On the map it just looked like a long thin sea creature floating in the South Pacific off the east coast of Australia. Kind of small I complained; but WOW, I was certainly glad that I did decide to join my friends there last summer (winter in the US). When you get there you realise that the whole place is pretty much just one big holiday destination; it seems to have everything, and all within remarkably short driving distances.

As a country with abundant lakes and rivers, and literally beaches everywhere, the whole world's water activities are there. Rafting, Kayaking, river and sea fishing, great swimming and surfing to name just a few. Oh, and if you haven't bungy jumped over one of their crystal clear rivers, well, I'll leave that hair-raising experience for you to discover for yourself. Many of the water activities are dotted amongst highly scenic wilderness areas, which are numerous right up and down the country.

The thing I liked best was how warm and relaxed the locals were. Every time we asked questions somewhere they seemed really keen to help and to tell us about the wonders of the place. The European New Zealanders are called Kiwi's for some reason (named after a flightless bird that only comes out at night), and the indigenous people are Maori's. Apparently in pre-colonial times the Maori's used to eat people, but they seem a pretty friendly bunch now. Apart from the major cities, which were like small European cities, the pace of life seemed real nice and slow.

Here's some of the absolutely must do things if you go there:

Taking a boat trip around the great labyrinth of the Marlborough Sounds
Fishing in lake Taupo, a lake the size of Singapore
Tramping the Heaphy track (especially if you're into exotic bird life)
Doing the Kawarau Bridge Bungy, the original bungy jump from high over the glistening Kawarau river
Visiting the garden city of Christchurch
Seeing, and smelling, the amazing volcanic activity all around Rotorua
Drinking great coffee and locally brewed beers all over the country
(Apparently in winter, skiing the world-class ski fields of Mount Hutt)

Anyway, if you get a chance to go there just be careful, you might not want to come home. Oh and make sure you get a car or camper. This is a sparsely populated country and it just wouldn't be the same without the freedom to drive where you want. We got great service from Rent-a-Dent. They seemed to have the country pretty well covered, in fact we couldn't believe a couple of the tiny towns we saw their owner-operated branches in.

For local attractions in each area of NZ many of the branch sites under http://www.rentadent.co.nz actually have really good info.