Stewart Island is New Zealand’s rarely visited third island. A landscape of lush rainforest and beautiful beaches is home to abundant birdlife, and it’s one of the best places in the country to see kiwis in the wild. You can also have a drink at New Zealand’s southernmost pub in Oban, the only town on the island.

Milford Sound is New Zealand’s most iconic sight, a breathtaking fjord crowned by the soaring Mitre Peak. Despite a remote location, on the western coast of the South Island, the fjord attracts thousands of visitors every year, such is the beauty of this raw and unspoilt landscape.

The name Akaroa means ‘long harbour’ in Maori, and this sleepy town on the southern side of the Banks Peninsula is situated on a beautiful natural harbour created when a volcanic crater collapsed into the sea. The first Europeans to settle here were French, and the town still has a decidedly Gallic flavour.

Kaikoura sits amongst spectacular South Island scenery, and is renowned as a marine wildlife hotspot. The meeting of subtropical and cold southern ocean currents sustains an abundance of species including sperm whales, orcas, pilot whales, humpbacks, dolphins and seals, as well as birds including albatross, shearwaters and penguins.

The beach town of Kaiteriteri is a popular holiday destination for Kiwis, and acts as the gateway to Abel Tasman National Park. The park is famous for its beautiful walking trail, the Abel Tasman Coast Track, and it's also a hugely popular region to explore by sea kayak.

The sunny city of Nelson has a friendly, arty vibe, and is set amongst beautiful natural surroundings. Nearby attractions include the Abel Tasman Coast Track, Kahurangi National Park and Nelson Lakes National Park, and the city is also home to the unique World of WearableArt and Classic Cars Museum.

The Marlborough Sounds is a network of sunken river valleys that have been flooded by the Pacific Ocean, fringed by sandy bays and forested hills. Look out for dolphins and maybe even orca, head inland to sample the Marlborough wine region, or follow in Captain Cook’s footsteps and drop anchor at Ship Cove.

The pleasant little town of Picton, situated on a sheltered bay at the north eastern tip of the South Island, is the arrival point for ferries arriving from Wellington, and serves as the gateway to the stunning flooded river valleys of the Marlborough Sounds.

When Napier was destroyed by an earthquake in 1931 the city was rebuilt entirely in the Art Deco style, making this a fascinating architectural time capsule. It’s a lovely, sunny seaside city, and a visit to the surrounding Hawke’s Bay wine region makes for an enjoyable day trip.

Auckland offers a buzzing waterfront and a vibrant arts scene, and provides a fascinating introduction to New Zealand’s proud cultural heritage. The centre is home to excellent shopping and a number of fantastic restaurants, and to the west is the city's oldest wine region.

The beautiful Bay of Islands is scattered with some 150 undeveloped islands, an idyllic landscape of bright skies, secluded beaches and clear blue waters. The bay was also the site of the first permanent British settlement in New Zealand, and it was here that the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840 between the British Crown and the Maori chiefs.

Remote, pine-clad Norfolk Island, situated a thousand miles to the northeast of Sydney, is a tiny outlying territory of Australia. Formerly a penal colony, the island’s main attractions are its breathtaking scenery and fascinating history, with many residents descended from the crew who staged the famous 1789 mutiny on board the HMS Bounty.

The island of Tanna is famous for its spectacular and easily accessible active volcano, Mount Yasur, its beautiful beaches, and fascinating cargo cults such as the Prince Philip Movement, which venerates the late Duke of Edinburgh as a divine being.