Doug Sherring fulfils a lifelong ambition on Wanaka's pristine backcountry slopes.

Wayne Thompson tackles a beautiful but challenging rail trail.

As I watched my bike disappear down the dusty road and out of sight, I began to feel rather stupid.

A mishap on the road sees one of the 51st Traverse team members being sent back to NZ.

Donna McIntyre's family give their verdicts on their trip to the snow.

Donna McIntyre and family pack their ski gear and head for the Remarkables and Coronet Peak.

Beaches and cocktails are nice, but how about some ideas for healthy Kiwi breaks?

Jacques Marais risks life and limb in a legendary land of hair-raising, bone-jarring, biblical grandeur - and loves every minute.

Helen van Berkel returns to the slopes and finds that skiing is nothing like riding a bike... and that kids are better at it.

Will it be useful to add to my CV, I wonder, the title of honorary Bedouin camel trekking manager?

Megan Singleton falls under the spell of the newly opened Harry Potter theme park.

Pleasure and a touch of pain intertwine for Greg Bowker on a four-day cycle trip in the South Island.

By choosing a safari with greener credentials, at least some of your money directly supports conservation and communities.

The parents of US sailor Abby Sunderland have defended the 16-year-old's doomed circumnavigation attempt.

Forty shades of sand are just one of the many attractions in this laid back holiday spot.

A slow-paced bike tour lets you drink in the sights, says Margie Elley-Brown.

A visit to a tiger sanctuary and a beer-infused sauna are all in a day's work for the 51st Traverse team.

A recent addition to Queenstown's adventure activities, Ziptrek is a two-hour flying fox experience through the forest.

Climbing the world's tallest peak has gone from rugged challenge to booming tourist attraction. Sir Edmund Hillary would turn in his grave.

Whistler offers an Olympic challenge, says Sarah Ivey.

Rob Gray marvels at the contrasts in hospitality as he and his friends set off on their overland motorbike trip from Vladivostok to London.

Kate Chapman takes on the old route between Bolivia's capital La Paz and the popular weekend getaway of Coroico.

Before hitting the road for a 25,000km motorbike odyssey, Rob Gray meets some of the children at Living Hope, the charity in Vladivostok that will benefit from funds raised on the trip.

A dozen naked blokes crowding into a freezing cold plunge pool, while socially unacceptable in New Zealand, is apparently perfectly normal in Russia, writes Rob Gray.

Giovanna Dell'Orto details her four favourite walks in Liguria, the arc-shaped slice of Italy that stretches from the border with France to Tuscany's coast.