1. The Flying Fox, Whanganui, lower North Island
Want to stay at a remote location with no road access? To get to The Flying Fox you can either hop aboard a river taxi and wend your way through Whanganui National Park, or rattle over the river by flying fox (a suspiciously rickety-looking aerial cableway). Eco-friendly and earthy is the order of the day here – there are waterless toilets, solar heating and slow-food meals, and the cottages (built with recycled materials) are set within an organic orchard. Stay in the James K cottage, named for New Zealand's controversial beardy poet James K Baxter, and take a guided canoe journey along the Whanganui River, once an important transport route for Maori and early European settlers.
theflyingfox.co.nz; doubles from $70 (£27)
2. The Wheelhouse, Nelson
Tucked up in Nelson's Port Hills, the Wheelhouse is made up of five lodgings in four separate buildings, each of which has sweeping views over Tasman Bay. The décor is nautical-themed, but sensibly so - the occasional tasteful bit of boaty ropework, rather than floor-to-ceiling anchor wallpaper. An honesty shop operates out of a tiny shed below one of the buildings, where guests can buy the owner's quirky, handmade pottery seagulls. Set aside at least one evening to spend on the deck, watching the sun set across the bay over a cold glass of local sauvignon blanc.
wheelhouse.nelson.co.nz; doubles from $130 (£51)
3. Port William hut, Rakiura National Park, Stewart Island
New Zealand's Department of Conservation huts run the gamut from fairly basic to "surely that's a garden shed?" But when you've spent a day roaming over hills and along the coastline of Stewart Island's Rakiura track, they can look like the most inviting places on earth, and some of the locations would shame a five-star retreat. In Kiwi hut terms, those in the Great Walk category are the most comfortable, and the Port William hut boasts the luxury of mattresses, toilets, a water supply and heating. Stewart Island (Rakiura in Maori) is a twitcher's paradise, so you can begin your day with a dawn chorus of native birds and, if you time it right (June-August), end it by experiencing the stunning display of the Southern Lights (Aurora Australis).
doc.govt.nz/templates/hutprofile.aspx?id=38255; from $10pp (£4)
4. Woodlyn Park, Waitomo, central North Island
New Zealanders are rightly proud of the country's impressively varied scenery showcased in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, and thanks to Jackson dismantling all the on-location sets, the films have avoided turning the country into a tacky theme park. But if you've travelled halfway across the world in the hopes of experiencing life as a hobbit, all is not lost. Strap on a cloak, and get yourself over to Woodlyn Park, where you can stay in your very own hobbit-hole, gaze out of the round windows from underneath the grassy roof and think about poor JRR, slowly rotating in his grave. Woodlyn Park also offers accommodation within a 1950's rail car, a refurbished Bristol freighter plane or the former second world war patrol boat Motunui, now renamed the Waitanic.
woodlynpark.co.nz; doubles from $130 (£51)
5. Birds Ferry lodge, Westport
The west coast of the South Island is wild, rugged and perfect for all those outdoor activities the locals seem to delight in – hurling themselves from rocks etc. But sometimes you just want to sit around, bobbing around in a pool of warm water and generally being pampered. Birds Ferry Lodge is well-placed to help you accomplish a high level of self-indulgence – they offer holistic massage therapy ($45 (£17) for 30 minutes), a dinner menu featuring local beef and freshly caught crayfish and whitebait, a drool-inducing wine list and an outdoor spa pool overlooking some of the lodge's 33 acres of bush. Admittedly, the interior of the place is slightly reminiscent of a large Scandinavian sauna, but you'll be spending most of your time lolling in bed or eating, so it's unlikely to overly concern you.
birdsferrylodge.co.nz; from $200 (£78)
6. Circa60, Martinborough, lower North Island
The cliché about New Zealand being like Britain in the 50s is still dragged out every now and then, and while it's largely inaccurate these days, it must be said that there's a grain of truth in there, often when it comes to the design standards of budget accommodation. Circa60, on the other hand, actively embraces retro fittings and furnishings - the house, which sleeps up to 10 people, is a retro brick-and-glass chalet-style affair, kitted out in stylish design wonders of the mid-20th century, from the in-house bar and wood-veneer cupboards to the selection of vintage books, games and music. It's located in Martinborough, one of the country's top wine regions, so you can spend the day wandering around vineyards in a pleasant fuddle, tasting local drops and buying bottles as you go, then retire to retro-land for a nice game of Yahtzee.
circa60.co.nz; from $90pp (£35) based on four sharing
7. Black Fern lodge, Te Kuiti, central North Island
Let's be under no illusions – Te Kuiti is far from a hotbed of glamour. But it's a great place to get back to nature, and the Black Fern lodge is well placed for all the region's activities - the Otorohanga bird park and kiwi house is nearby, as are the Waitomo Caves, where you can abseil, cave-walk or go blackwater rafting through silent, pitch-black underground grottoes. The lodge has rooms finished in native timber, with a water supply from its own natural spring, and the Woolshed Hut, a proper big old barn of a place, has a huge wooden table, bunks for 16 people and a verandah perfect for enjoying a cold beer after a day's activities. The onsite cookhouse has a bar made from a giant tree trunk and you can walk off your dinner with a nighttime ramble, lit by glowworms.
tourism.net.nz from $30pp (£12)
8. Lake Hawea Station, Central Otago, lower South Island
In Black Sheep, a Kiwi comedy/horror film released last year, genetic engineering turns benign sheep into bloodthirsty killers that rampage around a New Zealand farm. It's possibly best to skip watching this if you're heading to Lake Hawea Station, a working sheep farm with a flock of 10,000 woolly Merinos. Realistically, those cuddly-looking bleaters are unlikely to turn on you when night falls, so you're free to enjoy your cosy cottage with its wood fire and views of the mountains and lake (the fishing around here is challenging but top-notch). The cottages are converted 1900s musterers' huts, perfect for indulging your inner longing for simple living (albeit with a few mod cons) and gazing out on the wide open spaces.
lakehaweastation.co.nz doubles from $160 (£62)
9. Adrift in Golden Bay, Tukurua, Nelson
Adrift is set in the curve of Golden Bay on the doorstep of Abel Tasman National Park. Staying in a self-contained building with a kingsize bed and double hydrotherapy spa bath, surrounded by trees and just a few seconds' walk from a private beach might sound like the sort of treat only available to the chubby-of-wallet, but it could cost you less than the price of a dingy chain hotel room off the M4. There are three cottages and a studio, breakfast hampers are included in the price and at some times of year you'll see dolphins swim past in the bay and penguins waddling up the beach (the owners also raise penguin chicks in nesting boxes).
Adrift; studio from $97 (£38) per night for two, cottage from $135 per night for two (£53)
10. Your own campervan, everywhere
A campervan is the perfect accommodation for a constant change of scenery - there's no daily checkout, no chamber-staff bursting in mid-snooze, and you can throw the TV out the window without being escorted from the premises. But until now you ran the risk of being forced to park up for the night in a grubby alleyway in Palmerston North; hardly food for the soul. A new operation, the Native Parks motorhome havens network, has 77 prime locations available for overnighting – from wineries, galleries, farms and lifestyle blocks to country restaurants. So you can spend the night in great surroundings, interact with the local site owners and even partake of their various wares.
nativeparks.co.nz; a two-year membership of the network costs $70 (£28)