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DESTINATIONS NEW ZEALAND AUSTRALASIA


with carbon dioxide, and is rich with minerals – including millions of dollars’ worth of gold, no less. Look out, too, for the emerald-green Devil’s Bath, the ever-bubbling Inferno Crater – the sound of which doubled as Mordor’s Mount Doom in The Lord of The Rings films – and the other-worldly valley filled with fumaroles venting steam into the air. If that leaves visitors open-mouthed


ASK THE EXPERT


Angela Waite, head of sales and commercial, APT For a small country, New Zealand certainly packs in lots to see, do and experience. Its distance from the UK often warrants it ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ status, so travellers inevitably want to cover as many sights as possible. To help clients get the most out of their trip, make sure you’re clear on the important things they want to experience. They may not come to you with the intention of booking an escorted tour, but if they want a great-value, hassle- free holiday that combines culture, nature, the great outdoors and good food and wine, with the chance to travel with like- minded people, then it’s going to have high appeal.


at the mysteries of Mother Nature, descending deep into the Waitomo Caves (home of the famous glow worms) will complete the picture. It’s one of New Zealand’s oldest tourist attractions, drawing travellers for 125 years and, like Wai-o-Tapu, owned and run by the Maori people of the area. The first level down is impressive enough – all smooth limestone walls, dwarf-like stalagmites rising from the ground and stalactites hanging from the ceiling like grotesque chandeliers. When our guide stopped at the cave’s highest point, the 13-metre-tall cathedral, to sing an echoing version of Maori song Pokarekare Ana, it was enough to send chills up the spine. Yet the best was still to come in


the water-filled depths of the cave. Filing onto boats in complete silence (any noise can agitate the gnat-like creatures and force them to expend unnecessary energy), we looked up to see the glow worms shining overhead like a ceiling of stars. The clusters of


Filing onto boats in complete silence, we looked up to see the glow worms shining overhead like a ceiling of stars


tiny white pinpricks of light – some strong enough to be reflected in the water around us, others gradually dimming into the darkness – are yet


another reminder that New Zealand’s natural assets are still its biggest selling point. The man-made attractions have


ABOVE: Waitomo Caves


LEFT: Hobbiton


120 travelweekly.co.uk 25 January 2018


their own appeal; the touristy but brilliantly-executed Hobbiton movie set, for example, draws hundreds of visitors each day, but manages to stay charming rather than cheesy, entertaining with behind-the-scenes stories of filming and a chance to step inside one of the specially-built hobbit holes. Yet it’s the epic scale of these tiny islands that really sticks in the memory, proving a trip here need not be adrenaline-filled to feel like an adventure. Getting there: Singapore Airlines has four daily flights from Heathrow to Singapore and seven services a week from Singapore to Auckland. Economy fares start at £1,015 from London to Auckland, for bookings by March 31. singaporeair.com Book it: APT’s 26-day New Zealand Splendour tour travels from Christchurch to Auckland (or vice versa), including stops at Lake Tekapo, Dunedin, Milford Sound, Queenstown, Franz Josef Glacier, Wellington, Napier, Rotorua and the Bay of Islands. Prices start at £6,795 per person based on a May 2 departure, and includes flights, accommodation, transfers and 37 meals. Highlight experiences include a stay at Te Waonui Forest Retreat, a journey on the TranzAlpine train, a wine-paired dinner, Maori hangi feast and a catamaran cruise to Cape Brett. aptouring.co.uk


PICTURES: TOURISM NEWZEALAND/SHAUN JEFFERS; SARA ORME


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