Photo Gallery: Insider's New Zealand

Photograph by John Kernick

A view to tee up for: The Cavalli Islands stretch out below the championship golf course at Kauri Cliffs, on the North Island. The Cavalli Islands and Kauri Cliffs attract visitors with their scenic location, well-tended natural landscapes, and recreational opportunities—including that cliff-side golf course.

Read more about New Zealand in "Insiders New Zealand," in Traveler's March 2006 issue.

Photograph by John Kernick

Catches of the day rule the menu at the Seafood Kitchen in Christchurch, masterminded by native-son chef Aaron Lee. Popular orders include tuna carpaccio and grouper, appropriately paired with New Zealand wines.

Read more about New Zealand in "Insiders New Zealand," in Traveler's March 2006 issue.

Photograph by John Kernick

A witches' brew of boiling mud and sulfurous waters, the Hells Gate Geothermal Reserve is one of the most active geothermal fields in New Zealand. The only Maori-owned and -operated geothermal field in the country, situated just east of Lake Rotorua, it invites visitors to see hot-water pools, thermal waterfalls, the Sulfur Bath, and the Hells Gate Boiling Whirlpool, which gave the reserve its name.

Read more about New Zealand in "Insiders New Zealand," in Traveler's March 2006 issue.

Photograph by John Kernick

One of Wellington's premier home-grown boutiques, Zambesi specializes in clothing and accessories with an international sensibility. Co-owner Elisabeth Findlay's designs reflect New Zealand's raw landscapes and frontier culture—an aesthetic that Air New Zealand asked her to incorporate into its new crew uniforms. Here, employee Emily Matheson exemplifies the store's style.

Read more about New Zealand in "Insiders New Zealand," in Traveler's March 2006 issue.

Photograph by John Kernick

Maori mentor Mita Hikairo Mohi runs camps for Maori youths on Mokoia Island, an ecological sanctuary in Lake Rotorua occupied by Maori tribes for hundreds of years. The camps teach Maori traditions and skills, including hand-to-hand combat with carved Maori weapons and cooking in a Maori hangi, or earth oven.

Read more about New Zealand in "Insiders New Zealand," in Traveler's March 2006 issue.

Photograph by John Kernick

The living is easy at New Zealand's many baches, simple, privately owned vacation cottages that began as hunting and fishing retreats for holidaying bachelors. Known for their often picturesque locations—here on one of the beaches that ring the Coromandel Peninsula—baches offer a homey, self-sufficient alternative to B&Bs and hotels.

Read more about New Zealand in "Insiders New Zealand," in Traveler's March 2006 issue.

Photograph by John Kernick

Fog banks fill a valley by Milford Road in Fiordland National Park. Considered one of New Zealand's most scenic routes, Milford Road runs from the lake-resort town of Te Anau—the park's hub—to Milford Sound, the country's most-photographed fjord. It slices through steep-walled mountains and winds along glacier-scoured valleys.

Read more about New Zealand in "Insiders New Zealand," in Traveler's March 2006 issue.