Rachel Grunwell visits Ruapehu in summer for a weekend of adventure.

Cherie Howie takes in the Outback from the Indian Pacific train.

Donna McIntyre cycles, horse rides and roams around scenic Opotiki.

The National Cycle Trail, Nga Haerenga, includes the rural Hauraki rail trail (top and centre) and passes steaming mud and hot pools near Rotorua.

On Lantau Island off Hong Kong, Duncan Gillies sees Snow White and an extremely large Buddha.

Their bags - and they're not travelling light - are festooned with maple leaves, a subtle clue this young couple hails from everyone's second-favourite country.

Influence pedallers: The best cities for bicycle rides.

Elisabeth Easther finds more to love about Vanuatu on every visit.

Warmer weather brings a new energy for experiencing the great outdoors. Great Lake Taupo will not disappoint, writes Donna Jarden.

Gliding over Turkey, Phoebe Falconer resists reaching out to the intriguing rocks sweeping by.

Elisabeth Easther becomes 'spokes woman' for the joys of the Hauraki Rail Trail.

I travel light: take only what you really need and leave room for treasure!

A five-day tramp on the West Coast gives photographer Greg Bowker ample chances to capture some wild beauty.

Lydia Jenkin drops the shops and experiences a Ladies' Weekend with a difference - caving, climbing and trekking in Tongariro National Park.

Paul Rush tackles foaming rapids on a six-day journey down the Whanganui River.

Cliff Taylor dodges missiles and fickle weather on the Tongariro Crossing.

Packages with 'the comforts of home' on New Zealand's Great Walks are gaining popularity.

Pamela Wade zigzags her way around Milford Track's textured bush, bright prairies and breathtaking views.

A moonlit weekend gives Fraser Crichton an opportunity to find out more about Project Tongariro's high-tech Tongariro Alpine Crossing experience.

P.K. Stowers has a close encounter with some of the famed inhabitants of South Africa's Kruger National Park.

The waves are pumping on Durban's Golden Mile, discovers P.K. Stowers.

Sarah Ivey sends the snow flying on a heli-ski adventure in the Remarkables.

Danielle Wright hits the South Island ski fields, on a sled pulled by huskies.

In the Uruguayan countryside, Geoff Cumming embraces the philosophy of South America's original cowboys.

Following the kings of beasts on their hunt for breakfast is both thrilling and disconcerting, writes Aaron Smale.

Kayaking, mountain-biking, bridge-jumping, paragliding - as Simon Calder discovers, Slovenia is a mecca for extreme adventures on land and water.