getting to know - new zealand

Like everyone else, I watched TV coverage of theterrible scenes of devastation from the earth-quake in Christchurch earlier this year withshock and sadness. The human toll was tragic,the destruction wrought by Mother Nature onsuch a beautiful city heart-rending to witness.

The people of New Zealand are no strangers to nature’spower. Lying on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the country is oneof the most seismically active in the world and it has beenshaped over time by earthquakes and volcanoes. It is thosevery forces which in part draw visitors, notably to thebubbling mud pools and geysers of Rotorua’s geothermalparks, on the North Island.

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Natural

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The power of nature in New Zealand is as magnificentas it can be violent, as Peter Ellegard discovered

getting to know � new zealand

Christchurch will rise again from the rubble. But whilethe city may be off limits to tourists, the rest of NewZealand’s South Island is very much open for businessand you can still use it as the gateway to tour the island. Idid that last year on a family holiday to both islands.There is so much to see and do throughout New

Zealand that you have to plan your trip and manageyour time meticulously. We could only spare five dayson South Island and wanted to do a big loop to take inboth coasts and adventure capital Queenstown. Soafter a dawn flight from Auckland, we picked up arental car at Christchurch Airport and bypassed thecity, driving two and a half hours north to Kaikourafor a close encounter with one of nature’s giants –sperm whales.They live in the deep waters off the Kaikoura Penin-

sula year-round and have become the centre of a thrivingtourism industry. You can view them by boat, plane orhelicopter. There is something magical about getting upclose and personal to such magnificent mammals,however, so – having been entertained by a pod of leaping dusky dolphins when we stopped off en routeat a coastal café for breakfast – we boarded one of thepurpose-built catamarans operated by award-winningWhale Watch Kaikoura (www.whalewatch.co.nz),after an informative briefing at their wonderfully-

named base, the Whaleway Station.They boast a 95% success, and we were not disap-

pointed. No sooner had we arrived on site than onesurfaced alongside, shooting a cloud of spray into theair from its blowhole. After a short while on the surface,the whale arched its back to dive back down to the abyssfor food, its tail fluke curving and then slipping verti-cally below the waves.We had three sightings, each with the backdrop of the

empty Pacific or framed by mountains, before pressingon for our overnight stop. There are several coast to coast routes across the

South Island. The most popular is on State Highway 73,accessible directly from Christchurch Airport. It cutsthrough the Southern Alps via Arthur’s Pass. The scenicTranzAlpine train follows the same route. We followed the Alpine Pacific Triangle Touring

Route to overnight at Hanmer Springs, a quaint, alpinethermal spa town with natural hot springs to soak in,heading across to Greymouth on the west coast via theoften-deserted Lewis Pass highway.With a long drive to our next overnight point, Franz

Josef Glacier, the preserved gold rush-era Shantytown(www.shantytown.co.nz) made an ideal stop tostretch legs and enjoy the steam train ride. MountCook – New Zealand’s highest mountain – and

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� Milford SoundTourism New Zealand



adjacent Mount Tasman tower above the west coasthighway and Franz Josef Glacier is the main accesspoint for hiking and other mountain activities. We hada scenic helicopter excursion booked with The Heli-copter Line (www.helicopter.co.nz), but sadly theweather closed in and we couldn’t do it. Anotherattempt at the town of Mount Cook on the easternflank of the eponymous mountain a few days later wasagain sadly thwarted by low cloud. On a previous visitI had not only enjoyed spectacular aerial mountain andglacier views, but had even landed on Fox Glacier on aski plane.While driving down the west coast, be sure to stop off

at Bruce Bay. Stones balanced on top of each other,some with driftwood, create a sea of sculptures on thebeach; many bear poignant personal messages on thestones. Having added our own sculpture, the voraciousmidges forced us to seek refuge back in the car. As youturn inland beyond Haas, there are some lovely forestwalks with waterfalls.Wanaka is a pretty, laid back lakeside town offering

lots of activities, but for all-action adrenalin and plentyto do by day and night, plus spectacular views of thesharp-peaked Remarkables mountains soaring highabove serpentine Lake Wakatipu, nearby Queenstowncan’t be beaten.Dubbed the “Adventure Capital of the World”,

