KEY POINTS:
Fancy a spot of camping but without the camp stretchers, bush toilets and trail mix?
Whether it's luxury accommodation you want, helicopter transfers to and from your chosen activity or a gourmet meal at the end of a hard day's hiking, you may never have to rough it
again.
New Zealand tourism companies are catering to a growing market of people who want to get out among the wilderness but with the creature comforts expected of the best hotels.
Widely referred to in the United States and Britain as "glamping" - glamorous camping - the practice has hit New Zealand with a vengeance.
As tourist numbers dwindle thanks to the rocky global economy, tourism companies are seeking more "bang" for their marketing buck.
Traditionally rough-and-ready outdoor activities such as flyfishing, kayaking and tramping have started to go upmarket.
Gourmet menus feature the best New Zealand wines, Pacific and Asian-inspired dishes and native herbs and spices.
You might eat at the riverside next to the very best tent and fully inflatable camping mattress - put up for you if you so desire - or return to the most upmarket lodge accommodation the South Island has to offer.
Throw into the mix water taxi or helicopter transfers and there isn't much you need to do but sit back and enjoy the scenery.
Maria Fillary, marketing manager for Abel Tasman Kayaks, says luxury camping appeals to the higher end of the tourist market and that means mainly overseas customers.
The company is part of Kayaking Abel Tasman, which offers four different operations from rent-your-own to the full-service experience.
"It's certainly not mainstream, but the numbers of people visiting New Zealand aren't growing as much as in previous years and it's appealing to that higher-end customer that Tourism New Zealand is trying to attract," she says.
Brent Pirie, owner of flyfishtaupo.com, says luxury camping is popular with older, "more discerning" customers - including the very rich and famous.
The tents are furnished with silk-lined sleeping bags and some clients even pay for a chef to join them on excursions.
"They are just amazed when they can sit out under the stars with a nice glass of wine, listening to the iPod, and that's what it's all about."
And New Zealand had the added advantage of no poisonous snakes or spiders to worry about, he added.
David Treseder, who went on a fishing adventure with Mr Pirie, said it was a style of holiday "to which I could very easily become accustomed ... There was no roughing it involved. The accommodation, the food, it was top notch and I'd do it again in a second."
Mr Treseder enlisted a friend to split the cost of the trip - "another geriatric over 70, with SCI [Spending the Children's Inheritance] intentions" - and said they caught "sufficient" fish to keep them happy.
But should we be saving these experiences for the tourists?
"It's too good for them," he joked. "I enjoy camping at the best of times but this was something else. It's probably the highlight of my life so far."
Tourism New Zealand spokeswoman Cas Carter said glamping was a niche market that was ideal for New Zealand's tourism industry.
"International visitors come ... for our natural landscape," she said.
"The challenge is to get them involved in activities within this landscape ... to get them to spend their money and contribute to New Zealand's foreign exchange earnings.
"Glamping is an excellent way of combining the attractions of our natural landscape with New Zealand's excellent food and wine, and high-quality accommodation."
Peter Blackwell, general manager of AA Tourism, said in a world where hotels and holidays were just the click of a mouse away, it was important for New Zealand tourism companies to differentiate themselves.
"You've got to have an interesting product and you've got to make it unique to get people in," he said.
"It's tough at the moment because the yield isn't increasing but the cost of delivering is, so you've got to get creative."
The purists are unlikely to be convinced of the merits of glamping - a great many New Zealanders believe the appeal of camping lies in the very concept of roughing it.
But New Zealand's "glamping" operations are part of an exclusive global club. This year MSNBC named its top 10 luxury camping trips, from spa treatments in the mountains of Switzerland to lakeside huts in the jungles of Tanzania.
The options
* Lakeside or bush resort accommodation with outdoor activities thrown in.
* Tramping, kayaking and fly-fishing with high-quality tents and beds and gourmet meals.
* Luxury mobile homes with gas heating, comfy double beds, stainless-steel kitchens and entertainment systems.
* Camping grounds with indoor and outdoor pools and spas, top-notch kitchens and wondrous games rooms.
