Keen on the hour-long, 450-metre slog up Bob’s Peak? No? Ride the Skyline Gondola instead, admiring the widening horizon as it rises. The peak’s viewing centre commands jaw-dropping views over Queenstown, Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables, and houses the obligatory eateries and souvenir shops. Maximise your time at the top by walking the half-hour loop track, or better still, ride the luge. This downhill go-kart track is such a riot of fun you’d be forgiven for forgetting the views.
Te Mata Peak, Havelock North
Te Mata Peak is the jagged 399m summit of a knobbly park that rises dramatically from the agricultural Heretaunga Plains. The peak road is steep, and winds tightly through a landscape reminiscent of the Scottish Highlands, with sheep trails, rickety fences and rock escarpments. The popular lookout commands views across the plains, Hawke’s Bay and Mahia Peninsula, and as far away as Mt Ruapehu on a good day. Alter the perspective by taking an amble along the Peak Trail