Central Otago

As New Zealand bursts into spring colour, an event-filled calendar and the forecast of a long hot summer promise to banish winter blues.

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.

Tolkien fans fascinated by the world Peter Jackson captured on film during his Lord of the Rings trilogy continue to travel New Zealand searching for the real Middle Earth.

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.