Queenstown

Commercial bungy jumping started here in 1988 from a bridge 43m above the water. You decide beforehand whether to touch the river, and the cord is set to that.

A steep cable line climbs 450m for a view over the lake and the peaks. Luge tracks run down from the top station.

A coal fired steamer of 1912 still works the lake. The engine room stays open so the shovelling of coal can be watched.

A jet boat runs the narrow canyon, passing close enough to touch the rock walls. Full spins come without warning, so the handles matter.

A gold rush village keeping its timber shops and the huts of Chinese miners. In April the avenue turns yellow and the photographers arrive.

Four ski areas sit within an hour of town by road. In winter the road condition is checked each morning and chains travel in the boot.

You run off the top of the gondola hill with a pilot and land by the lake. The wind has to cooperate, so the call is made that morning.

The road runs forty five minutes to the head of the lake with several pull ins. Beyond it lie the valleys used for film locations.

A flat path follows the shore out of town. So little clouds the water that the stones on the bottom show several metres down.

Vineyards line the gorge with a cycle path threading between them. One cellar is cut into the rock and the tasting happens inside it.

Laid out in 1867 on a peninsula poking into the lake beside town. A disc golf course weaves among the rose garden and old trees, so people loop it throwing frisbees. From a bench at the tip the Remarkables rise over the water.

A track leaving the upper gondola station and following the ridge to the 1748m summit, where Lake Wakatipu bends away in its lightning-bolt shape. Above the saddle there is no shade and no water, and weather turns fast, so carry a windproof and drink.

A walk from the suburbs behind town up through pine forest to the hilltop. Partway up stands the Basket of Dreams, a sculpture of woven steel you can sit inside for a photo. Shorter than Ben Lomond, it is a popular climb before sunset.

A small native bird park in the bush right below the gondola station. In the darkened nocturnal house you watch kiwi probe the soil with their bills. Keepers bring out native birds and lizards for talks at set times, so take a schedule at the entrance.

Lake Hayes sits beside the Arrowtown road, with a flat track looping its shore. In April the poplars and willows turn gold and mirror in the still water. Go early on a windless morning before ripples break the reflection.

A mountain lake up a gravel side road off the Glenorchy road, roughly a 20-minute run by car. A walking track circles it and a conservation campsite sits on the shore. Many drive in before dawn to catch the peaks reflected at sunrise.

A narrow gravel road cut into the cliffs for the goldfields in the 1880s winds high above the gorge. At its end hangs the Skippers suspension bridge of 1901. Most rental agreements exclude this road from insurance, so take a tour vehicle rather than drive.

A high country station across the lake, reached aboard the steamship Earnslaw. You watch shearing and a sheepdog working the flock, then take tea in the lakeside garden. Return sailings are fixed, so dawdle and you are stuck until the next boat.

Private cedar hot tubs perched on a cliff above the Shotover River gorge. Each room's roof and wall slide open so you soak looking out at the canyon and peaks. With only a few tubs they book out days ahead, so reserve before you arrive.

A 32km track joining Mount Aspiring and Fiordland national parks, one of New Zealand's Great Walks. Walkers take 2 to 4 days, and every hut stay needs booking in advance. With a single day, climb from The Divide to Key Summit and back.

New Zealand's highest bungy, a 134m drop from a pod slung on cables over the Nevis River gorge. A four-wheel-drive bus takes you in from the town office along a private track. The fall is long, about 8 seconds of plunging before the cord takes up.

About 10 minutes' walk down through bush off the Glenorchy road lies a small cove of turquoise water. A lime kiln from settler days stands beside it. Some leap from the rocks, but it is a glacial lake and icy even in midsummer.