Dunedin - Coastal Otago

Winning or losing aside ... off the field and away from the pressures, New Zealand’s great outdoors has provided some amazing experiences for Rugby World Cup players between matches.

Two Brits with a couple of bicycles are the ultimate rugby fans – Londoners Tom Hudson and Jodie Burton have cycled almost 28,000km through 28 countries to New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup tournament.

Joy and solemn ceremony brought an epic 136-year journey to an end this week when a treasured Māori wharenui or carved meeting house was reopened in its rightful New Zealand home.

New Zealand has once again transformed into Middle-earth as Kiwi film-maker Peter Jackson puts the spotlight on 'The Hobbit' - one of the biggest movies ever to be made down-under.

New Zealand's southern winter slopes are a-buzz with high adrenalin activity as international snow and ice sports stars take their places for the second 100% Pure New Zealand Winter Games.

Sirocco, the rare New Zealand kākāpo parrot whose frisky behaviour with a BBC television crew propelled him to global stardom, will make some cameo appearances during Rugby World Cup.

A New Zealand homecoming that’s been 130 years in the making will see a famous wharenui or carved meeting house returned to its rightful place in one of the most significant Māori cultural happenings of modern times.

Rugby World Cup 2011 will be a chance to experience and relive New Zealand’s rich rugby heritage with a series of REAL New Zealand Festival nostalgic exhibitions and events surrounding the tournament.

‘Happy Feet’ – the Antarctic emperor penguin that made New Zealand visitor arrival history by finding its way to a North Island beach – continues its fight for life under the watchful eye of Kiwi medics and conservation experts.

A super-sized Māori haka, staged simultaneously in New Zealand’s four main cities, will unite Kiwis in sending a powerful message of strength and support for the people of Christchurch.