Manawatū-Whanganui

Manawatū-Whanganui is the North Island's least-visited region by international travellers — and for exactly that reason, it offers something increasingly rare: genuine, unperformed New Zealand. Palmerston North is a university city with an excellent food and arts scene and the Te Manawa museum, which houses one of the country's finest collections of Māori taonga (treasures).

The Manawatū Gorge was one of the most dramatic road corridors in the country before the road was permanently closed by slips — now it's accessible only on foot or mountain bike, which makes it more beautiful. The Rangitīkei River is outstanding for white-water rafting. And the Whanganui River — one of New Zealand's Great Walks — has legal personhood, recognised in 2017 as an ancestor by the Māori people who have lived on its banks for centuries. A jet boat journey up the river to the Bridge to Nowhere is among the country's most unusual and affecting experiences.