Central Otago

New Zealand has taken line honours in a three-way national wine challenge with Australia and South Africa.

Re-tracing the footsteps of New Zealand’s early settlers across some of the country’s most remote and dramatic landscape has become an annual pilgrimage that will see this year’s Cavalcade journey end with a hoedown in Wanaka, Central Otago.

The record-breaking 2009 winter season that’s kept New Zealand ski resorts humming is set to ramp up as the inaugural 100% Pure New Zealand Winter Games get underway this weekend.

Work on New Zealand’s national cycleway network is to get a ‘quick start’ this summer at several locations throughout the country.

Snow has been falling thick and fast in New Zealand in an unseasonably early arrival that spells good news for winter sports enthusiasts.

A British couple from Hong Kong, on honeymoon in New Zealand, have paid what is believed to be a record price for a bottle of the country’s fine wine – shelling out NZ$1000 for a Gibbston Valley Wines 2000 Pinot Noir.

Kiwi golfers missed out on top placings in the Michael Hill New Zealand Open yesterday (15.03.09), but the dramatic local scenery of mountains, lake and tussock hills provided a breath-taking backdrop to the final rounds.

Two famed New Zealand lodges - Glenorchy’s Blanket Bay and Taupo’s Huka Lodge - have been named among the best luxury hotels on Earth.