The All Blacks perform the haka (Phil Walter/Getty Images)

NEW ZEALAND – or Aotearoa as the Maoris call it – is a fabulous country to visit.

It is a land with many links to Britain, going as far back as the early 19th Century when migrants began arriving from Scotland.

Yet there is no doubt you are in a very different nation with a strong, indigenous culture, magnificent countryside and an increasing sense of its own appeal.

The country is epitomised by its famous rugby team, the All Blacks.

Rugby defines New Zealand – fans live and breathe the game here.

Woe betide you if you are drawn into a discussion about the sport and you don’t know your first five-eight from your openside flanker!

Next year the British & Irish Lions return to New Zealand for a 10-match tour, with fun, high spirits and camaraderie guaranteed.

A Lions tour of New Zealand, the rugby world champions, represents a special experience.

New Zealand puts on its ‘best clothes’ when the Lions visit.

Visitors experience the warmth of a hospitable nation which is only too happy to share its wealth of beautiful countryside and stunning coastline, and which has an ever-growing reputation for the quality of its home-grown food and drink.

Its friendliness is perhaps New Zealand’s defining, outstanding feature.

Clearly aimed at the dedicated rugby fan, this is a special trip but you don’t have to be a rugby diehard to enjoy the special atmosphere.

Plans are well under way to make next year’s tour special with fan zones, rugby trails, a virtual rugby club and special events for visitors geared around Lions fixtures.

Then there’s the countryside and cities. The sub-tropical climate of Auckland and the north of the North Island makes the rugby season a bit less dreich than Murrayfield in February.

Travelling to the south of the South Island Dunedin, as the name suggests, has many historical links with Edinburgh.

A vineyard near Waipara, in North Canterbury, New Zealand (Getty Images)

The Lions tour takes place from June 3 to July 8, 2017 and involves 10 matches in major towns across the country, from sub-tropical Whangarei, the largest city Auckland, Hamilton, Rotorua, and the capital, Wellington, all on the North Island, down to Christchurch and Dunedin on South Island.

Travelling between these venues will take you to some wonderful places.

New Zealand is about much more than just its cities, though.

From Whangarei you can get to fabulous beaches and the beautiful Bay of Islands. Close to Hamilton lies Hobbiton, the setting for The Lord of the Rings movies. Nearby Rotorua is a centre for outdoor adventure, where you’ll find active geysers and hot pools.

Wellington has a vibrant cultural life based around the newly-revamped harbour front, as well as the impressive Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa www.tepapa.govt.nz.

Just over the mountains in the Wairarapa area is the village of Martinborough with its wonderful boutique wineries and restaurants.

South Island has fewer people but the countryside is even more rugged, with alpine skiing popular, and you’ll find extensive National Parks and hiking trails.

Road toaward Mount Cook, New Zealand (Getty Images)

Christchurch has significantly recovered from the earthquake of 2011 and is reinventing itself.

Aside from its beaches and coastline, it’s also a great touring centre.

In Dunedin, Scots will immediately feel at home looking at grand Victorian buildings with echoes of Edinburgh.

Then, of course, there’s Queenstown, the centre of all things adventurous in NZ.

All in all, there is a wonderful mix of mountain, wilderness, rolling farmland and seascape in which to enjoy the great NZ outdoors, from fishing and whale watching to seeking out the elusive kiwi.

Near the Bay of Islands lies the Waitangi Treaty Grounds where New Zealand’s founding document was signed.