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The dramatic landscape of Auckland's west coast depicted in the 100 per cent Pure New Zealand Garden is accessible within a 30-minute drive from downtown Auckland. This is just one of the starkly contrasting landscapes that are accessible within a short distance from the city.

Eco-sustainability and a four star luxury rating are not usually bedfellows: but Awaroa Lodge, based in Abel Tasman National Park, combines the two effortlessly.

The five best-known New Zealand fashion design labels internationally - Karen Walker, Nom D, Zambesi, World and Kate Sylvester.

New Zealand by helicopter makes for spectacular sightseeing, over land that can be inaccessible by any other means. Many luxury lodges and hotels also have helipads for their guests’ convenience.

In spring, New Zealand's vast mountains are usually more accessible for hikers, with receding snow, longer daylight hours, and warmer conditions.

Isolated for around 80 million years, New Zealand became a paradise for birds; some, in the absence of predators, developing unusual and interesting characteristics. Plus other animals.

The sea, the vessel, the voyage, the arrival. New Zealand was born on the waves, from two long migrations.

One of New Zealand’s rarest birds has surprised conservationists by breeding within months of their release on Mana Island, off Wellington’s west coast.

It's not a sport for the faint hearted – or clumsy. Bouldering is for the sure-footed, with athletes rock climbing without the aid of ropes or a harness.

Ask most people what a ‘fairy tern’ is and you’re likely to get an answer that relates to the latest moves on the TV hit ‘Dancing with the Stars’.