Pristine lakes and cosmopolitan cities

The North Island’s beautiful landscape comprises pristine lakes and is home to cosmopolitan cities. Although a mecca for backpackers and bungee jumpers, New Zealand’s North Island also appeals to the rich and retired who come for the bountiful trout fishing and the new ‘superlodges’ - small country hotels in remote and beautiful places.

North Island walking tracks are less commercial than those of the South Island and require a little more planning. The terrain is generally less mountainous than on the South Island.

Cosmopolitan Auckland, the largest Polynesian city in the world, is the home to a wide range of shops and restaurants, as well as busy harbours and beautiful beaches. The best views of the city can be seen from Auckland’s Sky Tower, the tallest free-standing structure in the southern hemisphere, and from Mount Eden’s summit, the highest point in the city.

As for Wellington, New Zealand’s seemingly staid capital, turns out that it does have an up-beat side. This is manifested by its determined attempt to shake off the dowdy, conservative image, reinventing itself first as a city of gourmands (it has more bars, restaurants and cafés per head than New York) and latterly as the home of New Zealand’s hobbit-led film industry. By basing himself here, Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson has guaranteed the future of ‘Welliwood’.