New Zealand - The Facts

Size: 104,000 square miles (269,358sq km)
Capital: Wellington
Language: The two official languages are English and Maori
Currency: NZ dollar
Weather: Warm summers (November to April) and mild winters. The further south you go, the cooler and wetter it gets. High ground gets snow in winter, there's good skiing on both the North and South Island.

New Zealand - Attractions

What's it got that's worth going to the other end of the world for? New Zealand's big attraction is its landscape. From rain forests and glaciers to empty beaches and volcanoes there's a huge variety of natural wonders and spectacular scenery. It's a place to enjoy nature in peace or to sample its extremes Kiwi style through zorbing, bungy jumping or heli-biking. There are 14 National Parks, all worth a visit if you have time. They offer boundless opportunities for tramping, (Kiwi for hiking), water sports, climbing or just lazing about.

Tongariro National Park

Home to three major volcanoes, Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro. Mount Ruapehu doubles up as the North Island's largest ski area and most recently active volcano, last erupting in 1996. The whole volcanic area is fascinating with excellent walking, hot springs and lava landscapes. The Tongariro Crossing, a strenuous 10 hour hike takes you through the best bits. An easier alternative is to take the chairlift from the ski fields at Whakapapa or Turoa and explore beyond.

Abel Tasman National Park

Just the place for a long coastal walk with water taxis to get you back if you don't want to retrace your steps. The track takes up to five days and is dotted with campsites, huts and golden beaches. Sea kayaking safaris offer another way of exploring.

Fiordland

Wet, dramatic, crinkly and best explored by boat, kayak or on foot. It has the country's deepest lakes, rarest birds and highest rainfall. It's also home to the famous Milford Track, a four day, 33-mile trail through rain forest and mountains. Both ends are only accessible by boat and restrictions on numbers allowed means bookings have to be made well in advance. The Hollyford, Routeburn, Kepler and Dusky tracks offer alternatives worth exploring.

Westland National Park

Glaciers surrounded by rainforest. The Franz Josef and Fox glaciers are unique in how low they flow - down to just 300m above sea level. Lots of opportunities for glacier walking and ice climbing as well as just looking.

Mount Cook National Park

The mountain itself is NZ's highest at 3754 metres. Attractions include guided climbs, ski trips down the Tasman Glacier and the demanding 4-5 day Copeland Pass walk.

Stewart Island National Park

The place to go if you want to see a kiwi of the feathered variety as well as tuis, parakeets, kakas and bellbirds. It's New Zealand's newest national park and third largest island. It has a population of just under 400 hardy individuals. The next bit of land south is Antarctica.

The Bay of Islands

As well as a generous 144 islands with warm, secluded beaches, the area is famous for dolphins, sailing, big game fishing and kayaking. Other attractions in the north of the North Island are Ninety Mile Beach and Cape Reinga at the very top of the country where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean.

Rotorua

See, smell and take a soak in the earth's geothermal activity. Craters, eruptions, boiling mud and geysers abound. Not to be missed are the Waimangu Volcanic Valley, the Pohutu Geyser and a hike to the top of Mount Tarawera plus a scree run down into the crater.

Queenstown

Boasts of being the adrenaline capital of New Zealand. The thrill of skiing is eclipsed by experiences such as bungy jumps, white water rafting, canyoning, river sledding and fly by wire.

Wellington

The capital is home to Te Papa, the country's national museum, which provides an insight into the land and its people The Museum of Wellington, City and Sea is also worth a visit and the cable car to the Botanic Gardens provides an easy way of seeing the whole place from above.

Auckland

The City of Sails is where most people arrive. It's beautifully set on an isthmus, which means sea both sides, lots of beaches and all the activities that go with that, from surfing to waterside cafes. The Auckland Museum offers daily Maori cultural performances as well as exhibits on the country's past and present. Auckland's National Maritime Museum covers the influence of the sea from the arrival of the first Polynesian settlers to the Americas Cup. Howick Historical Village recaptures Auckland in the 1800s. Kelly Tarlton's Antarctic Encounter and Underwater World allows close encounters with sharks and other sea creatures from the safety of perspex tunnels as well as reconstructions from Scott's Antarctic expedition.

Christchurch

This lively town on the South Island is often described as the most English of New Zealand's cities. One of its most interesting attractions is the International Antarctic Centre which provides the chance to get a feel for life in subzero temperatures in its ice chamber. The exhibits cover everything you'd want to know about the continent.

New Zealand - Activities

Tramping

This is one of the most popular outdoor pastimes in New Zealand. There are trails all around the country. Some of the best are in the National Parks (see Attractions).

Wildlife

Whale watching and swimming with dolphins or seals is possible in several places, the most popular are the Bay of Islands in the north and Kaikoura in the south, where you can also go shark diving. Not quite as scary as it sounds, you do get a shark proof cage.

Water sports

White water rafting trips are available on many of the rivers and there's Blackwater Rafting in the Waitomo Glowworm Caves for those who like doing it in the dark. Windsurfing and sailing are popular in most coastal towns and it's easy to hire equipment and find lessons for beginners. The Poor Knights Islands in Northland were rated as one of the best scuba diving spots in the world by Jacques Cousteau.

Biking and trekking

Mountain biking and horse trekking can be done in most places with both forms of transport widely available for hire.

Skiing

New Zealand has some of the best skiing in the southern hemisphere. In the north the main fields are on Mount Ruapehu. The South Island has several good resorts. Queenstown is one of the liveliest, others to sample include Treble Cone, Mount Hutt and Cardrona.

Something different

Amongst the wilder experiences invented here are white water sledging, flying by wire and zorbing - rolling down a hillside inside a giant inflated ball. Bungy jumping is big in NZ, the Nevis highwire near Queenstown is the longest with a drop of 134 metres.

A visit to a traditional Maori marae, including a hangi (a feast cooked in an earth oven) can be done as part of an organised tour in various parts of the country. The best known is Tamaki Maori Village near Rotorua. North Island's East Cape, one of the last places where the Maori language is part of everyday life, is dotted with marae, but visitors may not enter unless invited.

New Zealand - Entertainment

Auckland is well provided for with restaurants, clubs, cinemas, theatres and the inevitable Irish Pubs. The Aotea Centre is the place for drama, music, ballet and opera. The Skytower offers the best view of Auckland as well as theatre, restaurant, bars and casino. Outdoor concerts are also held regularly in summer in the Auckland Domain. Clubs that draw the crowds include The Loaded Hog and Calibre.

Notable Auckland festivals are The Hero Parade in February which celebrates gay culture in the Pacific. The Polynesian Pasifika Festival in March and the Round the Bays Run, normally in April.

Wellington claims to have the best night life in the country, with masses of bars, clubs and cafes concentrated around Courtenay Place and Queens Wharf. The Summer City Programme in January and February is a series of festivals around the city; an International Festival of the Arts takes place in the February of even-numbered years. The Wellington Fringe Festival happens every March and there's an International Jazz Festival in October every year.

Other festivals to look out for include:

• The Golden Shears sheep-shearing contest held in Masterton during March
• The World Buskers Festival held in Christchurch during January
• The World Gumboot Throwing Festival in Taihape during Novembe