Mobissimo

How could these small islands in the colder, Antarctic-touching Pacific be packed with such diversity of landscape? Snow-capped mountains, sheep-dotted valleys, blue lagoons, rivers frothing with white water, crystal-clear fjords, and a breathtaking, rugged coastline. All squeezed into a country the size of Colorado.
Thanks largely to Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, New Zealand now looms in the imagination as an epic travel destination. But the islands remain far enough off the beaten track to ensure no Disneyland hordes for the time being. The country's majestic wilderness offers activities aplenty: from the dare-devil, adrenaline-pumping adventure sports in Queenstown (the original capital of bungee-jumping and jet-boating) to winery-hopping the Sauvignon Blanc - producing vineyards of Marlborough Valley. Not to mention ice-climbing at Franz Josef Glacier, where the ice appears sapphire blue in smooth cave-like formations.

Related Articles:

• National Geographic Traveler, Into the Wilds of New Zealand
• The Informed Traveler, Luxury Travel in New Zealand: Queenstown's Blanket Bay