Planning a trip across the ditch? Here are five of NZ’s best-kept secret locations

East Cape

This piece of the country bulging out of the east coast of the North Island offers one of the best road trip options in the whole country – and yet, it’s also one of the most skipped routes. Out here – north of the east coast’s second most populated town, Gisborne – you’ll find New Zealand’s best beaches, the longest wharf in the country, where you’ll meet eccentric locals “gone fishing”, oodles of Maori culture to study (such as carvings in the tiny local churches) and the highest non-volcanic mountain in the North Island. There are some great wilderness accommodation options and some of the best camping grounds in the country. There are fewer dining options and tourism operators but limitless adventure opportunities here in the shadow of Mt Hikurangi, from hiking mountain trails to bay-hopping by mountain bike.

Reflection of Mount Taranaki at sunset. Egmont National Park, North Island, New Zealand. Credit: Getty Images

The Catlins

Located on the wild and rugged coastline between Otago and Southland in NZ’s deepest south, the Catlins aren’t any fair weather traveller’s dream destination. Picture instead a windy, desolate coast where the country’s biggest waves break (bring your surfboard if you’re a hero, waves up to five-metres high break here), where seals and sea lions patrol, and where barely a thousand people live, spread across 2000 square kilometres of prime Aotearoa. Take at least two days to really see this spectacular region, exploring giant sea caves and massive waterfalls cascading straight out of thick, unspoilt temperate rainforest, beside rolling green pastures and rocky bays. Book a farm stay or a cottage by the sea, but think rustic; forget luxury.

Marlborough Sounds

There’s so much more to this region than its world-famous sauvignon blanc – yet few tourists ever go beyond its wineries (if they even make it here at all). The Marlborough Sounds are a collection of ancient sunken river valleys now filled with the Pacific Ocean, home to 1500 kilometres of pristine, mostly deserted coastline equal to about one-tenth of the length of the entire NZ coastline. It’s sparsely populated, with some of its small settlements only reachable by boat. Made up of many long sheltered inlets, surrounded by forest with clear water for swimming and kayaking, this is also one of the best regions in the country for hiking (the iconic 70-kilometre-long Queen Charlotte Track runs through its heart). Hire a boat or kayak or even charter a yacht – though you’ll also find some stunning luxury lodges and more down-homey options with plenty of charm. You’re never far from nature – the region has more than 50 reserves.

Forgotten World Highway

Do it in three hours – or three days. Whatever you do, don’t forget NZ’s Forgotten World Highway (as most travellers do). Running for 155 kilometres in the North Island’s central-west, this highway is more like a trip through time on the country’s oldest heritage trail. You’ll drive through tunnels hand-carved by pickaxes through subtropical rainforest as you climb three saddles on the most scenic of New Zealand’s world-famous scenic roads. And this one took a staggering 50 years to build. Get set for misty panoramas among slow-moving rivers and deep gorges and waterfalls that plunge straight down by the roadway (such as Mt Damper Falls, one of the country’s highest). You’ll either finish or start in Stratford, a Shakespearean-inspired town whose streets are named after Shakespeare’s best-loved characters. Also consider visiting Egmont National Park right next door, NZ’s most accessible wilderness area.

Stewart Island

Come spring or summer, there’s no place you’d rather be. Stewart Island is the bird capital of New Zealand – you’re even guaranteed to see the enigmatic Kiwi, which even most New Zealanders won’t ever do. A one-hour boat ride from New Zealand’s most southern town, Bluff (also a great place to visit), Stewart Island’s Maori name is Rakiura – land of glowing skies – and its night-time skies are out of this world. You couldn’t be further south, but Stewart Island is actually a divers’ paradise, a warm current flowing from Australia’s Great Barrier Reef giving the island clearer, warmer water than anywhere else on the South Island, resulting in a diverse range of marine life. Play golf, kayak pristine inlets or sunbake on white, sandy beaches. There are plenty of rustic accommodation options set among the wilderness, and for such a small settlement there’s a surprising number of restaurants and take-away shops offering the country’s freshest seafood (and iconic Bluff oysters).

The writer has travelled numerous times to NZ with assistance from NZ Tourism.