Recreation & Sport

A slice of native paradise is not what you expect to find in a capital's inner city, but Wellington’s Zealandia - formerly the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary - is exactly that.

Summer sun and water fun go hand-in-hand in New Zealand and this season is no exception with a colourful line-up of events that focus on sea, surf and sailing.

Professional football did not exist six months ago in Wellington. But with the arrival of the Wellington Phoenix Football Club, all that has changed.

New Zealand has added yet another temptation to its waters for dive enthusiasts.

New Zealand’s most popular annual rugby event, the NZI Sevens World Series.

New Zealanders are passionate about a wide variety of sports; from the more relaxed pursuits of golf to the extreme adventure activities of whitewater rafting and mountain biking.

Since AJ Hackett dived off the Eiffel Tower 20 years ago, his bungy-jumping craze has continued to scale new heights of daring.

For more than 130 years, rugby has played a major role in the New Zealand culture.

For the uninitiated, rugby must seem a game of contradictions. The ball, which isn’t round, can only be thrown backwards, but players run forwards, and you earn points for a good try.