I thought the first of these books put out under the auspices of the AA, 101 Must-Dos for Kiwis, was great.

It was full of inspiring ideas to get out and see this beautiful country we live in.

I'm afraid this follow-up, purporting to focus on weekends, is a classic example of how sequels rarely live up to the original.

Sure, it contains plenty of places worth visiting and things worth doing, but few are original and most have precious little to do with weekends.

Hire a bach. Visit Gisborne. Go to Rainbow's End. Walk the Queen Charlotte Track. Attend the Whitestone Cheese Rolling. Have a meal at a winery restaurant. Visit Great Barrier Island. Go camping.

Apart from the cheese rolling - and Southland is a long way to go for a weekend when I live in Devonport - I think I might have been able to come up with those ideas on my own.

* 101 Must-Do Weekends, edited by Renee Lang, Random House, $39.99.