We were asked to keep our heads down, follow the path and walk single file with no talking.

Our third island offers friendly locals and an array of adventures.

As one of the frontrunners so succinctly put it: "That was super-hard, but man it was fun!"

Elisabeth Easther finds herself stoked with a small town's selection of brews.

Mangawhai is a great place to get away to for the weekend and also fantastic for fishing.

Formerly known as Joliffetown and Moonlight Gully, it was subsequently named for the Blackball Shipping Line, which leased land in the area to mine coal.

WATCH: Tourist told to "look up at the sky, bro", then all hell breaks loose.

After our tour of Napier's art deco riches, we fancied ourselves as experts of the features that marked this oh-so-elegant aesthetic.

Miriyana Alexander checks out a luxury lodge that's luring celebs to New Zealand.

Formerly a mill town, the area was surveyed in the 1880s, in 1903 the main trunk line came through and the school was opened in 1904, the same year the phone line was brought in.

The TrailLite's turbo diesel ensured it was no slug on the road and we were through Auckland's busy Saturday morning traffic and over the harbour bridge in no time.

The interior design is a questionable combination of pea soup green and floral. And don't expect to be able to lounge around in a robe, because there aren't any.

The mosquitoes up there are as big as sparrows, they told me. They come in swarms so big they blot out the sky, they added ominously.

Take an extended break and explore this art- and culture-centric part of the North Island.

Elisabeth Easther takes a journey back in time to a small town steeped in history.

Time travel is difficult-but not impossible: witness the nostalgia-seeking horde that descends on Napier for the Art Deco Weekend each February.

As far as breakfast spots go, it would be hard to beat our beachfront campsite at Matata, just north of Whakatane, with its views of crashing surf and picturesque Whale Island.

Cyclists are bringing the gold back to this former mining town, says Elisabeth Easther.

The snacking is plentiful down south, discovers Louise Richardson.

Deep beneath the Earth's surface the magical sight of thousands of glow-worms makes the cave ceiling twinkle.

There's more to this town than pretty parks and coastal walks, writes Susan Strongman.

A US-based "sand artist" has transformed a Northland beach with the help of a local Maori artist.

Most people who live around here have deep ties to the land, their parents are from here, their grandparents, and their great-grandparents.

Scenic Hotel Te Pania Napier has rolled out the welcome mat to guests and their dogs

Over a million Kiwis left our main centres over the Christmas holiday break - but most didn't go far.

Jim Eagles rekindles his love affair with the country's National Clock Museum.

The Hillary Trail offers action and adventure on Auckland's back doorstep - and it's accessible by public transport.

Seeing your own country through the eyes of a tourist can reignite a love affair with the beautiful land in which we're blessed to live.