New Zealand (South Island) is home to the most stunning landscapes I have ever encountered. We rented a car and spent 8 nights checking out South Island. We barely made a dent (thankfully we didn't dent the car while concentrating on driving on the left) in the country, but we enjoyed every minute of it. The people, the food and the scenery made this one of our favorite stops on the trip. Our trip was toward the end of October, spring in New Zealand. It was also lamb season, with hundreds of thousands baby lambs jumping through the pastures in search of their mothers. The snow was still evident in many places, though sadly not at the ski areas.