Also known by its Maori name, Te Apiti, Manawatu is often called New Zealand's most beautiful playground. The park, which is a 20-minute drive from Palmerston North, is a wonderland of native bush for hiking, mountain biking, horse trekking and swimming. The Manawatu Track is a 10-kilometre one-way trail. Check the Department of Conservation for any closures that Mother Nature may have made to the bush track. There are plenty of shorter loop tracks to be enjoyed. Look for the six-metre-tall sculpture of the Maori chief, Whatonga, which is set among the trees.