In New Zealand you're never more than 74 miles from the coast. As you may imagine, in the South Island which has mountain ranges, you will often be within visual distance of both sea and mountains. It is possible to ski in the morning and surf the afternoon! The landscape here is dramatic and incredibly beautiful. There are no dangerous animals - though we do have a the katipo (a relative of the black widow) but they are rare and you are unlikely to come across one. However, as wonderful as the landscape is, hiking in it requires knowledge and good outdoor skills, as the conditions can change quickly - especially the river levels. We do have fantastic SAR teams though, if you do get into grief.
This is where I live (more or less where the white dot is) at the beginning of the 20km long Otago Peninsula.
You can cycle trails on the peninsula like this.
And I work at this University.
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