Where Mountains Meet the Sea

Only slightly larger than Java, the vast South Island of New Zealand hosts a population of barely one million mainly British-descended inhabitants who, in less than two centuries, have transformed the land into a vast luxuriant pasture, delivering some of the world's best dairy products.

On the rugged eastern shore, nestled snugly in a sheltered cove on its namesake peninsula is the tiny fishing village of Kaikoura (pronounced KIE-koo-da). The vast South Island of New Zealand is dotted with these little treasures - otherwise inconspicuous spots on a sparse map characterised by varicose mountain ranges and dizzying, snow-dusted fjords.

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