Tourist Bucket List

The six best things to do in New Zealand are, according to The Observer: attending Gisborne’s Rhythm and Vines Festival for New Year’s Eve; walking the four-day Hillary Trail; staying the night at Franz Joseph’s five-star eco-hotel the Te Waonui Forest Retreat; freedom camping around the Eastland; digging a hole in the sand at Coromandel’s Hot Water Beach; and taking a “Small Five” wildlife trip. “The New Zealand tourist board is turning the concept of the ‘Big Five’ upside down by developing its own ‘Small Five’ list. This aims to promote awareness and conservation of five of its smallest and most endangered indigenous creatures: the kiwi, the Hector’s dolphin, the yellow-eyed penguin, the tuatara and the kea. If you’ve ever wanted to go kiwi-spotting on Stewart Island, or swim with the Hector’s dolphin in Porpoise Bay, this may be your very last chance.”