 The elegant Nikau Palm reminds you that you’re in the South Pacific. It is New Zealand ’s only native palm tree and is found throughout the North Island and northern parts of the South Island . The early Maori used nikau fronds for weaving and thatching. They also ate the juicy flesh at the top of the trunk.
Photographer: Peter Morath
 The magnificent Franz Josef Glacier is widely regarded as the gem of New Zealand’s West Coast Glaciers. Take the opportunity to experience the most spectacular glacier environment available to the general public anywhere in the world. There are a range of glacier hiking or helicopter tours to suit all levels of fitness and ability on offer.
Photographer: Helmut Steltner
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 Heliboarding takes snowboarders to the top of the world, where the snow is almost too perfect to be true. To ensure maximum satisfaction on the way down, Heliboarding companies use some of New Zealand’s most respected riders as guides. New Zealand’s best heliboarding is found around Wanaka and Queenstown.
Photographer: Miles Holden
Opoutere Beach is the last great undeveloped white sand surf beach on the Coromandel Peninsula accessible to the public. Opoutere beach is protected from development by a forested reserve running almost its entire 5km length. Exceptionally clear water for swimming, surfing and surfcasting, safest for children at low tide.
Photographer: Sabine Browne
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 For more than ten years, Project Crimson has worked to preserve and protect the native Pohutukawa tree and its close cousin, the Rata. By supporting and encouraging tree planting, Project Crimson has seen more than 300,000 trees successfully established since 1990. Because they can withstand salty, windy conditions, pohutukawa trees are a feature of coastal and island environments. Photographer: Fay Looney
Māori people are the tangata whenua (indigenous people) of New Zealand. Going on to a marae means entering into an encounter situation, where challenges are met and issues are debated. All newcomers to the marae must be greeted formally by the tangata whenua (hosts). It is the place where people formally come together on a specific occasion for a specific function.
Photographer: Sabine Browne
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 As a long, slim country in a wide, blue ocean, New Zealand has more than 15,000 kilometres of coastline for sea kayakers to explore. Guided expeditions make it possible to visit wilderness areas that few people have ever seen – Fiordland, the Bay of Islands and the Abel Tasman National Park are three of the most spectacular kayaking venues. Photographer: Graham Charles
Tolaga Bay is both a bay and small town on the East Coast of New Zealand's North Island. It was named by Lt. James Cook, but is known locally as Uawa. The region around the bay is rugged and remote, and for many years the only access to the town was by boat. Because the bay is shallow, a long wharf - the longest in New Zealand - was built to accommodate visiting vessels.
Photographer: Sabine Browne
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 Layer upon layer of scenery creates a view that is instantly calming and refreshing. From a passenger ferry or a charter yacht you’ll see places that aren’t accessible by road – seascapes of islands and inlets, peninsulas and pristine beaches. Dolphins and whales make regular guest appearances.
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 For at least 500 years Maori lived along the coast of the Abel Tasman National Park, gathering food from the sea, estuaries and forests. Today the park is loved for its golden sandy beaches, unusual rocky outcrops (mainly granite but with a scattering of limestone and marble) and a fascinating variety of wildlife.
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 Fiordland was well known to the Maori people, and many legends pertain to its formation and naming. Demi-god Tuterakiwhanoa is said to have carved the rugged landscape from formless rock. Captain Cook and his crew were the first Europeans to visit Fiordland. In 1773 they spent five weeks in Dusky Sound.
Photographer: Adventure Films
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 “I got taken for a helicopter ride this morning and I can honestly say this is by far the prettiest place I’ve ever seen,” said Fred Couples when he arrived at Kauri Cliffs for a game against New Zealand’s Michael Campbell. Opened in 2001, Kauri Cliffs provides some of golf’s most spectacular vistas.
Photographer:Chris McLennan
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