Auckland

Known as the city of sails Auckland is also the gateway to the country, it's where the majority of visitors will arrive into for the Rugby World Cup visit.

A vibrant city with much to see and do, in the skyline you'll notice the harbour bridge and Sky Tower. In the city centre the waterfront has been completely redeveloped and now features an array of restaurants and bars. Make sure you take a look of the spectacular views from the top of the Sky Tower (www.skytower.co.nz)

For a bit of time out take a ferry across to Davenport, the former naval base. Ferrys leave from the bottom of Queen Street and take just 15 minutes. This part of the North Shore has a number of cafes and bars, a great spot to wander around and get a view from 'the other side'.

New Plymouth

The city has a population of 103,000 people; it lies at the base of Mount Taranaki (although some call it Mount Egmont). The city is no stranger to Irish Rugby has it hosted one of the summer tour matches in 2010.

Commonly referred to as 'The Naki' this part of the country boasts a number natural parks to explore, and loads of beaches for swimming (or to surf). Easily accessible by car with it being 5 hours drive from both Auckland or Wellington and 4 from Lake Taupo (known for fishing and bungee jumping).

Rotorua

The first thing you'll notice (or should we say smell) is the sulphur as you approach Rotorua, whilst its smells a bit like rotten eggs it will soon smell like normal!

Home to a number of geysers there is even one called The Lady Knox that erupts most days, located 20 minutes drive south of the city (www.waiotapu.co.nz).

The region is a popular tourist favourite and has a lot of Maori culture to be enjoyed, be sure to try a hungi (pronounced hungie) or Maori earth oven (where food is cooked in the ground).

Also home to a number of mud baths and the Gondola to the top of Mount Ngongotaha,, to get back to the ground you can either take the gondola or (and we would recommend) have a luge race with friends or family (see www.skyline.co.nz)

Dunedin

Home to Otago University (so therefore called the party city), there are no shortage of restaurants, pubs and bars here. The redeveloped Carrisbrook stadium is used for both rugby and cricket.

The word Dunedin is Scottish for Edinburgh; the two cities have links to their Scottish roots. The city is also host to the world's steepest residential street, located just out of the city centre we'd recommend walking up and/or down Baldwin Street.
An institution in the south that we would also recommend is to have a pint of Speights. People will often say the best Guinness is found in the Storehouse back in Dublin, the same rule applies here. The best pint of Speights can be found at the end after the brewery tour (visit www.speights.co.nz for details).

Getting around the country

Many rental car and campervans are already booked out, www.airnewzealand.co.nz operates the largest range of internal flights, there are also regular buses between all the main destinations (www.intercity.co.nz)

Getting between the two islands can also be done using a ferry, see www.ferrytickets.co.nz or www.bluebridge.co.nz)