Recreation & Sport

New Zealand’s world-first national rugby museum will be relocated and upgraded in time for the huge influx of rugby fans expected for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

New Zealand’s southern regions are preparing for an influx of the world’s top winter athletes for the inaugural Winter Games NZ – an international sports event billed as the ultimate lead-up to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

Kiwi golfing legend Sir Bob Charles KNZM CBE – the first New Zealander to be admitted to the World Golf Hall of Fame – has been winning tournaments around the world for more than 50 years.

While most of New Zealand takes a holiday at some time during January, it’s also a great time for tourists to experience the laid-back nature of New Zealand life at its best.

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.

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.

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.