Breath-taking thrills and spills and awe-inspiring sights are on offer in the tourist mecca, writes Morgan Tait.

Lindy Laird samples the delights of the Bay of Islands.

More than a pit-stop on the way from Auckland to Hamilton, this village is worth a visit in its own right, says Elisabeth Easther.

A winemaker is hooked on pinot and the land where it's grown, writes Stephanie Holmes.

Sheba Williams' working holiday in Shanghai was a real inspiration.

Helen van Berkel stays at a Hawke's Bay cottage that offers both sunrise and sunset views.

Cloe Willetts explores the art, tastes, sounds and scenery of the Kapiti Coast.

Sir Peter Jackson is in talks to bring augmented reality and digital storytelling to Matiu-Somes Island in Wellington Harbour.

Sarah Lawrence checks into a lovely spot with mountain views.

Elisabeth Easther finds a small South Island town that rocks and regularly dances.

Shandelle Battersby flies Air New Zealand NZ643 from Auckland to Queenstown.

On an insider tour of Dunedin's hidden treasures, Eleanor Ainge Roy discovers the other Edinburgh deserves a second glance.

Kim Knight felt the fear (and then walked it off) on a six-hour side-trip to Hokitika.

There is one place in this beautiful country that always leaves me feeling completely fulfilled - Abel Tasman National Park.

Cycling is kept to a minimum and feasting to a maximum on this Tour de Nelson.

Hot springs, museums packed with Maori taonga and a demolition derby immortalised on film - there's plenty to love about Kaikohe, finds Elisabeth Easther.

We boarded the ferry at Devonport - it was 1982 - our first family camping holiday; lots of small humans, some bigger ones and a very old canvas tent.

Greg Fleming finds a great base from which to explore the East Cape.

From eco tours to distillery visits, there's plenty to fill a holiday here.

Mokoia Island's colourful past covers passions from the benign to the violent.

The peaceful natural beauty of Wainui Inlet has Fergus Blakiston waxing lyrical.

Anna Harrison finds a jaw-droppingly beautiful view at Bay of Many Coves.

Victoria Clark stays at Sofitel Wellington, the capital city's first brand new hotel in 15 years, where the surrounds are luxuriously, romantically French.

This lovely spot comes with barrels of history, some of it millions of years old, as Elisabeth Easther discovers.

Sixty brands serving 300 beers: what 40-something wouldn't be in heaven, asks Jesse Mulligan.

Tennessy Weir checks into a lakefront hotel with a beautiful garden.

Sometimes you just throw a bag in the boot, reverse down the driveway. Nothin' more than a couple of hundred clicks of open road ahead. Ewan McDonald did.

The area's creativity is on show, writes Sara Bunny.

Diana Plater enjoys some of the best Central Otago has to offer.

The town popped up following the discovery of gold in the mid-1860s and was named after George Ross, provincial treasurer of Canterbury.