Recreation & Sport

New Zealand’s cycle-friendly landscapes have attracted a strong international contingent of cyclists for an ambitious eight-day cycling adventure that sets off on 20 April.

Some of the world’s top mountain biking stars are heading to southern New Zealand to test their skills at the Queenstown Bike Festival.

New Zealand alpine resort Queenstown is undergoing a quiet revolution as new cycle trails open up iconic South Island landscapes and experiences to a new kind of tourist.

With elite athletes back in town and plying the ski fields of the Queenstown Lakes region, New Zealand’s southern mountains are once again the training destination of choice for many northern hemisphere skiers and snowboarders.

Fresh snowfalls on New Zealand’s southern winter playgrounds have arrived on cue for mid-winter holidays and the opening of Treble Cone – the South Island’s largest ski area.

Snow sports were out in force this weekend as the first two New Zealand ski areas opened for the official start of the 2012 winter season.

International snow sports stars with a taste for the high life will soon be heading to New Zealand’s southern alpine regions to compete in the 2012 World Heli Challenge – dubbed “the most exotic snow-based event on the planet”.

One of the best times of year to experience Queenstown New Zealand is during the American Express Queenstown Winter Festival at the end of June.

An inaugural New Zealand cycling event has stirred international interest and hundreds of cycling enthusiasts have signed up for a unique eight-day cycling adventure.

When the 2012 NZ PGA Pro-Am Championship opens, Queenstown’s exclusive The Hills golf course will play host to stars of the sports, screen and culinary worlds.