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Last year, in preparation for a wanderlust-sating trip to Eastern Europe, I asked the wanderlusts among our readers about the wildest places they had been. We got some great replies — McMurdo Station in Antarctica, Namibia’s Skeleton Coast and the unforgiving wilds of Burma, to name just a few — but because my trip to Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary never materialized, they did nothing but aggravate my desire to travel to far-flung places.
In a few weeks, we’ll finally be remedying that. It’s not as unusual a destination as it once was, perhaps, but according to friends who’ve been there recently, that makes it no less spectacular: New Zealand. Over the past few days I’ve read the Lonely Planet guidebook cover to cover (I love those things — sometimes I even buy them for places I’m not going, just to fantasize), and I’ve been trying to sort through the five billion things there are to do, see, hike on, jump off (or out) of, rappel into, and swim in to try and fit everything into what now seem like two woefully inadequate weeks in country. And I need your help!
What’s unmissable? What’s unusual? What’s the coolest thing you’ve seen or done in NZ?
In the meantime, all I’ve got to go on is my dry old guidebook. So far, it’s got me thinking you’d all be wise to take out an insurance policy on my life right about now — apparently Kiwis have a zeal for more than just land — they also love to throw themselves off of bridges and out of planes, fly down slot canyons in jetboats at breakneck speed, and roll down grassy knolls inside plastic balls. It’s called zorbing (and it’s actually quite safe):
Also, I’m starting to think my wife is going to ask me to jump out of a plane — does anyone care to share their skydiving or bungee jumping stories with the rest of us?
(Above photo of NZ’s Great Barrier Island by Doug Dillaman, a friend of mine in Auckland.)
Comments (22)
Comment
Well definitely make sure you spend time in Queenstown, its pretty much the extreme sports capital of the world. The best bungee jumping is around there too, which I highly recommend. I’ve heard its better than skydiving, but thats up for you to try/decide.
posted by Keith Miller on 3-31-2008 at 12:01 pm
My wife and I went to NZ on our honeymoon and it was fantastic. Queenstown is great for extreme sports. Bungee jumping was invented there! From there, take a day trip to Milford Sound. There’s an underwater observatory that’s great and boat rides to the ocean.
For something more simple and meditative, go to Lake Tekapo. The lake is gorgeous and the Church of the Good Shepherd on the shore is quite scenic. Plus, it’s a short drive away from Mount Cook National Park.
posted by Peter C. on 3-31-2008 at 12:34 pm
While I’ve never been there myself, a good friend is a native Kiwi, and according to him and his family, as long as you’re in the neighborhood, you shouldn’t miss Fiji. Yeah, I know; it’s not like it’s a place you can drive to on NZ, but like he says; as long as you’re in the neighborhood…
posted by Dave on 3-31-2008 at 12:39 pm
Skydiving was incredibly fun. I did it one weekend with my roommate in college–figured it was the only time I really had to do it, before obligations to life and what not built up.
I’d describe it as a series of “Point of No Returns.” We’re in Madison, but were doing the jump outside of Chicago. So my initial deposit in Madison, point of no return.
Getting on the bus to go to Chicago-point of no return.
Making final payment in Chicago-point of no return.
Having “skydiving lessons” in which the instructor basically laughed at how scared we’d be-point of no return.
As we got closer and closer to the jump time, the “point of no returns” came faster and faster.
Getting in suit - point of no return.
Getting on plane - point of no return.
Strapping in to instructor (tandem jump) - point of no return.
Plane taking off - point of no return.
Plane surpassing 10,000 feet - point of no return.
Each point of no return, your stomach drops a little, realizing what’s about to happen.
I’m second in line. Person in front of me has a photographer who non-chalantly flings herself out of the plane.
Person in front of me goes. My instructor starts walking me toward the edge of the plane. My knees are sticking out of the perfectly good plane, looking down 12,000 feet. I don’t want to go. Luckily the person strapped to my back makes me go. 3-2-1. Fall.
I actually blacked out during the first like 10 seconds. I come to, and I’m hurtling toward the earth at 100 mph. All I can really do is let out a huge profanity as we keep hurtling.
After about 2 minutes, the ripcord is pulled and I sail down toward the earth. The beautiful view of sun setting over Chicago hardly registers in my head as the adrenaline slowly rushes out of my body.
Land. It was a pretty amazing experience.
posted by Kevin on 3-31-2008 at 12:51 pm
My wife and I honeymooned in an RV for 10 days around the South Island. A little zoo just North of Christchurch was a good stop. We also enjoyed the Antarctica museum in Christchurch. We did the jetboat in Queenstown, very exciting. Don’t miss Milford Sound, we went out on boat in the sound and saw the Dusky dolphins. Have a great trip!
posted by Scott on 3-31-2008 at 1:16 pm
Besides seeing many of the filming locations for ‘The Lord of the Rings’ (Yes, I will admit that’s one of the main reasons I went), the coolest thing I did was go black water rafting in the glowworm caves in Waitomo. Basically, you put on a wetsuit and a miner-type helmet with a light on it, hop on an inner tube, and travel along a river about 100 feet underground. The cave ceiling can range from a few inches above your head to 50 or 60 feet high. At one point we had to jump - backwards, in the dark - from a ledge and over a waterfall. Oh, and the whole time there are eels swimming around your legs and glowworms (aka maggots) hanging from the cave ceiling. It was an unforgettable experience!
