore the newest trails around Queenstown.

Graham Reid finds flavour through goats and a stark desert where the West's latest beauty "must-have" grows.

Thoughts of cycling in India probably conjure up images of intensely congested streets, teeming with all modes of traffic and sharing limited space with free range animals- a reasonable or enjoyable holiday activity?