Never has freedom looked so good and it’s so great to be able to think we can now get out there and do all the things we Kiwis love to indulge in: getting some fresh air, hiking, biking, fishing and even camping - or maybe glamping if that’s too cold. Here are a couple of our favourite spots for an inspiring weekend away from computers, busy malls and traffic jams. Grab a rental car from the airport and go go go.

Tarawera and surrounding lakes

While Rotorua is very well known as a tourist destination for geothermal fun, the area just outside it is a paradise for lovers of the great outdoors. There’s a holiday park right on the shores of Lake Tikitapu (Blue Lake) where you can wake up to stunning views from your tent, or cabin. It’s an easy toddle round the lake for some leisurely exercise, and definitely take a dip if the weather permits (it’s like bathwater in summer) - or get out in kayaks for serene relaxation.

Lake Tarawera is also beautiful, on a much larger scale - it was home to many small Maori villages before the famous eruption of 1886 but is now a favourite spot for holidaying and fishing for its famous rainbow trout. The Tarawera Outlet to Falls track is an extremely picturesque 5km walk through native bush  ending at the falls which flow down a cliff that was once a lava flow. Lake Okareka, Okaitana and Rotomahana complete our own ‘Lake District’ with plenty of other opportunities for hiking, fishing and cycling.

The Catlins

Only an hour and a half drive from Dunedin Airport you’ll find some of New Zealand’s most untouched scenery, in The Catlins - perfect for a weekend away from the hustle and bustle. Purakaunui Falls is stunning, Cathedral Caves an impressive sight, and Nugget Point is one of the most jaw-dropping lookouts in the South Island, where wild waters pound dramatic cliffs and you can often spot fur seals, Hooker’s sea lions, sea elephants, yellow-eyed and blue penguins and Hector’s dolphins playing in the waves.

At Curio Bay, along The Catlins Coastal Heritage Trail, you can see the petrified remains of a forest that’s over 160 million years old and the Southern Scenic Route (Dunedin to Te Anau) goes right through the Catlins region too; the whole drive is often ranked as one of the top drives in the world. There are plenty of campsites from DOC sites to Holiday Parks and cyclists will find a variety of stunning areas to explore by bike.

Images courtesy of Tourism New Zealand.