Mount Taranaki/Egmont is 8,261 feet tall and always covererd in ice and snow on its upper parts.  It’s simply beautiful, and the Maoris consider it to be sacred.  It’s been dormant since the late 1700′s, so don’t worry about frequent volcanic action.  There’s a Visitors Center which can show you all about the park and the mountain and you can stop in the cafe to gear up your energy for the 93 miles of trails.

If you’re super interested in flora and fauna and things like model displays of volcanoes, you can geek out at the Dawson Falls Display Center, located south of the main visitor’s center.

It’s warm here, which Kauris love, as do the other 300 species of trees, ferns and palms found here at Waipoua.   There’s a special tree here, that’s been named by the Maori people, Tane Mahuta, or “the god of the forest”.  Tane Mahuta is the largest living kauri tree, at 168 feet high and 46 feet around.

It’s easy to get to just off the main road through the park, and it’s about 1,500 years old.  There are four other giant trees here at Waipoua, all over one thousand years old.

The park’s climate is mild and lovely, and if you’re hiking, you won’t mind staying at any of the camp sites and huts available for trekkers. Abel Tasman is popular in summer, so book huts in advance. Wainui Falls are the best waterfalls in the park, and it only takes a 45-minute walk to get to them.

You can also partake of the other warm-weather activities in Abel Tasman National Park: sea kayaking and swimming. Sometimes swimmers are delighted to find they have friends in the water: friendly seals who also like to swim the same waters. There’s great fishing, and also a marine preserve, where marine life is protected along 8 miles of the coast and into the waters, so no fishing from shore or from boats in that area, called the Tonga Island Marine Reserve, which is located on the northern part of the coastline in the park.

To get to and from the park there are numerous water taxis leaving and arriving at Marahau, the southern gateway to the park.

There is only one hotel within the Park, and that’s The Hermitage.  It has over 200 rooms, for every type of budget, and covers lots of acreage, with many amenities such as family rooms, children’s rooms, and a restaurant.  There are also around 20 alpine huts and shelters for hikers (or trampers as they’re called in New Zealand).

One of the most beautiful spots in all of New Zealand is Paparoa National Park, on the coast facing the Tasman Sea. Near the town of Punakaiki, centuries of salt water pounding has formed limestone structures that resemble stacked gray pancakes, tens of feet high, like giant pedestals overlooking the sea. Found down between the stacks of pancakes there are blowholes from which pressurized sea water that’s been trapped will suddenly release into a huge plume of sea spray. There are other parts of Paparoa National Park, but the pancakes and blowholes are the most unique.

You also might want to check out the “ballroom overhang”, another limestone structure, but which requires a two-hour treck through subtropical forest. For some, that’s all the more reason to go! Paparoa National Park is located on State Highway 6, in Punakaiki, and the pancakes and blowholes are easily accessible from the highway. Wheelchair friendly, too.

Drive to Northland

If you rent a car, then you can take a road trip to Northland on the Twin Coast Discovery Highway. This road loops around the Northland region so you can explore any way you like. There’s the east coast section and the west coast section, so you could do one section going up and one section going down. Time it right and catch the sunrise on the east coast, then the sunset on the west on the return trip a few days later.

Starting out in Auckland, which is where most tourists arrive by plane, drive north. About 45 minutes into your drive, you’ll hit BeesOnline. It’s at 791 Highway 16, Waimauku. It’s a restaurant, but they make gourmet honey here, and you can ask to taste their honeys. They serve food, and almost everything has some honey in it.

Drive a little further north and hit Whangarei Falls. It’s free, and located just outside the town of Whangarei. The falls drop 26 meters, or 82 feet, in parallel columns.

For beaches on your New Zealand driving tour, try Muriwai Beach and Aranga Beach. Aranga Beach can be combined with a hike up a steep hill. At the top you get a great view from Maunganui Bluff. In a country known for amazing scenic ocean views, even this one stands out. Muriwai Beach is popular for surfing, and has rocks galore. Located 28 miles northwest of Auckland.

If you make it all the way north to Paihia, save time for some hiking. A nice and easy, scenic hike can be found at Russell. Russell is a short ferry ride from Paihia, with boats leaving every half hour. It takes about fifteen minutes. Russell was the first permanent settlement of Europeans on New Zealand so it’s a good destination even if you don’t want to go hiking. It’s really a vacation town now. There’s a walking path that leads to some very steep inclines, but don’t worry, the hike is pretty easy. You get up to the peak, called Flagstaff Hill. You get a 360 degree view of the Bay of Island region, one you won’t ever forget.

After trying any number of extreme sports in Queenstown New Zealand, relax with a little bit of shopping. There are funky, exquisite boutiques and great souvenirs for you and your folks back home.

Queenstown is located on the edge of Lake Wakatipu. This beautiful lake is fed by glacial rivers so it’s full of trout salmon. Head to Outside Sports on Shotover Street for colorful metallic lures for fishing. Or just use them for Christmas tree decorations.

New Zealand is known for sheep farming, and skin creams made with sheeps wool make awesome gifts for people back home. Sheep farmers have soft hands because of the lanolin in the wool of the sheep. This is the important ingredient in the HIgh Country Lanolin Intensive Cream found at Mary’s Sheep on Beach Street.

Native manuka plants make great flavorings for candy, found at Queenstown Health & Sport Nutrition on Camp Street. Great for sore throats, manuka plants and the honey made by bees that buzz around them, are key ingredients in lollipops for sale here.

The founder of New Zealands’s homeland sport of bungee jumping, also has a winery called Freefall Wine Company. The vineyards overlook Kawarau Gorge, main site of bungee plunging in Queenstown New Zealand.

Go native and get some kitchen utensils with hei-tiki symbols on them. The hei-tiki is good luck for the Maori, and at In the Pink on Camp Street you can buy salad tongs for good luck.

Sheep are prevalent in Queenstown New Zealand. Merino wool products make very fitting souvenirs. Buy them at Kiwi South Knitwear. Also buy hats and gloves here. Then stop by Jade Factory on Beach Street and get some local abalone necklaces. The jewelry here pays homage to Maori culture and its closeness to the sea.

Or try Dart Stables, longer drive outside of Queenstown New Zealand. Lord of the Rings was filmed here! That tells you how great the scenery is…when part of a major motion picture is filmed there! Horseback riding costs about $20 more than at Moonlight Stables. Located at 58 Coll ST. in Glenorchy.

Visit Oamaru on the east coast of the South Island. There are blue penguins here! In the early evening, they come out of the water after fishing all day and return to their nests. Do not disturb!!! Go to Waterfront Road in Oamaru. $15 charge.