Castaway in New Zealand

A remote New Zealand location provides the filming backdrop for the 2007 BBC series Castaway.

New Zealand’s awesome landscapes, lush forests, amazing wildlife and pleasant climate make it a haven for many outdoor activities, and a great place to unwind.

An Island Nation

Featured Destinations ISLAND LIFE Around the edges of the North and South Islands, there are many self-contained worlds for you to discover. Catch a ferry across the water to places where life moves in sync with the tides. Photo credit: Fay Looney Read More ›

Not counting the North and South Islands, our largest island is Rakiura - known to most as Stewart Island. This southern paradise is home to New Zealand's newest national park. It’s a place for hiking, bird watching and star gazing.

Other islands devoted to the protection of wildlife include Kapiti north of Wellington and Tiritiri Matangi in the Hauraki Gulf.

From Auckland city, you can catch ferries to populated islands such as Waiheke and Great Barrier. Waiheke is a picturesque blend of farmland, forest, beaches, vineyards and olive groves. Great Barrier has the kind of rugged, untouched beauty that appeals to adventurers.

Further north you can discover the Bay of Islands, a large area of offshore islands between Cape Brett and the Purerua Peninsula. Charter a boat, hire a kayak or catch a cruise to enjoy this spectacular maritime playground.

The Great Outdoors

Geography is New Zealand’s strong point, and probably your main reason for coming here. It’s not often that one country can offer so many different kinds of landscape. And the landscapes aren’t just for sightseeing. ‘Kiwi ingenuity’, our national talent for innovation, has created things to do that make the most of the country’s natural assets.

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Encounters with rare and unusual wildlife are a special part of the New Zealand holiday experience. We have colonies of penguins, gannets and seals that are easily viewed from the beach, and offshore from Kaikoura there’s a pod of bachelor sperm whales that entertains the whale watch boats almost every day. In Northland, a night walk in the kauri forest could provide a glimpse of the strange, flightless bird that has become our national symbol.

For some encounters you’ll require a guide, but in many cases you can interact with our birds and animals as if it were the most natural thing in the world. And it is.

Rest and Rejuvenation

Featured Activity STEAMY SPAS Geothermal and volcanic activity is a feature of the central North Island, but it also pops up in the South Island. Geysers, bubbling mud pools and silica terraces are endlessly fascinating. Hot springs are endlessly relaxing! Read More ›

There’s no better way to click into holiday mode than to soak in a thermal pool and indulge in a relaxing therapeutic massage or beauty treatment.

New Zealand is located where two tectonic plates of the earth’s crust meet. This causes a large amount of geothermal activity, so enjoying hot mineral pools has always been a part of the New Zealand way of life.

The larger cities offer luxurious day spas that make an ideal start to your holiday in New Zealand. Quiet retreats in the countryside or deep in the forest combine relaxing therapies with picturesque landscapes. In a day or two you’ll feel and look like a new person.

Hot pools range from small, spa-type mineral pools to large thermally heated swimming pool complexes with exhilarating water slides. Some of the best known thermal pool complexes are to be found at Waiwera near Auckland, Rotorua and Taupo in the central North Island, and Hanmer Springs in the South Island.