Art & Culture

A selection of quirky and not so quirky New Zealand facts.

It may be a relatively small nation but there’s no doubt New Zealand has a fascination with big landmarks.

With a bit of sandpaper and a splash of paint, three Wellington surfers have created an eye-catching tourism business.

Spring in New Zealand is a season of colour, new life, new harvests of food and wine and exciting arts and cultural events.

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.

The dramatic landscape of Auckland's west coast depicted in the 100 per cent Pure New Zealand Garden is accessible within a 30-minute drive from downtown Auckland. This is just one of the starkly contrasting landscapes that are accessible within a short distance from the city.

A visit to the Capital City would not be complete without a visit to New Zealand's beautifully refurbished Parliament Buildings.

One of Wellington's most popular tourist attractions, the cars run from Lambton Quay in the commercial heart of the city and emerge in the Wellington Botanic Garden where the Lookout, Carter Observatory, Planetarium and Cable Car Museum are located.

The earliest name for Wellington, from Maori legend, is Te Upoko o te Ika a Maui. In Maori it means 'the head of Maui's fish.' Caught and pulled to the surface by Polynesian navigator Maui, the fish became the North Island.