I found the official tourist board website quite useful when I went. The usual guidebooks were pretty good too, we used Lonely Planet and Frommers.

Depends on what sort of person she is. If her and her dh are into adventure, then I would recommend you look at queenstown in the South Island. I can give a huge personal recommendation to black water rafting which even the decidedly unathletic dh enjoyed.

Wine and vineyards are everywhere, most of them do food as well. Some of the best places I've eaten have been restaurants in the middle of vineyards, complete with a very local wine.

In the South Island the best bets are whale watching or if they want to go down as far a Dunedin they can see the only mainland nesting site of albatross in the workld. you don't need an organised tour

For sheer spectacular they have to go to Rotorua but just be aware that the place always has a faint sulphurous smell.

If you can get into London, the New Zealand High Commission in Haymarket, has lots of freebees, including a booklet with accomodation ranging from 5 star hotels to campsites, sorted by town and island, invaluable if you're touring around.

I really loved Queenstown, there were loads of trips to do, and exciting (and dangerous) activities. We flew to Milford Sound, which I loved but my husband hated because it was a little 6 seater plane. You can also take a coach, and the most popular thing is to take a coach one way (about 4 hours) and fly the other way (about 45 mins) so that you get to see the scenery. I also really loved the glaciers, we stayed at Fox glacier, we took a helicoptor trip that went 'round Mt Cook and landed at the top of the glacier so we could get out and walk around. Also the drive between Queenstown and the glaciers was astonishingly beautiful, and there was hardly any traffic.

Rotorua was interesting, but 2 nights would be enough time there. I thought the museum was particularly good, and it's worth splashing out on a motel with a spa bath in the room. We stayed in Christchurch but found it a bit boring. Auckland was quite nice, but it was only interesting because they were doing the America's Cup at the time.

If I were going again I would try to visit Te Anau (way down south) and the Bay of Islands (in the north), and the Marlborough Sounds area.

We stayed in some really nice, comfortable places and in some so-so places (not bad, just not special) but they were all very affordable. I can't remember all the places, but I can look them up if you like.

charliecat - what time of the year is your sister looking at going as this will alter what is available due to the season ie. in the middle of winter it is going to be pretty cold in Queenstown for whitewater rafting although people still do it and the prices of accomodation in certain places will vary depending on the season.