You will see some of our best natural features. We have mysterious forests with mighty trees that grow to heights of more than 50 metres, with trunk girths up to 16 metres and lifespans of more than 2,000 years. We have meandering, braided rivers, lacy waterfalls that cascade from precipitous heights, deep-blue glacial lakes, geysers and boiling mud pools that will remind you of winter porridge-making, snow-capped mountains which continue to grow (by as much as your fingernails each year) as they are inexorably pushed up by the meeting of tectonic plates. We have glorious, wind-swept tussock lands and gently rolling farmland. We will take guided walks through valleys and forests. Weather-permitting, there will be boat trips in both North and South Islands. In the north we will cruise out into the pristine Bay of Islands to see the famous Hole in the Rock and in Rotorua we will take a trip on a picturesque lake formed by a volcanic explosion in 1886. Nowadays, small warm springs and mini-geysers around the lake edge are the only reminders of the force of that explosive event. Our southern cruises will be on the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Milford Sound with its iconic Mitre Peak and spectacular waterfalls while in Queenstown we will board a faithfully restored steamboat - originally built in 1912 - to cruise across picturesque Lake Wakatipu and visit a working farm.

Inferno Crater, Waimangu Valley, near Rotorua	Mitre Peak, Milford Sound

With visits to museums and to Te Puia Maori Arts & Crafts Institute, I plan to introduce you to Maori history, settlement, language and traditions. We will visit the Treaty House at Waitangi, where we will learn about our 'Founding Document' - the Treaty signed between Maori and the British in 1840. We will discuss the current redress of land claims caused by the compulsory acquisitions of the government of those early years. In Rotorua, a cultural performance and hangi (food cooked in an earth oven) will add to our experience.

Each of our cities is different - some planned and settled by hopeful, would-be farmers or merchants; some established for their good harbours and possibilities for trade. Auckland, with its 47 offshore islands, is our most multi-cultural city. Hilly, buzzing Wellington is our capital and here we will learn about our political system with a guided visit to Parliament. We will discover both Art Deco Napier and 21st century Christchurch - two cities which were severely affected by earthquakes and rebuilt (Napier) and being rebuilt (Christchurch), in entirely different architectural styles. We will stay in Queenstown, the glorious city nestled on the shores of Lake Wakatipu and surrounded by the Remarkable Mountains.

Maori Carved Canoe, Waitangi	Queenstown, South Island

Our tiny group of islands drifted away from the great super-continent of Gondwanaland before the appearance of mammals on other land masses, and in its isolated environment (which David Bellamy has dubbed 'Moa's Ark'), numerous species of flightless birds evolved - moa, kiwi, takahe, huia and others with equally exotic-sounding names. Once humans arrived in Aotearoa, many of these birds became extinct as they either provided food or were killed by the animals and other pests we 'imported' - either purposefully or accidentally. With current knowledge and determined efforts, many of those which were close to extinction have been brought back from the brink. We will meet our iconic kiwi at one of the breeding places and we will also explore one of the vital predator-free sanctuaries, hopefully meeting some of the 'rescued-from-extinction' characters of our avian world.

It would be great if you could join me to celebrate 25 years of great adventures in the adventure capital of the world!