With fair weather, beautiful scenery and heaps of recreation opportunities, Wanaka is well worth the small effort it takes to get there.

When we left for New Zealand Wendy had one big goal: sitting at Jackson Bay reading a book in the breeze while intermittently watching penguins frolic in the sea. On our first full day on the island, a bunch of Kiwis warned us about sand flies as they laughed hysterically about the notion of lingering on the beach at Jackson Bay.

After more than a week of failed attempts and building anticipation, we caught a weather window to ride the fabled trail called Unhinged: a steep, root-infested track that drops 2,500 feet in three miles near Saint Arnaud, New Zealand.

New Zealand trail builders lead us down some of the best mountain bike trails on the South Island near Abel Tasman and Nelson Lakes national parks.

The north part of New Zealand's South Island is beautiful and pastoral, a place where people live uncomplicated lives and stay close to the Earth.