Recreation & Sport

Dare-devil Kiwis have made their names internationally in many sports and high adrenalin outdoor pursuits.

When Kiwi shot-put champion Valerie Adams won the gold medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, she looked skyward in memory of her mother, Lilika, who had died when she was a teenager.

Kiwi teenager Paige Hareb - one of New Zealand’s most promising young athletes - made waves in the international surfing world by claiming a place on the coveted ‘Dream Tour’.

New Zealand sailors have claimed, over the years, most of the top international sailing trophies including the America's Cup and Whitbread Race.

New Zealand’s national love affair with rugby starts at grassroots level.

With its native bush, coastal rainforest and rugged black sand beaches, Auckland's west coast is a nature's playground for visitors to explore.

Since man first stepped ashore on the islands of New Zealand, the sea and sailing have played a vital role in the lives of New Zealanders.

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

The Otago Central Railway line was once the link that opened up the rural highland of Central Otago.

Environmentally-aware tourists interested in off-the-beaten-track travel are monitoring progress on New Zealand’s national cycleway project, an ambitious project that’s due to begin development in November 2009.