Ideas for adventurous family trips
November 12, 2009 by admin
Filed under Tourists Attractions
If you ever have the chance to visit New Zealand with your family you will find it a country with plenty of adventure for everyone.
There are opportunities to experience all types of sports from hang gliding, bungee jumping and white water rafting; to swimming, hiking and kayaking. In every area of both the South and North Island it’s a dream come true for the more adventurous.
WHALE WATCHING
If you fancy a spot of whale watching then there’s no better place than Kaikoura on the South Island. On the day we did this there was quite a high swell on the water and so it’s not for the feint-hearted or those prone to seasickness. As you have to stay inside the boat until a whale is spotted there’s not constant opportunity for fresh air if you’re feeling a little ill, as several people were on the day of our trip.
However that aside watching the whales was a marvellous experience. To see them dive and watch the huge tail disappearing into the water is an experience I will never forget. I would highly recommend this as a priority of an adventure trip to New Zealand.
A TRIP UP A VOLCANO
How about a trip up a volcano for an exciting experience? This can be done at Mount Ruapehu on the North Island. which in the winter is a ski resort but is also an active volcano, last erupting in 1996. It is in a row of three volcanoes, the others being Mount Ngauruhoe and Mount Tongariro.
Providing the roads are open and there is not present danger of eruption, trips can be taken up the mountain at any time of year. During the summer months it looks beautiful, snow-capped with sun shining on it. A series of chair lifts take you up the mountain to an area where there is a caf and information about the volcanic eruptions. The view from there is outstanding and you’ll want to stay there a while just taking in all the breath-taking beauty around you.
HELICOPTER RIDE
A helicopter ride is another exciting adventure if funds extend to it. You will see these advertised all over New Zealand. In a country that has so much natural beauty the scenery from a helicopter will take your breath away. Some helicopter companies will land you on mountains, so you can walk in the snow and some even provide picnics.
We chose to take a trip over the beautiful Bay of Islands on the North Island and it’s a trip that we wouldn’t have missed for anything. The helicopter ride is an adventure in itself, but coupled with such beauty it’s the experience of a lifetime.
GEYSERS
For adventure travelers, is Australia or New Zealand the more extreme down under experience? – Part 8
November 8, 2009 by admin
Filed under Tourists Attractions
A trip to New Zealand can be an extreme adventure travel experience to satisfy even the most addicted adrenaline junkie. If you’re looking for a wide variety of adventure activities, try out a few of the following.
White water rafting. This sport is available all over the country but if you’re looking for extremes you might want to raft over the highest commercially rafted waterfall in the world on the Kaituna river. Be prepared to get wet. The raft hits the water hard enough to submerge almost completely before catapulting you back to the surface. This seven meter drop is one of fourteen drops you’ll experience on a short trip of only 45 minutes.
Black water rafting. This is similar to white water rafting but is done on inner tubes in underground caves , using miners’ helmets and the abundant glow worms for light. Not for the faint-hearted or claustrophobic. Try this activity at the Waitomo caves on the north island. Their Black Abyss experience combines black water rafting with climbing and abseiling.
Bungy jumping. New Zealand is the home of bungy jumping. It was invented by Kiwi AJ Hackett and the original AJ Hackett bungy jump center still operates at Queenstown on the South Island. You can do the original jump from the Kawaru Bridge which is a pretty scary 43 meters high, but why stop there? New Zealanders like to push to extremes. You can jump the Pipeline bungy at 102 meters, the Ledge which swings you out 400 meters over Queenstown (at night if you really need an extra edge to your thrills). You can even do a heli-bungy (yes that is what it sounds like you bungy out of a helicopter).
Sky-diving. There are centers all over New Zealand, offering courses or tandem sky dives. I did a tandem over the beautiful Marlborough Sounds at the north end of the South Island. It was worth it just for the scenery on the way down (which you get to enjoy on the relaxing float back to earth after the thrill of a thirty second freefall).
Jet boating. Fast and furious, this consists of bombing around in high speed jet boats at various river and lake locations. Due to the jet engine set-up these boats can be operated in shallow water, are maneuverable at very high speeds, turn in their own length and are capable of fast 360 spins. Jet boat operators really like to demonstrate this. Don’t attempt this if you have any back or neck injuries and think carefully about it if you don’t want any back or neck injuries.
Skiing and snowboarding. There are opportunities for both, at all levels on both islands. Watch out, even if you’re taking it easy yourself. Native New Zealand snowboarders are even more extreme than elsewhere in the world.
Wilderness trips. If your idea of adventure is pitting yourself against the elements and camping out in the wilderness, there are plenty of opportunities for this in New Zealand. Several hiking trails on both islands can take up to a week to travel, camping out or staying in wilderness huts along the way. Two of the more famous (and spectacular) multi-day hikes are along the Milford Sound track and the Abel Tasman trail, but check local tourist offices for information on what’s available in different regions.
Other adventure sports in New Zealand include kite surfing, paragliding, rock climbing, glacier hiking, kayaking and hang gliding. If you’re looking to pack a lot of adventure into a short vacation New Zealand has one big advantage over Australia – its size and its accessibility. You’re never far from your next adventure. You can spend a month traveling around New Zealand and take your life in your hands (in a different way) every single day. I know. I’ve done it.
