Travel solutions: New Zealand

Time Out mixes death-defying sports with life-affirming animal antics in a thrilling tour of both islands

The salt lake at Rotorua, North Island

‘Just jump straight out with your arms in front of you,’ says a ludicrously enthusiastic man, as I stand on Auckland Bridge and stare 40 metres down at the deep, rolling Pacific Ocean. Hooked up to what is effectively a rope made out of lots of elastic bands – it’s okay, they tell me they only use each one for 1,000 jumps! – with a harness and clad in a grey jumpsuit, I am about to throw myself off Auckland Harbour Bridge care of AJ Hackett, the New Zealand company that invented bungy jumping in 1988. My heart begins to race as Eminem blares from the stereo system. ‘Five, four, three…’ he yells. By the time he gets to ‘ONE’ my heart leaps to my chest and my stomach flips over.

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I jump forward, tossing myself into the air like a suicidal maniac. Everything goes eerily quiet – the jump goes on for just that little bit too long and my body forgets how it should be reacting to this insanely unnatural sensation. I hold my breath because with the air rushing past me at 100 miles an hour it isn’t easy to breathe in. Rather than going rigid as I expected to, I dangle helplessly like a lump of limp bait on the end of a fishing rod. And then BOING, boing, boing. My body recoils a good ten, 20, perhaps 30 metres. There’s no sudden jolt as I’d been expecting; instead, a gentle rhythmic bouncing motion. Then boing once more before I pull the rope to turn me the right way and the team pulls me up. I feel elated, breathless and slightly stupid. Mostly, I just feel happy to still be alive.

Abel Tasman nature reserve

This is the morning of day one on a two-week tour of New Zealand, extreme-sports capital of the world and prime wilderness destination with its raw, luscious and awe-inspiring vistas that include snow-capped peaks, Narnia-like forests, active volcanoes, fiord land, primeval forests and miles and miles of untouched coastline with vacant sandy beaches. Located in the southern Pacific, nearly 1,000 miles south-east of Australia (four hours by plane) and at least 26 hours away by air from the UK, New Zealand is the first place in the world to experience sunlight every day. Although it’s roughly the same size as the British Isles or Japan, the feeling of space and air is immense – the population is just 3.95 million, compared with 60 million in the UK, while there’s a mighty army of sheep: 39.2 million vs the UK’s 24.8 million. In some places you can drive or walk (‘tramp’, as they like to call it) for an hour without seeing anyone at all.

Keen to keep adrenaline levels topped up, we decide a spot of quad biking might be a good way to experience some of the rich woodlands and swathes of empty beaches north of Auckland. We arrive at 4Track Adventures (0800 487225/ www.4trackadventures.co.nz), not satisfied at putting our lives at risk just once today and meet our extremely muscular guide Shaun. He is the kind of man you can imagine bursting into the haka (the traditional Maori dance made famous by the All Blacks) any moment. He has an alarmingly big scar on his shoulder which I avoid asking him about out of sheer terror. The sign above him reads: ‘If you have an accident, we will ask: Are you injured? How did it happen?

Abel Tasman coast, South Island

How would you like to pay?’ You soon learn that New Zealand isn’t a country for wimps or lawsuits – if you put yourself in danger here, you are expected to bear the consequences. Being a nervous driver, I quickly decide I’d rather hop on the back of my boyfriend Tim’s quad than risk limb and dollars. As we wind up and down steep terrain, I realise this is among the best decisions I’ve made. At one point in the thick of the fairytale-like woods (yes, they filmed ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ here) Shaun tells us to stop. ‘Okay, Maggie. You are going to have to get off for this bit. We call it the Rex drop.’ I obediently dismount and walk down the verge while my other half manoeuvres the bike down a narrow, slippery mudslide that is essentially a 20-foot vertical drop as Shaun yells ‘Brake, brake, BRAKE!’

Miraculously, Tim survives and within five minutes we’ve hit the glorious expanse of beach where we get to race along at an exhilarating 50mph. ‘That was close,’ he smiles, quivering quietly. We later learn the drop got its name after some hard-nut Kiwi chum of theirs wiped out in a spectacular way. For the second time in one day, I’m grateful to be alive.

The primeval forests of Stewart Island

New Zealand no longer feels like the forgotten backwater it did a few decades ago. The Kiwis are cleaner, greener and more fiercely protective of their environment than us Brits and that suddenly feels very progressive and modern. Compared with Australia and the Aborigines, this is a much more integrated culture where Maoris are appreciated as a vital and rich part of the country’s history. After centuries of oppression, Maori is taught in schools again alongside English; there’s a Maori TV channel and a Maori political party. The situation is by no means perfect but, vitally, the government has been considering giving back tribes the land they are owed.

