Before you launch into responsibility-free fun in New Zealand, you’ll need to get some adult stuff out of the way first. Organise a pet (or plant) sitter, hand all your unfinished work over to your poor colleagues and, most importantly, sort out your payment plan. With an HSBC Everyday Global Account, you can have up to ten currencies (including NZD) preloaded so you can use your Visa Debit Card for all purchases and ATM withdrawals. The best part? You won’t be stung with international transaction fees.

Queenstown’s town centre is small enough to get around on foot. Many hotels and tour companies run complimentary shuttles to popular landmarks, and the public buses are also pretty reliable and affordable. But for total flexibility to reach the ski fields, wineries and other attractions out of town, we recommend hiring a car.

You’ll smell it before you see it — a rich, sweet smell that’ll immediately make your mouth water. Patagonia was established in 2005, first as a handcrafted chocolate shop before expanding into artisanal ice cream and house-roasted coffee. Visit the Queenstown outpost for a scoop of the award-winning tramontana flavour, with dulce de leche swirls.

Skyline Queenstown may scream ‘tourist trap’, but this is one of those rare instances where it actually delivers on the hype. Of course, much of that has to do with the jaw-dropping vistas you’ll witness as you zoom up to Bob’s Peak in the gondola. From there, you can try paragliding, bungee jumping, ziplining or the luge (fun for all ages!), or conquer the Ben Lomond summit.