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Bay of Plenty islands

Many islands dot the horizon in the beautiful Bay of Plenty, and they're all worth exploring. There's Mayor Island (Tuhua), a big-game fishing centre that also includes a marine reserve off the island's northern end; Motiti Island, which offers great snorkelling and diving; and Matakana Island, with its long white-sand beach and popular surf spots. And who could forget the magnificent White Island, New Zealand's only active marine volcano? Photo © Nicki Batchelor

Pancake Rocks, Punakaiki, West Coast

These 30-million-year-old limestone formations are nothing to be scoffed at. They're huge lording cliffs of rock, which really do look like a sky-high layer of pancakes stacked one on top of the other. The pathway to check out this stony phenomenon winds over boardwalks and down stone steps, which will lead you to the best spots to check out the huge water spouts that blast skywards through blowholes. Photo © Christina Smith

Lake Wainamu, Bethells Beach

Only slightly inland from the wild Bethells Beach on Auckland's west coast is a hidden dune lake, perfect for those wanting to swim but not take a pounding from the rugged surf. Lake Wainamu, often called Bethells Lake, can be reached by following a track alongside the Waiti Stream and over the huge sand dunes, which are perfect for sliding down! Photo © Courteney Horwood

Wharariki Beach, Golden Bay

Around an hour's drive from Takaka is a 20-minute walk leading to a dramatic coastal landscape that will simply take your breath away. This is a beachcomber's paradise, with a spectacular jumble of wave-sculptured caves, islets, rock pools, striking rocky islands and huge sand dunes. Keep an eye out for seals - there may be some frolicking in the large rock pools.
Photo © Ingrid Richter

New Chums Beach, Coromandel Peninsula

Definitely a hidden gem, New Chums Beach requires some local knowledge (there are no signposts!) and a decent pair of walking shoes to get to, but once you catch your first glimpse of this incredible beach you'll soon see why it was named one of the Top 20 Beaches in the World by a UK magazine. Pure white sand, clear water, rolling surf and lined by rainforest, this beach is an untouched paradise. Photo © Peter Burchell

Kaikoura Peninsula, Canterbury

Venture a little further south of the township at Kaikoura and you'll discover the spectacular coastal scenery at the end of its peninsula. Take the two-hour return limestone cliff-top peninsula walk, which affords sublime views of the shoreline and mountains. Keep an eye out for seals inhabiting the coastline, seabirds fishing in the sea and sometimes dolphins or little blue penguins. Photo © Peter Burchell

Hole in the Rock, Northland

'Hole in the Rock' is a great name for this coastal wonder, considering that's exactly what it is. Located at Motukokako Island in the Bay of Islands, there are various cruises you can take to venture through the gaping hole in the island, when conditions are right, of course. Look around and admire the rock walls surrounding you as you pass through this incredible natural attraction, and remember to look out for dolphins on the trip back. Photo © Wim Mertens

Curio Bay fossilised forest, Southland

A highlight of the rugged and picturesque Catlins Coast is Curio Bay. Here, at low tide, a petrified forest is exposed on a rock shelf. You'll be able to see tree trunks and even leaves and fern fronds preserved as fossils, turned from wood into rock over millions of years. This amazing example of a Jurassic fossil forest is one of the geological wonders of the world - definitely worth a visit! Photo © Wynston Cooper

Doubtful Sound, Fiordland

Doubtful Sound is often overlooked in favour of the more easily accessible Milford Sound, however, it can more than hold its own against its impressive nemesis. Here snow-capped mountains loom above a dramatic, ever-changing panorama of waterfalls and beech forest punctuated by birdsong, and the deep, clear waters of the ice-carved fiord are calm and reflective. Photo © Laura Russell

Cape Palliser, Wairarapa

The wild coastline at Cape Palliser is an area rich in Maori and European history, and is a location where fur seals are so common you may even see them resting in the grass on the roadside. There's also the candy-striped Cape Palliser lighthouse here, from which, on a clear day, you can see the South Island. Needless to say, the views are absolutely incredible!
Photo © Bernd Muller