Boasting both Aotearoa New Zealand’s highest mountain and longest glacier, Mackenzie is a region bursting with iconic scenery. And in the cooler months of the year, it becomes a winter playground backdropped by the snow-capped Southern Alps. With a clutch of small, boutique family-owned ski fields, skiers and snowboarders can expect a more laidback on-mountain experience.

Beyond the mountains become enraptured with the region’s epic activities including some of the best star gazing in the motu (country) in the Aoraki Mackenzie Dark Sky Reserve. Then there’s hot pools and ice skating, snow tubing and spectacular day walks. And that’s not forgetting the Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail and fantastic heli hiking and heli skiing opportunities in the wilder backcountry.