as I found out to my cost when I ended up ankle-deep in water that wasn’t very warm at all. New Zealand is that rare thing: a
country as blessed with natural beauty as it is cultural heritage, and much more besides. It might have made its name through adventure – and as the birthplace of the bungee, justifiably so – but it’s as easy to tailor to culture-loving travellers, and those who want peace and quiet (albeit interrupted by the occasional seal colony) along its shores.
w ADVENTURE Best for adrenaline: There’s a reason gap-year students make a beeline for adventure capital Queenstown: from the world’s first commercial bungee jump on Kawarau Bridge to 360-degree jet-boat spins on the Shotover River, this is a hub for anything that gets the heart pounding, with canyon swings, caving and canyoning all adding to the mix. There are numerous options on North Island too, whether zorbing in Waitomo, having a go at black-water rafting (like white-water, but in the pitch-darkness of a cave), or scaling dizzying heights on the Auckland Bridge Climb. Contiki’s 19-day Big Tiki trip ticks off
New Zealand
many of these, along with parasailing through the Bay of Islands, white- water rafting in Rotorua, and a quad- bike tour (from £1,835 land-only). Best for nature: Standing atop the icy- blue expanse of the Fox or Franz Josef Glaciers, it’s hard to believe you’re still on Earth – there are no visible footsteps, no obvious flora or fauna, and no people save other intrepid explorers just as awestruck as you. It’s not as out-of-reach as it sounds, however: Do Something Different has a heli-hike on Fox Glacier priced from £220. Yet New Zealand has natural beauty
at every turn: its 14 national parks boast 11,500sq miles of jaw-dropping scenery; the volcanic landscapes around Rotorua house boiling mud pools and steaming geysers; and wildlife ranges from whales off the Kaikoura coast to yellow-eyed penguins in the Otago Peninsula. Best for activity: Those natural landscapes lend themselves to activity too, inspiring even the laziest traveller to strap on hiking boots or a bike helmet. Day treks abound, but the Tongariro Alpine Crossing is one of the most mesmerising, bringing hikers face-to-face with the other-worldly scenery that earned New Zealand its
starring role as the backdrop to The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Alternatively, saddle up in a
side-by-side tandem bike to follow ancient Maori pathways through the countryside. Local provider Forgotten World Adventures has put together routes along 19th-century bridle paths, through tunnels and over bridges to explore landscapes barely touched by tourists (from £68 for a day).
w BEACH Best for surfing: Visitors don’t fly all the way to New Zealand to laze about on the beach, but that doesn’t mean they can’t spare some time for the islands’ rugged coastlines. Piha Beach is a stretch of black sand, 45 minutes west of Auckland, that is marked at either end by jagged cliffs. It offers some of the best surfing on the island, with schools catering to the most advanced as well as beginners. Nearby Muriwai and Raglan are equally impressive, while Mount Maunganui in the Bay of Plenty boasts a laid-back surfer vibe. Down in the South Island, Dunedin has the most breaks within a small area, and the beaches just north of Christchurch feature surfing and water sports aplenty. Best for scenery: As a relatively small
LEFT: The Shotover Jet BELOW: Tongariro Alpine Crossing
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travelweekly.co.uk 30 June 2016
PICTURES: TOURISM NEWZEALAND; ROB SUISTED; ADAM BRYCE; TOURISM EASTLAND; TRAFALGAR
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