New Zealand is achingly beautiful. So beautiful, in fact, that Hobbits decided to call it home. But what those furry-feeted lot are missing out on is ripping around their back garden on the epic gravel roads that shroud the postcard-worthy landscape in rally cars. Luckily, there is one Kiwi resident that is: Hyundai’s WRC driver Hayden Paddon.

Being quite adept at thrashing rally cars around on gravel roads, he’s started his own YouTube series showcasing the epicness of New Zealand with the help of a Hyundai i20 AP4 – basically, a cheaper, R5-type rally car used in Australia and New Zealand.

As you can see from the two videos here, Hayden Paddon uses his top-flight rallying skills to jump, drift and doughnut his way through the landscape. Part one sees him skim the waters of Lake Wanaka and snake through some private gravel roads on Minaret Station – a hidden South Island gem that’d get Instagrammers giddy with excitement. Part two is a hill climb up the Cardrona Ski Field access road – a 13km gravel ascent in the South Island of New Zealand that has more than a whiff of Pikes Peak to it.

Check them out for yourselves, then let us know what you think below. We all know YouTube collaborations are popular, so should Hayden team up with Ken Block? We have to admit, we’d love to see that. Wouldn’t you?