West Coast

Creative foodies with a taste for wild fare have put the small New Zealand town of Hokitika on the international culinary map with an adventurous food festival that attracts thousands of intrepid gourmets.

Kiwi adventurer Erik Bradshaw has made New Zealand alpine history as the first person to ski the length of the Southern Alps.

While the big name Rugby World Cup teams are beginning to arrive in New Zealand – Fiji yesterday, England, Japan and France tomorrow (31.08.2011) – there’s another team flying in under the radar that’s also destined to turn heads.

With 85,000 international visitors in the country, Rugby World Cup will showcase New Zealand to a global audience of discerning travellers – and, away from the rugby field, it’s Kiwi food and wine that’s likely to attract the most sustained interest.

Auckland is on 'Cloud' nine, Wellington’s launching a waka, Nelson’s taking a long Italian lunch, Bluff’s reserving the juiciest oysters, Westland’s celebrating whitebait, and wineries all over New Zealand are dusting off their vintage best.

Visitors to the 2011 Hokitika Wildfoods festival on the South Island’s wild West Coast face a sartorial as well as a gastronomic challenge this year.

New Zealand’s wildlife-rich South Island region of Otago is about to welcome its first wild kiwi for almost 140 years – but not just any kiwi, these are the critically endangered Haast tokoeka.

A new wildlife centre that offers the best chance to see New Zealand’s rarest rowi kiwi will open at Franz Josef, on the West Coast of the South Island next month.

Rowing champions will take more than memories home from the 2010 World Rowing Championships in New Zealand – each gold medallist will receive a treasured pounamu taonga / treasure as a gift from local Māori.

Famous Kiwis have chipped in to help paint a picture of their country for prospective tourists, by exposing their favourite haunts in the latest edition of 'Lonely Planet'.