Serving a contemporary menu that changes depending on seasons and the very best of what’s available locally. Full vegetarian and vegan options and a wine list with the best from New Zealand and around the world.

Famous golf course with stunning views, a variety of spa services in a wellness centre next to Totara Forest, complete with birdsong, and international cuisine in four different locations.

Chef Lesley Chandra uses contemporary techniques to elevate the best produce, locally and nationally sourced, to celebrate his Fijian-Indian heritage. Choose the Discovery menu or the seven-course chef’s table experience, both with paired wines.

Executive Chef Sid Sahrawat and wife Chand made their names with Sidart before taking over the French Café in 2018. Expect modern Mediterranean cuisine with Asian and occasional sub-continental influences, using the finest locally sourced produce.

On the shores of Lake Wakatipu with panoramic views of Queenstown’s mountains, The Remarkables, Cecil and Walter Peaks, guests can enjoy spa treatments on the edge of a pine forest and dine on Chef Jonathan Rogers’ daily changing menu.

Set on rolling green farmland overlooking Hawke’s Bay, The Farm has an 18-hole Tom Doak-designed golf course set in stunning cliff-top scenery. Chef James Honore’s seasonal menu picks the choicest produce from the hotel’s own kitchen and herb gardens and there’s a restful spa too.

Chef Marty Kindleysides’ contemporary take on classic Asian flavours is more about fun dining that fine dining. Share the love! There’s also a wellness spa with a range of professional treatments.

Enjoy the chef’s seasonal tasting menu from Friday to Sunday, archery, local vineyard winetastings, heli-fishing, quad-bike tours, a ’Chef in the wild’ experience on the 3,000-acre estate or relax Maori-style in the Hauora spa.

Enjoy creatively styled fine dining in Chef Dan Reynolds’ ever-changing menu, which celebrates the finest produce from this estate on the shores of Lake Wakatipu. Horse riding, heli-skiing, fly fishing, golf, wine tasting and spa experiences, even bungy jumping, you can do it all here.

Experience ‘gumboot luxury’ on the shores of Pigeon Bay. Dining is farm-to-table style and what isn’t sourced from the farm is brought in from within a 100km radius.

A luxury lodge resort on the banks of Waikato River, moments from North Island’s Lake Taupo, with a restaurant serving local delicacies like Te Matuku oysters, Matangi beef, Mount Cook alpine salmon and Southland lamb on an ever-changing menu.

Wreck diving, reefs, jewel anemones

Explore the movie set of the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit Trilogies

Spectacular underwater topography, tropical marine life, orca, recommended for photographers. One of Cousteau’s top 10 dive sites

UNESCO Dual Heritage Area, world-renowned 19.4km (12 miles) hike along mountains, volcanic areas, emerald lakes, craters and springs

Diving with kelp forests, crevasses, kingfish, moray eels, stingrays

Bungy jump off the bridge into the canyon, height equivalent to a 10-story building

Rocky shores, deep reefs, cliffs, canyons, sand flats, seaweed forests, blue cod, shellfish, snapper

Subterranean world known for its ethereal glow-worm grotto

Reefs, breeding ground for marine life, recommended for shore divers

Limestone arches within the rainforest of Kahurangi National Park

Abundant marine life including giant crayfish

Natural waterfall with 220,000 litres (58,000 gallons) of water per second rushing from Lake Taupō

Sunken Russian cruise liner from 1986

Kelp beds, fur seals, dusky dolphins, sperm whales

Wreck diving, kelp forest, seven gill sharks, sea lion

Crevasses, drop offs, boulders, dolphins, seals, black coral trees

Resort town, haven for adrenaline-fuelled adventure sports 

Kelp forests, seals, sea lions, cage diving with great whites

Visit the well sheltered inlet north of the Bay of Islands, where there is great wreck and reef diving. If golf is your thing head north along the coast to The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs for a breathtakingly scenic 18-hole course and a spa experience.

Anchor in Bon Accord Harbour and visit the historic Mansion House. Take a walk around the island and play with the watertoys in the crystal waters of the Drowned Valley.

Take a tender tour around the Port of Fitzroy and walk to the beautiful waterfalls. Golden beaches, clear waters and vast forests are there for exploring.

Created millions of years ago by volcanic activity, this Marine and Nature Preserve delights divers with its drop offs, tunnels, caves and arches. Non-divers can take a tender tour of the caves.

Explore the town centre, taste local dishes and visit the Waitangi treaty grounds to learn about Maori culture. Swim with dolphins, try your hand at fishing, kayaking or have a picnic on the beach and visit spectacular Haruru Falls. Golfers will love the Waitangi course.

In Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf, this island blends farmland, forest, beaches, olive groves and award-winning vineyards, as well as an international reputation for food and arts.

Visit this popular diving and fishing area off the Coromandel Peninsula, also great for scallops. Walk the paths of Great Mercury Island or cruise back to the mainland to explore Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach.

Unmistakable thanks to Mount Maunganui, this surf town has beautiful white sandy beaches. Check out the natural spa pools at the base of the mountain, hike to the top for spectacular views.

Home to the wreck of Greenpeace’s Rainbow Warrior, now an artificial reef and premier dive site. Non-divers can paddle board and kayak around the islands or walk around the main island’s nature preserve, Motukawanui.

Divers will love the black coral, sea stars and delicate anemones. Kayakers can paddle right up to the steep cliffs. Keen hikers can tackle the four-day Milford Track for spectacular views in pristine landscapes.

Take a helicopter to experience a glacier walk. Kayakers and divers can find fur seals, bottle nosed dolphins and crested penguins – and catch your own lobster.

South of South Island, you’ll find wonderful birdwatching, hiking including the three-day Rakiura Trail, and you may be lucky enough to see the Aurora Australis. Another major attraction is the eponymous Kiwi.

Visit Aorangi Forest Park and hike to the Putangirua Pinnacles, which Lord of the Rings fans might recognise. Head up to Martinborough after lunch where there are about 50 vineyards to explore, by bike if you prefer.

This port town has a maritime museum and wonderful fresh seafood. Take a drive to Blenheim, the heart of Marlborough’s wine-growing region with 30 wineries within driving distance of town.