5 Things to do in New Zealand
September 19, 2009 by admin
Filed under Tourists Attractions
New Zealand is an absolutely stunning country, but often people don’t seem to know exactly what there is to do out there. For a relatively small nation, the variety of things to do is simply amazing – a luxury holiday to New Zealand has something for everyone, whether you want culture, wildlife, history or sports! To illustrate the point, here are a handful of examples:
Wine Tasting In Marlborough
New Zealand has gone from being an upstart in the wine world, to providing some of the better modern wines. Marlborough is the sunniest spot in the country and offers the perfect climate for growing grapes and cultivating fine wines – and that’s exactly what it has been doing for the past 40 years. The region is full of vineyards open to the public, and New Zealand holiday makers with a love of wine should be sure to take one of the tours. There they can soak up the atmosphere, learn about the wine manufacturing process, and, most importantly, sample the delightful beverages.
Night Time Kiwi Watching
There’s only one place in the world you can see the endangered flightless bird known as the kiwi – and that’s New Zealand. They have gone from being a common part of the country’s ecosystem to becoming endangered due to intensive farming, deforestation and predation from stoats, ferrets and feral cats. For New Zealand holiday makers with a love of nature, there are trips out to see the nocturnal bird in its natural habitat. There’s something about watching the fascinating critters scavenging for food against a night sky backdrop that makes this an unforgettable experience – and one that’s unique to New Zealand.
Extreme Sports in Queensland
As well as being home of bungee jumping, Queensland is renowned as being an adventure holiday hot spot. There’s plenty of choice here, with everything from white water rafting to paragliding and skiing represented – as well as the legendary bungee jumping.
Of course, if you grow a taste for bungee jumping, and find the spots around Queensland a little too tame, there’s plenty of options for the more adventurous – everything from the Kawarau Brudge (43 metres to the water) to the New Zealand town observation deck (450 metres) can be leapt off, if you’re daring enough. For those thrill seekers who really want to match the Queensland spirit, there’s even heli-bungee – which as the name suggests is bungee jumping from a moving helicopter. Not everyone’s idea of a good time, but something a little different for a New Zealand holiday!
The thrill of the gold rush at Skipper’s Canyon
There was once gold in them there hills – all the way back in 1862. Now the drive down to the canyon is a treacherous treat, not made any easier by some tremendous views of the canyon itself. The rocky outcrops and impressive stones walls once fashioned by backbreaking labour, and then remains of the community of itself. Once home to thousands of miners and their families, the remnants remain here, and are best appreciated with the guided tours available to New Zealand’s holiday makers. The road leading down is not open to rental cars, though many of the tours will give you the ride down on the back of a 4×4 which is the best (and safest!) way to enjoy it. Leave the tricky driving to the experts, and concentrate on the magnificent views…
International Festival of Arts in Wellington
This is a real treat for visitors who fancy a bit of culture on their luxury New Zealand holiday. The International Festival of Arts is held every other year in Wellington and is an enjoyable mix of street theatre, music, dance, comedy and film. For three weeks, there are over 100 different events taking place, ensuring that there is something for everyone, no matter what their artistic preference.
This is actually just scratching the surface of what a New Zealand holiday can offer. With attractions for families, cultural tourists, sports enthusiasts and those who just want to visit an unspoilt area of natural beauty, a trip around the world for a New Zealand holiday could be just what the doctor ordered.
Desperately Seeking Snow, and Other Extreme Sport Hotspots
August 29, 2009 by admin
Filed under Tourists Attractions
For those who like the adrenalin pumping as they push their bodies to the limit many people take up some form of extreme sport. We know most of them from television and video games, the main ones being skateboarding, skydiving and the nauseating bungee jump!
The fun doesn’t stop there, people can do most extreme sports anywhere but like most sports they have their true home, places which are perfect for that sport. Like Wembley is to Football and Wimbledon is to Tennis there are places all over the world that are considered the Mecca of extreme sports.
Skateboarding is a common extreme sport you will likely see people in town centres performing tricks and doing jumps but the modern skateboarding scene has descended from the skate parks of California. The home of world class skaters like Tony Hawk, California has many dedicated skate parks with both street setups as well as vertical sets like half-pipes.ÂÂ
If California is too warm for your sport of choice then there are always the mountain ranges of Europe of which there are plenty. Ski slopes are dotted all over Europe with the Alps as well as other European countries in the north like Norway. Norway is a popular ski and snowboarding area with thousands of people learning the sports as well as seasoned pros cutting their way down the slopes.
For the more death-defying extreme sports nut New Zealand can help out with skydiving and white water rafting available in a picturesque country last seen in the Lord of The Rings films. For those who are extra daring there is a bungee jump location in Taupo, New Zealand which hangs over a giant gorge to a river below. It’s this river that you end up dunked in at the bottom of your fall, but don’t worry, you’re flung out of it and will surely dry out with all the bouncing around you’ll be doing!
As you can see from this brief overview that there are plenty of locations dotted all over the globe for extreme sports. extreme sports magazine websites are your first port of call to find out where’s the best location for your extreme sports holidays. Once you’ve decided what sport you want to try out and where is best then you should be able to begin making preparations. So check out an extreme sports magazine today and find your extreme sports haven!