I also recommend taking a hike on Fox Glacier, on the South Island. There are not many places in the world where you have to hike through a forest and up a rather steep mountain before setting foot on the glacier itself. Or you can be lazy and take a helicopter up to the top, and work your way down.
posted by Rebecca on 3-31-2008 at 1:21 pm
You can’t skip Rotorua; it’s got a ton of great activities of all types. On their official website, they have a list of “101 must-do’s”, but here are my top few (ok, the ones I’ve done…).
1) Go to a Marae (if you can) for a Hangi. So much cooler than your regular old luauau.
2) Go Luging (not the frozen kind either). It’s like go-carts/soap-box-derby/the-sound-of-music.
3) Hike Mt. Tarawera, I HATE hiking and I enjoyed it. You can take a four wheel drive ride up to near the summit and explore one of the huge craters. Definitely better than any ride Disney ever came up with.
4) Pohutu Geyser (no, it’s not just a geyser). Think boiling mud pits, and ground that explodes if you spit on it. The perfect place to film that swamp-creature movie parody you’ve alway wanted. Just don’t plan a nice dinner afterwards unless you LIKE everything tasting like sulphur.
posted by psychocellochica on 3-31-2008 at 1:55 pm
I spent a week in Wellington and a week in Christchurch. Wellington has some nice museums and some LOTR stuff that’s fun (the LP guide has a “red carpet” walking tour in it). I also recommend the botanical gardens and a walk through the cemetery.
Christchurch is gorgeous. The cathedral and its square are absolutely picturesque and the downtown area in general is enough to make you long to live there. Christchurch has a couple of great museums, and a lovely botanical garden with a really neat fountain and a great bonsai display.
I took the ferry from Wellington to Picton, which was a great opportunity to photograph the sound and then took a train from Picton to Christchurch, stopping in Kaikoura to catch the view. I really recommend the train ride.
My husband did NZ from top to bottom. He loved the glow worms, the bungee jumping, and the Franz Jospeh glacier. He took a helicopter ride up the glacier and hiked around and said it was incredible.
[Side note: I actually met my husband in Christchurch- we were staying in the same hostel (The Occidental- a bit of a dump, really) and hit it off. Needless to say, we both have very fond memories of Christchurch and NZ in general]
posted by Lindsay on 3-31-2008 at 1:55 pm
Never have been there but I know that if I were to be planning on going I would be memorizing the lyrics to flight of the concords songs. Also, Kevin, great description of your sky diving experience. I got a little bit nervous even reading it.
posted by Gary on 3-31-2008 at 3:13 pm
I live in Christchurch. You’re welcome to come hang out with me and I can show you round. It’s not all jumping out of things and simulating death moments here. We’ve got a dis-used quarry that’s been turned into a park, a nice port on a peninsula created by two ancient super-volcanos, a street on a hill where your car will roll uphill, the most useless pier in history, and I’m a crime reporter on the local paper so I can show you our version of “the hood” if you get bored. Drop me an email.
posted by ian on 3-31-2008 at 3:36 pm
i live in NZ it is beautiful the Hokianga in the north island is awesome wonderful beaches the south island is very green and probably prettier than the north just colder!
posted by linaznz on 3-31-2008 at 3:54 pm
Hey, like other posters, I honeymooned in NZ and it was amazing! We drove a campervan around the South Island for two weeks. The Lonely Planet guidebook is absolutely reliable when it comes to campervan parks and things to do.
My top ten recommendations, in no particular order:
1. day trip from Te Anau to Milford Sound with one of the smaller companies that lets you out of the vehicle several places along the way and then the boat trip around the sound
2. petrified forest in the Catlins
3. the signpost in Bluff
4. the tuatara, a “living dinosaur”, in the town museum in Invercargill
5. Lake Wanaka
6. Cadbury World tour in Dunedin
7. quiet cuppa looking over the harbour in Akaroa
8. the drive along Lake Wakatipu from Queenstown to Paradise
9. taking your time to explore and talk to Kiwis
10. avoiding tourist traps
Enjoy!
posted by frodopal on 3-31-2008 at 4:30 pm
Having done the W.Coast Canada - NZ flight 4 times it is bum numbing looong. Take a break in Fiji, if u can. We hooked up with a friendly taxi cab driver in Fiji who not only took us to meet his family but he proudly took us on a tour of the island’s soap factory…ah the memories
posted by MagicBoy on 3-31-2008 at 4:40 pm
Who likes to rock the party?
New Zealand likes to rock the party.
posted by Jeff on 3-31-2008 at 6:14 pm
Wow! My hubby and I honeymooned in NZ (and Australia) too! Most of this is the really touristy stuff, but you can’t go wrong with them, either.
