New Zealand

New Zealand fits a surprising amount into a small geography. Within a few hours you can move from subtropical beaches to geothermal valleys to high alpine terrain, and the South Island adds fjords and glaciers on top of that. Maori culture is present in an active, living way - in the language, in the arts, in the haka performed at major events, and in how New Zealanders talk about their relationship to the land. The food and wine have matured considerably, particularly in wine regions like Central Otago and Marlborough. Auckland handles the arrival and the urban side of things; the South Island handles the landscapes people come back from talking about.