An increasing number of books cater for every traveller's needs, writes Jim Eagles.
Looking for somewhere interesting to go? When do they hold the Blackball Sausage Festival? Where can you find a nice hot pool to soak in? Can you go snowboarding in the Eyre Mountains? The answers are only a bookshop away.
New Zealand: The Essential Touring Atlas
Gregory's Publishing, $39.95
This is billed as "New Zealand's most comprehensive travelling reference book" and, with 346 pages of maps, photos, advice and information on places to visit, it may well be.
It's a well-produced book, printed on glossy paper - which makes it fairly weighty - with a plastic cover which should withstand heavy usage.
Inside is pretty well everything a tourist could ask for, including a good set of maps, sensible suggestions on places to see and useful contact information.
But ... I have two grizzles.
Some of the information seems unnecessary. Do we really need to be told to check the tyres before going on a long drive, not to drive while talking on a mobile phone and to get dive lessons from a qualified instructor?
And I don't understand why at the start there's a list of the main attractions in each region opposite a map on which those same attractions are not marked, while further back there's a larger scale set of maps which do show where to find the attractions mentioned 111 pages further forward.
It's a useful guide but with a bit more thought it could be even better.
Guide to Markets, Fairs & Festivals in New Zealand (Spring 2006-Winter 2007)
By Jennifer Connolly
www.festivalsmarketsfairs.co.nz, $13.90 (may be more in shops)
This is the second edition of a guide that Jennifer Connolly put together after frequently discovering that some event she wanted to attend had already happened.
Its 72 pages offer a comprehensive list of market days and festivals - I couldn't identify any that have been missed out - in all parts of the country.
The Kaiaua Seabird Coast Wine & Food Festival which I really enjoy is there (February 25).
So is the Blackball Sausage Festival which I want to attend this year (November 4). And the Hokonui Moonshiners Festival in Gore which has invited me along to next year's celebrations (February 24).
There are also farmers' markets, craft shows, film festivals, dance festivals, A&P shows and everything else you could ever want to see.
Hot Springs of New Zealand
By Sally Jackson
Reed Books, $27.99
This is the second edition of Sally Jackson's guide to 98 spots around the country where hot water bubbles out of the ground providing the chance for a nice, hot soak.
The Mountain Maunganui Hot Salt Water Pools in Tauranga or the Polynesian Spa in Rotorua are sophisticated pool complexes.
Others, such as the Waitangi Soda Springs near Lake Rotoehu or Kerosene Creek near Waiotapu, are little more than hot streams which have been dug out and improved a little.
Some, like Waiwera Thermal Resort and Spa or Tokaanu Thermal Pools are famous. Others, such as Te Maire Hot Springs on the way to Raglan or Sylvia Flats Hot Springs near Lewis Pass, are known only to locals. But all are well worth a visit.
New Zealand Skiing and Snowboarding
By Rex Gould
Reed Books, $24.99
A comprehensive, yet compact, guide to the 31 best spots New Zealand has to offer for skiing, snowboarding and crosscountry skiing.
All the busy, well-equipped commercial fields are there as well as the quieter, less developed ski club slopes and the main heli-skiing areas.
For each field, as well as a general description and some nice photos, Gould provides advice on how to get there, how to get in touch, details of the facilities and terrain ratings.
I'm no skier but my resident expert commented, "It's pretty thorough."
If you want to expand your horizons beyond Ruapehu, or maybe go on a skiing tour of the South Island, this is the ideal guide.
Best Things To See And Do In New Zealand
By Peter Janssen
Hodder Moa, $39.99
Peter Janssen's list of the best things to do in New Zealand is a comprehensive catalogue of the country's most interesting buildings, places and events. Sure, there's room for quibbles about what's in and what's out, but there's no denying that he's done a thorough job and provided plenty of interest for all.
My biggest problem is the absence of a set of maps to show where the various places are (for instance, that the Devonport Ferry leads to the Navy Museum and the North Head Historic Reserve).
That's not helped by some slightly idiosyncratic listings (for example, Waipoua Kauri Forest is listed under Tane Mahuta and Friends).
Still, buy this and the touring atlas and you should be able to track down just about everything worth seeing between Cape Reinga and Stewart Island.
Hidden Gems of Northland
By Martin Robinson
Reed Books, $29.99
Perhaps because I lived up north for 10 years I've always considered Northland to be a fascinating place which should attract a lot more tourists - international and domestic - than it does.
Go up the west coast and back down the east and you'll find unique attractions like Matakohe Kauri Museum, Bayly's Beach, the giant kauri of Waipoua, the view from the South Head of Hokianga Harbour, the Rawene-Kohukohu ferry, the sandhills of Mitimiti, Whangape Harbour, Ninety Mile Beach, Cape Reinga, Matai Bay, Mangonui, Whangaroa Harbour, Marsden Cross, Waitangi, the Bay of Islands, Kawiti Caves, the Poor Knights Islands ... and a whole lot more besides.
If you've got a month to spare - or, more realistically, a series of weekends - Martin Robinson has provided a remarkably comprehensive tour guide to the highways and the byways of the north.
It does suffer from the absence of an index but it's still a great guide.
New Boots in New Zealand
By Gillian Orrell
Exisle Publishing, $35
Pommy sheila abandons the corporate life in London, heads for New Zealand, takes up tramping, completes the nine great walks and writes a book about it. Yes, I was rather put off by the concept, but the result is a rather good introduction to what it's like doing the Tongariro circuit, the Abel Tasman coastal path or the Raikura track.
Tramping's tribulations - blisters, over-friendly trampers, unreliable weather, pesky kids - and jubilations - great camaraderie, magnificent views, interesting places and great huts - are told with humour and enthusiasm.
New Zealand: A Natural World Revealed
By Tui de Roy and Mark Jones
David Bateman, $59.99
This isn't so much a guide book as an introduction to New Zealand's wonderful wildlife.
It includes essays on the environment and some pictures of landscapes. But the focus is the stunning photography of our birds and reptiles.
A series on the kiwi - including one delightful photo which seems to show our national symbol laughing - is outstanding.
Equally superb is a series on the even more endangered kakapo, particularly one extraordinary photo which shows a kakapo climbing through a bush in search of food, its wings extended to show off the patterns of its plumage.
If you need something to inspire you to go and see these glorious creatures in the wild - Tiritiri Matangi would be a good place to start - this book should do it.
New Zealand From Above
By David Wall and Philip Temple
New Holland, $59.99
Flying is often a great way to get a feel for what a country is really like. Driving down motorways in a car you could easily think New Zealand was largely built-up. From the air you can see the vast expenses of wilderness crying out to be explored.
David Wall, I suspect, actually prefers this aerial view. He has made over 100 flights in New Zealand alone over the past 10 years to capture it on film.
The result is a bird's eye perspective on our beautiful land with 140 scenes from Cape Reinga to Bluff covering beaches, farmland, rivers, mountains, towns and cities.
Sounds like a great idea? Well it is, but this is not the best execution of it. Firstly, there are too many pictures crammed into the 144 pages with some strange juxtaposition and too much repetition: it looks like Wall only has a pass to fly at midday.
Secondly, the picture quality is not consistent, with incorrect exposure or bad scanning.
With an opportunity to showcase our unique landscape one would expect superb images that are left to speak for themselves.
Unfortunately, New Zealand From Above does not fly quite high enough.
The would-be holidaymaker was left in tears after an automated form bungled her info.