'No matter where I am in the world, the East Coast of Aotearoa will always be my home. It's like the magnetic lodestone that keeps pulling me back to our island fortress at the bottom of the South Pacific,' Witi Ihimaera says.

Farming amid the exposed, mountainous landscapes on a high country farm, to singing in the Sydney Opera House, David McAtamney's career has certainly been out of the ordinary.

As unenticing as burnt toast may sound, it has certainly intrigued art buffs in galleries nationally and internationally, thanks to Maurice Bennett's pixilated 'toast portraits' and 'tapa cloth' toast designs.

With its pure natural wonders, rich Maori culture and adventurous activities, New Zealand holds so much for young travellers.

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.

Keeping the environment clean and as green as possible has become part of the New Zealand psyche.

When competing around the globe, world mountain bike champion Vanessa Quinn often thinks of the stunning trails back home in New Zealand.

A list UK nurseries selling New Zealand plants including Avant Gardener which was established by New Zealand expat James Fraser.

Connells Bay Sculpture Park on Waiheke Island allows visitors to view large outdoor contemporary sculpture by some of New Zealand's best known sculptors.

Auckland's temperate coastal climate makes the great outdoors accessible all year round. Art and landscape combine at various gardens and events across the region, providing art lovers plenty of opportunities to enjoy art in the outdoors.