The Lakes District region is the heartland of New Zealand. It's bordered to the west by Fiordland National Park, which encompasses 10% of New Zealand's land mass. Fiordland contains a mass of snowcapped, glacial mountains and spectacular fiords, including the world famous Milford, Doubtful and Dusky Sounds. This World Heritage Status Park takes in vast areas of virgin forest with a myriad of lakes and rivers and some of the world's most renowned walking tracks.
This region was the location for much of the filming of "The Lord of the Rings" and is frequently used as a background in international television advertising. Here the heritage of gold mining and farming sit comfortably alongside a world-class wine industry. The vineyards and wineries of Central Otago are the same distance from Wyuna Preserve as the wineries of Napa and Sonoma Valley are from San Francisco. Many offer award-winning wines, the Pinot Noir, in particular, constantly rated as among the best in the world.
A year round destination, Central Otago offers some of the best skiing in the Southern Hemisphere in the winter months. Here you can ski in the morning, play golf in the afternoon, then dine at one of the many world-class restaurants in the evening. Come summer the lake and surrounding wilderness offer a myriad of recreational opportunities. This is one of the most desirable places to live on the globe.