By Jules Older

I’m a YanKiwi, a dual American-New Zealand citizen. Born and raised in Baltimore, I’ve lived in Vermont, New York and California. Oh, and in Dunedin and Auckland; Dunedin’s near the bottom of New Zealand’s South Island; Auckland’s high on the North Island.

I tell you this because I know visiting New Zealand’s already on your bucket list; I want to help move it to the top. And I want to maximize your pleasures while you’re here.

So: Three Don’ts, Three Do’s and a bunch of Must-do’s. Let’s start with the Don’ts

1. Don’t make the mistake many American visitors make before they board the plane. Unless you have a month or more, don’t visit New Zealand and Australia on the same trip.

Wanting to do that is understandable — they’re a lonnng way from home, and visiting both knocks off two birds with one flight.

But they’re two separate countries, and they’re more than 1,000 miles apart. They’re also bigger than you think. Australia is roughly the size of the USA, and while New Zealand’s much smaller, like Italy and California, it’s long and skinny. In the south, fjords, glaciers, snow-capped peaks. Head north to endless beaches, swaying palms, sub-tropical clime.

2. While you’re here, don’t ignore official warnings.

Storm warnings, fire warnings, wave warnings, earthquake and flood warnings — take them seriously. New Zealanders are civilized; the land we inhabit is wild. Treat it with respect.

3. Don’t confuse North America’s calendar and geography with New Zealand’s.

July and August are mid-winter. January through March is summer. Heat sweeps down from the equator; cold blows up from the South Pole. Our South Island is chillier than the North.

That’s it for Don’ts. Time for the Do’s.

1. First one’s easy: Since you’re only visiting one country, should it be Australia or New Zealand?

For natural beauty, high adventure and the most welcoming indigenous people on the planet — choose New Zealand.

2. While in New Zealand, go to a rugby match.

Ideally, make that a women’s rugby match. Even more ideally, rugby women’s sevens. What you’ll see: Seven players on a side, skillfully pounding each other up during two seven-minute halves. For viewers, it’s the best contact sport on Earth.

3. Learn a little Maori.

You’ll hear it on the news, read it in magazines, overhear it dropped into casual conversation. A few key words and phrases:

Kia ora: Hello

Haere mai: Welcome

Kia kaha: Be brave

Kai: Food

Koha: gift

Iwi: tribe

Marae: the iwi’s gathering place

Hui: gatherings

Whanau: family

Aroha: love

The nation itself has two names: New Zealand (after a flat Dutch province) and Aotearoa; feel free to use both.

While you’re here, acquaint yourself with Maoridom. Rotorua is the tourism centre for Maori history, exhibits and experiences (along with hot pools, geysers and thermal baths). Waitangi is where the treaty was signed between iwi and the English crown. And the marae is where hui are held. If you’re lucky enough to be invited, dress for a sacred ceremony, and bring a koha, usually a cash gift to help pay for the kai you’ll be served. Don’t smoke, do take off your shoes, and be prepared to introduce yourself, starting with where you’re from.

What else to see and do? Depending on what you like, here’s my Must-do list.

• Study native birds? See kiwis at Kiwi Encounteron Stewart Island, the National Kiwi Hatchery in Rotorua, Rotoroa Island near Auckland and Kāpiti Island Nature Reserve north of Wellington. Meet cheeky keas at Monkey Creek and high on Mt Cook. Visit the rare takahe on Tiritiri Matangi Island, penguins and albatross on Otago Peninsula.
• Looking for adventure? Try jumping from high places: off the Kawarau Bridge (where bungy jumping originated), in Queenstown, off the Auckland Harbour Bridge, from Auckland’s Sky Tower. Other New Zealand adrenaline rushes: Kayaking, canyoneering, mountain biking, skiing and tramping (hiking) our world-famous trails.
• Museum hopping? Te Papa in Wellington, Auckland Art Gallery, Auckland War Memorial Museum, Gibbs Farm in Kaipara Harbour, the Len Lye Centre in New Plymouth and the amazing Hundertwasser Art Centre up north in Whangarei.
• Food and drink? The wine regions of Central Otago and Marlboro, plus the lesser-known vineyards of Hawkes Bay and Northland.
• Tales to take back home? Hobbiton, Waitomo Caves, Ninety Mile Beach, Franz Josef Glacier, Milford Sound.

OK, my final piece of advice. If you can, fly Air New Zealand. It’s just been named the world’s best airline — and not for the first time. If you can afford it, bounce yourself up to Premium Economy or Business Class. New Zealand’s a multi-hour flight from North America; your body will thank you for the upgrade.

Jules Older is a travel & ski writer, clinical psychologist, medical educator, and maker of minimovies.