Glow worm caves - amazing!
Rotorua - definitely check out some of spas and Kuirau Park, where you can dip your tired, aching feet in the warm spring water. We went back to that park several times and our legs felt like new after a dip.
Christchurch - some of the most beautiful gardens in the world
Definitely take the TranzScenic Train Ride through the countryside.
Franz Josef Glacier - a great hike out to the foot of the cave, you can take a helicopter ride to land on it, too.
Queenstown is a huge tourist trap, but you can enjoy bunjee jumping, take the Skyline Gondola up the mountain to take in some spectacular views. While you’re up there, be sure to do the luge ride. It’s exhilarating to be rolling down a concrete path at “full speed” knowing the cliff ends at the edge of the track.
Definitely do the Shotover Jet boat ride. If you love speed, water, wind and not wearing your seatbelt, this is for you!
And last but not least, go to Milford Sound. It’s about a 4-5 hour drive from Queenstown with the standard coach tour, but worth the long trip because you pass through the most breathtaking scenery on the way. We took a lunch boat trip on the Sound and what we didn’t do (and I wish we knew about it) was visit Underwater World. The Sound is a unique place where a layer of freshwater sits on top of the unusually shallow saltwater, which means normal deep water creatures are only meters below the surface. Sigh. Regardless, the place was beautiful. We were supposed to take a plane flight back to Queenstown, but it got cancelled due to a tailwind condition. Instead, we dished out the $$$ and took the helicopter ride back to Queenstown. And what an awesome ride it was! We even got to land on a glacier.
Here’s the most important part: No matter where you are, just take it easy, and talk to the locals. I found the Kiwis to be so incredibly friendly and they’re so helpful.
No worries!
posted by Kiki on 3-31-2008 at 9:07 pm
We don’t really jump out of things a lot here - we leave that to the visitors. As tourist attractions, those kinds of activities are usually priced beyond the reaches of ‘ordinary’ NZ families. You will, however, have a great time.
posted by Susan on 3-31-2008 at 9:53 pm
Sky diving? My experience: several hours of intense fear before you actually jump out of the plane, followed by 5 minutes of intense fun as you fall through space. Was it worth it? Yes! Would I do it again? No way!
posted by Dar on 3-31-2008 at 10:10 pm
Bah, typed a huge comment but forgot the captcha so it got lost. Doh.
Anyway, I’m from Christchurch but now living in Auckland… but I haven’t done that many of the ‘touristy’ things (despite entertaining an Englishman for a while… hmmm). I think we do take a lot for granted here too actually, especially all the scenery-type stuff.
If you do end up going for a jump (insane if you ask me) I’d go for the SkyJump - jump off the Skytower in Auckland. It’s not a bungee per say but you’re in a harness and get to jump NOT head first which is slightly more appealing!
If you want to take a ferry from Auckland Harbour skip Rangitoto Island (old volcano, boring black lava everywhere which is not pretty) and go for Waiheke Island instead.
What else… avoid Rainbow’s End - if you’ve ever been to any other theme park in the world you’ll be sorely disappointed.
You’ll probably be here too early for the ski season which sucks if you’re into that. March seems to have been far warmer than usual this year, I’m kinda aching for Autumn now…
It’s hard to know what to really tell you when I don’t know what you’re keen/not keen on but if you have any questions or anything feel free to flip me an email!
posted by Kadee on 3-31-2008 at 11:07 pm
Thanks, everyone!
Kiwi flossers — I’ll definitely be emailing you!
posted by Ransom on 4-1-2008 at 12:55 am
You should go to Sheep World, and there’s a little restaurant on the way that has some good fish and chips.
posted by Reese on 4-1-2008 at 7:48 pm
glowworm cave, bar none, it was one of the best experiences i had there. i much more enjoyed the wild of south island over the seemingly more populated and commercialized north island. i’m so jealous you’re going.
posted by random on 4-1-2008 at 11:36 pm
Having recently travelled right through England to Scotland, which was the least interesting drive in the world, I have a new love for the country I live in!
1. I live in Wellington, and its a great city to live in. It’s compact, easy to get around and theres lots of great cafes/restaurants/theatres etc. The museum of New Zealand (Te Papa) is good and most of it is free to see. I’d also recommend walking up Mount Vic to get a good view of the city, renting a crocodile bike and biking around Oriental Bay on a good day, and going to the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary & the Botanical Gardens/Cable Car. An hour out of Wellington is Lindale farm centre and Southwards Car Museum too, or you could catch a boat over to Kapiti Island.
2. I love Queenstown, but for something a bit cheaper, I also like Ohakune during ski season! It’s a buzzing little town at the base of Mt Ruapehu. Or you could stay at the Bayview Chateau Tongariro, basically on the mountain, a beautiful old hotel just minutes from the Ski Fields.
Hopefully that is some help - email me if you need any more info!
posted by Belinda on 4-13-2008 at 7:22 pm