Active holidays in New Zealand

New Zealand is something of an active holiday heaven. Its amazingly well-preserved outdoor environment has been exploited many times by the filmmakers, from the Lord of the Rings trilogy to The Piano.

But as well as offering scenic forests, cliffs, plains, sandy bays and mountains, the range of holiday activities on offer on New Zealand's islands is also very extensive.

For those not scared of heights there are activities such as sightseeing flights, hot air ballooning, paragliding and sky diving.

On New Zealand's oceans, rivers and lakes you can go canoeing and kayaking, diving, fishing, rafting, sailing, windsurfing, whale and dolphin watching and more.

And land-based active holidays in New Zealand range from skiing, walking, cycling and climbing to activities such as abseiling, bungee jumping and orienteering.

The Canterbury region on the east coast of the South Island has a high concentration of walking and cycling tours available, but if you are looking for a New Zealand walking holiday there are lots of places to explore on both of the main islands.

For whale watching, Kaikoura on the South Island is the place to go - and off the coast of the town holidaymakers are likely to see sperm whales. However, there are also whale watching tours available from the northern tip of the North Island, where Orcas can be seen. This area is also one the best place to go for surfing.

If want to enjoy a hot air balloon ride then the places where these are available tend to be flatter parts of the country, though the tourist board notes that Queenstown is the exception.

North Auckland, Waikato, Hawke's Bay and Wairarapa are the top hot air balloon areas, with North Island tours taking holidaymakers above rural farming areas, and South Island flights taking in the snowy peaks of the Southern Alps and along with the Canterbury Plains.

For more information see the New Zealand tourist board website or travelbite's New Zealand country guide.