While financial swings have prompted caution and reserve in some industries, it seems New Zealand adventure-seekers are keener than ever to take the plunge and enjoy an adrenalin high.
Two top New Zealand luxury lodges - Kauri Cliffs, in Northland, and The Farm at Cape Kidnappers, in Hawke's Bay - have come in #1 and #2 in an international travel survey.
Taupo, the central North Island’s lake resort and popular tourist destination, is to have a Hilton hotel – only the second in New Zealand to be managed by the famous world corporation.