Only populated about 1,000 years ago, New Zealand is one of the world’s most pristine destinations, with a third of the land protected as a park or reserve. Landscapes range from snow-topped volcanoes and glaciers to fiords and mangrove-fringed inlets. The two main islands are dramatic in their diversity and showcase a colourful Maori and European heritage.
The North Island offers a spectacular coastline with glorious beaches, thermal reserves full of bubbling mud pools and steaming geysers, rolling vineyards and olive groves, and the cosmopolitan cities of Auckland and Wellington.
Meanwhile, the South Island is home to incredible marine and birdlife, breathtaking landscapes, gourmet food and wine, Abel Tasman National Park and the lakeside towns of Queenstown and Wanaka.