Graeme Crossman of Kiwi360 in Te Puke's giant kiwifruit. Photo / Alan Gibson

Graeme Crossman of Kiwi360 in Te Puke's giant kiwifruit. Photo / Alan Gibson

A boutique microbrewery and Te Puke's big kiwifruit are two local attractions that have caught the attention of Lonely Planet's travel writers.

Our volcanoes also get a mention, with Whakaari (White Island) garnering particular praise.

Lonely Planet's annual Bluelist - next year's edition of which goes on sale this month - is a collection of the best and latest trends, destinations, journeys and experiences from around the world.

There are 30 Bluelist categories, rating everything from the quirkiest places to stay to the world's best tropical paradises.

The top ten in each category are highlighted and accompanied by stunning photos and a separate 'Golist' section reveals emerging destinations for the year ahead.

What the Lonely Planet Bluelist 2008 says about NZ:

Great River Trips: Jetboating the Shotover River

"For high-octane thrills in a high-octane city, head for Queenstown on New Zealand's South Island, where one of the signature activities (among a smorgasbord of adventures) is jetboating the Shotover River.

Through the river's steep-sided canyons, jetboats skim past the rock walls, fishtailing and throwing themselves into 360-degree spins. It's 30 minutes that's like a drug-induced dance on water, deep in the mighty Middle-earth scenery of the Southern Alps. Tolkien geeks may recognise the Shotover as the Ford of Bruinen, if they can look beyond the spinning bow of the jetboat, that is."

Others in this list include: Paddling the Wilderness Waterway, USA; Felluca on the River Nile, Egypt; Rafting the Franklin River, Australia.

Best Places to Sleep Behind Bars: Napier Prison Backpackers

"As New Zealand's oldest prison, the Napier facility locked up convicts from throughout the country, including mass murderers, drug barons, gang members and the criminally insane. Inmates had the special opportunity to attend Rock College, ie. they were marched to the quarry next door and forced to break the stone and build the walls that kept them imprisoned. Guests nowadays can tour the hanging yard (where locals used to pay a shilling to watch executions take place), sleep in converted cells and get a mug shot taken as a memento of their time in the clink."

Others on this list include: Ottawa Jail Hostel, Canada; Celica Hostel, Slovenia; Karosta Prison, Latvia.

Best 'Big!' Things: The Big Kiwifruit