Experience the best of Canterbury

The Canterbury Plains, a patchwork of wheat, sheep and dairy farms, run from the Pacific coast to the foothills of the Southern Alps, crossed by wide, gravelly rivers such as the Waimakariri and Rakaia. Christchurch, the main city, lies on the coast, and Banks Peninsula, the eroded remains of two volcanoes, juts into the sea to its south-east.

At Aoraki / Mount Cook, 3,724 metres high, glaciers fall from the highest peak in the country. Lake Tekapo and Lake Pukaki glow turquoise from glacial flour, and the Church of the Good Shepherd stands on the shore at Tekapo, in a reserve that is among the best places to see the night sky. Akaroa, a harbour town with French origins on Banks Peninsula, has rare Hector's dolphins, Kaikōura, to the north, brings whales close to shore, and Hanmer Springs has hot pools in the hills.

Lamb, venison, salmon from the glacial lakes and fresh crayfish at Kaikōura, whose Māori name means meal of crayfish, are staples, with wines from Waipara and North Canterbury. A warm, dry wind called the nor'wester sweeps down from the Alps, and winters bring snow and skiing in the mountains.