New Zealand

Abel Tasman first plotted the New Zealand map in 1642 – Captain James Cook didn’t get to NZ’s White Island or South Island until 1769. Today, the New Zealand population is 4.8m, known as “Kiwis” after the flightless bird (though it’s a silver fern on the New Zealand flag, not a kiwi feather!) So take an Air New Zealand flight to visit Hobbiton – as seen in Lord of the Rings – or even apply for a working holiday visa, and discover why NZ is so much more than “just a small island off Australia.”