1. Shocking beauty of the snow-capped Southern Alps
2. Hobbits lurking around every corner
3. Championship golf overlooking Hawke’s Bay at Cape Kidnappers
4. Greeting a Maori warrior, forehead to forehead
5. Biting into a massive Big Al burger at the one and only Fergburger in Queenstown
6. The dubious yet satisfying meat content of a classic sausage roll
7. Exciting cuisine using the best locally sourced meats and produce
8. Air New Zealand – They make the long journey a true pleasure
9. Jet boating on a cool morning through the misty mountains of Wanaka
10. The North Island’s rolling hills dotted with millions of sheep. Baa
11. Joining Kiwis as they fling themselves from various heights in a variety of ways
12. Exploring the stunning vineyards of the Marlborough wine region
13. Getting the perfect reflection of Mts. Cook and Tasman at Lake Matheson
14. Those strange little nocturnal brown birds known as the Kiwi
15. Driving along the South Island’s West Coast and catching the Tasman Sea at sunset
16. Interpreting the Kiwi’s unique ability to understate everything.
17. Browsing and buying some of the many warm and wonderful wool products. Baa
18. Enjoying dinner and a movie at Cinema Paradiso in Wanaka
19. Getting used to the smell of sulfur at Lake Rotorua
20. Zorbing. 21. Experiencing one of the top train adventures in the world on the TranzAlpine
22. Punting through the classically English scenery of Christchurch
23. Flying through the treetops on the Zip Trek experience in Queenstown
24. Wandering the bubbling geysers at Te Puia in Rotorua
25. Fjordland and its uncommonly gorgeous views
26. Phil Keoghan
27. Underwater river tubing in Waitomo with the glowworms as your guide
28. Enjoying a hot coffee on a foggy morning in Wanaka
29. Relaxing in one of the country’s many thermal spas
30. No scary or poisonous animals on either island (hear that Australia?)
31. Rugby.Rugby.Rugby
32. Feel like an explorer as you trek through the New Zealand hinterlands
33. For a Northern Hemisphere resident, snow in June is amazing
34. Landing and exploring Franz Josef glacier via helicopter
35. Feel what it’s really like to be alone with nature with only your thoughts as companion
36. A hotel that’s a plane. Or a train. Or a Hobbit hole.
37. Without question, New Zealand is the global headquarters for adventure travel
38. Meandering through the quiet gold rush town Greymouth
39. Exploring the Antarctic missions based in Christchurch. Penguins people, penguins!
40. Visiting Christchurch as residents rebuild this still great city
41. Partaking in a traditional Maori Hangi
42. NON STOP beauty – everywhere, always.