While extreme sports and Maori culture are huge draws, wildlife is by far the most spectacular attraction for visitors to the country. A third of New Zealand’s land is protected parks and reserves – there are now 14. Bird spotters are well catered for with hundreds of species, including a comical giant-sized pigeon called a kukupa, an accomplished songbird and mimicker the tui and of course the endangered flightless kiwi, which is best spotted in the south or d on an intriguing night-time walk through Wellington’s Karori Wildlife Sanctuary (64 4 920 9200/www.sanctuary.org.nz). But this being New Zealand, there are some larger and mightily impressive beasts too: sea lions; whales, most notably the sperm and blue; and dolphins from dusky to bottle-nosed and orca.

The geysers of Rotorua, North Island

It’s during our second week, having made the epic and indescribably picturesque ferry journey from the North Island down to the South, that we arrive in the nature-reserve resort of Abel Tasman, named after the seventeenth-century Dutch navigator. We have come to spend the day with Harold, a jovial but philosophical Maori who is taking us sea-kayaking (www.maoriuncut.co.nz). We spend the morning chanting Maori songs as we kayak up the paradise-like coastline with its mango-coloured sandy beaches and emerald-hued sea, spotting the odd colony of sea lion, when suddenly… ‘Oh my God, the orca are here!’ shouts Harold and, now in a small taxi-boat, we all jump to our feet to see the incredible spectacle of a male killer whale (the bull) with a dorsal fin that looks taller than any man. ‘I think there are five, eight… maybe 12 in his pod,’ says Harold as we watch these playful creatures gracefully undulating in the ocean around the small cluster of little boats that has formed. The bull gently nudges a man in a kayak, revealing his stunning white underbelly, while the female and young mill around this patch of sea elegantly. ‘They’ve probably come in for some stingray,’ says Harold. We are reassured when he tells us they never attack man, although will quite happily munch on a dolphin or seal if they are feeling peckish.

Further down the coast, Kaikoura is the most famous place to go whale-watching in New Zealand. Attracting the elusive sperm whale, thanks to its deep waters (it goes down almost 1.25 miles), Kaikoura has organised whale-watching trips with Whale Watch Kaikoura (0800 655121/www.whalewatch.co.nz) which, while amazing, feel slightly commercialised. Instead, we spend the afternoon snorkerling with seals (www.sealswimming.co.nz), a more fun and interactive way to spend time with New Zealand’s sea life. The playful creatures swim up to you, have a good look and then excitedly swim around you, mimicking your movements. It’s hilarious.

The tail of a sperm whale in Kaikoura

Towards the end of our second week, we make our way down the stunning South Island through ‘The Lord of the Rings’ territory to the southernmost point, Invercargill. From here we take a plane smaller than a black cab – I’m alarmed when the twentysomething steward checking in our bags leads us out to the runway and gets in the pilot’s seat. Twenty minutes later we arrive in desolate Stewart Island, the third-biggest, yet least talked about of New Zealand’s main islands. Despite having a population of only 420, it’s roughly the size of Greater London and is the closest thing to how New Zealand would have been before Europeans arrived in 1769. It’s also the final permanently populated island in the Southern Ocean before you get to the Antarctic.

We kayak around Stewart Island’s silent inky waters that are as clear and smooth as glass, with only the sound of oystercatchers dipping their beaks in the water, and the distinctive call of the kaka parrot. Bar our kayaks, there is no other sign of man. It’s humbling yet strangely liberating. Natural, pure, uninterrupted and raw; this is what New Zealand is really all about.

When to go
October to April is the best time to go. December-February is summer, but it’s also when the country’s tourism operators are at their busiest. Travel off-peak for smaller groups and better deals.

Where to stay
Auckland
The Quadrant, 10 Waterloo Quadrant, PO Box 195, Shortland St, Auckland (64 9 984 6000/www.thequadrant.com)
Napier T&G Apartments, Marine Parade, Napier, Hawke’s Bay (64 21 117 0240/www.apartment2c.co.nz).

Wellington
The Museum Hotel, 90 Cable St, Wellington (64 4 802 8900/www.museumhotel.co.nz).
Nelson 24 Richardson St, Port Hills (64 3 548 7621/www.tepunawai.co.nz).
Kaikoura Miharotia, 274 Scarborough St, The Peninsula, Kaikoura (64 3 319 7497/www.miharotia.co.nz).
Stewart Island The Port of Call Boutique Coastal Accommodation, Halfmoon Bay (64 3 219 1394/www.portofcall.co.nz).

Further information
New Zealand has an excellent network of visitor-information centres throughout the country. Visit i-SITE visitor centres for friendly, objective and free information on local attractions, transport and accommodation (www.newzealand.com).

Qualmark is the tourism office’s mark of quality. All accommodation, transport, activities and attractions that display Qualmark have been independently assessed as professional and trustworthy (www.qualmark.co.nz).

Getting there
Qantas (08457 747 767/www.qantas.co.uk) flies daily from Heathrow to New Zealand, via Australia or LA. The Qantas Dreamtime fare starts at £802 including taxes and fees.

Maggie Davis. Photography Tim Westhead