• In Auckland, enjoy fantastic views of the city, its beaches, the coast and the mountains from the distinctive Sky Tower. It is also possible for the particularly brave tourist to abseil down the side of the building to the street (a drop of over 100m/328ft).

• Hang out on Auckland's Karangahape Road, New Zealand's funkiest street, eat along Ponsonby Road and check out Otara Market for the country's finest expression of Polynesian culture. Search out the Maori and Pacific Island collection at the Auckland Museum.

• In Rotorua's arts centre, see how young Maori learn the skills of traditional bone, wood and greenstone carving. Visit a Marae (a Maori meeting house) and enjoy a concert of traditional songs, the haka (a Maori challenge usually witnessed before All Black rugby matches) and a hangi (a delicious feast cooked in an earth oven).

• Visit the bubbling mud pools and performing geyser at Wai-O-Tapu to see the best of Rotorua's thermal attractions. Check out the volcanoes at Tongariro to see the explosive power of these eruptions.

• In Napier, immerse yourself in art deco. Razed by an earthquake in 1931 and subsequently rebuilt in the art deco style of the time, this laid-back coastal town now boasts one of the world's finest collections of lovingly preserved art deco buildings.

• Relax in the ‘Garden City' of Christchurch, whose neo-gothic architecture is reminiscent of an old English university town. Visit the Christchurch Art Gallery, New Zealand's newest major gallery, which is home to an impressive collection of local, home-grown art.

• Discover New Zealand's wildlife: Go birdwatching at Taiaroa Head (near Dunedin), known for colonies of royal albatrosses, and Stewart Island, where kiwis can be observed. Cape Kidnappers in Hawkes Bay is the only gannet colony in the world. In Dunedin, in the Otago Peninsula, see rare yellow-eyed penguins, royal albatross and fur seals.

• See Wellington's star attraction, the spectacular Te Papa Museum of New Zealand (website: www.tepapa.govt.nz), on the city's pretty waterfront. Window shop and people watch on ‘alternative' Cuba Street, stroll through the Botanic Gardens and tramp up to the top of Mount Victoria for panoramic views.

• In the forests of the Northland Forest Park, see some of the world's oldest trees, including the famous kauri, many of which date back centuries.

• Explore the Southern Alps around Aoraki Mount Cook, where short walks repay the effort of steep climbs with outstanding views over alpine glaciers, snow-capped peaks and crystal-clear lakes. If that all seems like to much effort, take the TranzAlpine train and enjoy one of the world's finest rail trips, journeying coast to coast through the Alps.

• In Queenstown, test your nerves on any of the many adrenaline-fuelled activities on offer in New Zealand's main centre for outdoor sports, then retreat to the shores of Lake Wakatipu, beneath giant craggy mountains to draw breath.

• Check out the fjords that indent the lower west coast of South Island. Cruise around Milford Sound in the shadow of iconic Mitre Peak or dive into its icy-cold waters to see red and black corals. Kayak around Doubtful Sound to escape the crowds and enjoy similarly stunning scenery.

See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.