Queenstown put New Zealand on the world map as anadrenalin destination. Jet boating originated here, and itwas where bungy-jumping was popularised – both onthe Shotover River.

jet boatingI did a bungy jump at the original Kawarau Bridge site(www.bungy.co.nz) on my first visit to New Zealandsome 20 years ago, stupidly thinking it would cure myfear of heights. It didn’t. This time, as on other subse-quent visits, I was happy just to watch others throwthemselves off the bridge while I took pictures. Beenthere, got the t-shirt, video…and mental scars.But I did jump at the chance to go jet boating again,

with Shotover Jet (www.shotoverjet.com). Exhilaratingand fun, it takes your breath away as the “captain” weavesthe craft from side to side through the narrow canyon athigh speed, missing rocks by inches before throwing it a360-degree spin to bring it to an abrupt stop.For a more sedate experience, cruise Lake Wakatipu

live like alocal…or a starThere are many accommodation alternativeswhen you stay in New Zealand, from rusticto luxury.Emulate local holidaymakers and stay in atraditional bach, or beach house. One of themost popular areas for them is theCoromandel Peninsula, where tour operatorAustravel (www.austravel.com) offersmore than 340 bach properties to rent.Rates, size and quality of accommodationvary, but prices start from £70 per propertyper night staying in a bach in Matarangisleeping six people.You can also stay on farms or in B&Bs. In

Wanaka, try the luxurious Maple Lodge B&B(www.maplelodgewanaka.co.nz), run byEnglish ex-pats Paul and BernadetteRaymont.If you want to treat yourself to some

luxury while staying in Auckland, try theLangham Auckland(http://auckland.langhamhotels.co.nz),which offers facilities including a rooftop

pool, a spa and award-winning Barolo Italianrestaurant.A luxury retreat which will appeal to

golfers and non-golfing partners is KauriCliffs (www.kauricliffs.com), in Matauri Bay on the North Island.Choose an eco-resort, such as the five-

star Te Waonui Forest Retreat(www.scenichotelgroup.co.nz). Close tothe centre of Franz Josef Glacier town, itfeels like you are in the middle of a rainforest

and you dine among the trees in The Canopy restaurant.Other hotels which make good bases

include the Heritage Hanmer Springs Hotel(www.heritagehotels.co.nz) in HanmerSprings, the boutique Wai Ora Lakeside SpaResort (www.waioraresort.co.nz) on theshores of Lake Rotorua in Rotorua and theCrowne Plaza Queenstown(www.ichotelsgroup.com), a quiet alternativea short walk from the centre of Queenstown.

� Shotover Jet, Queensland� Stones on Bruce Beach

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� Bach at Whangapoua Beach, Coromandel

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seeing harbour and islands cruise. If you don’t want to go out on the water, enjoy the

lovely view of the city across the water from the oldfortifications at Devonport. You can also get a great viewof the city from atop one of its many dormant volcanocones. And thrillseekers can get a buzz by launchingthemselves off the Sky Tower with the SkyJump(www.skyjump.co.nz), a 630-foot cable-controlledbase jump.The city has several beaches, while a short drive

away on the west coast lie the black-sand beachesof Piha, on the Waitakere Peninsula, popularwith surfers and sunbathers.Just three hours south of Auckland on

the Thermal Express highway is Rotorua,and a little further beyond lies Taupo. Bothhave a sizeable tourism industry built on theirgeothermal attractions and other activities.Rotorua is also renowned for its Maori cultural expe-riences. One of its best-known is the“living thermal village” ofWhakarewarewa(www.whakarewarewa.com), whereMaori villagers still live among thebubbling mud pools, hot spring and geysers. Hereyou can get a great view of two of New Zealand’smost active geysers, the Prince of Wales’ Feathers

and Pohutu. You can also watch Maori performances andenjoy a geothermally-cooked hangi meal.The Mitai Maori Village (www.mitai.co.nz) offers

visitors an excellent insight into Maori heritage througha cultural performance which also includes warriorspaddling canoes, a hangi meal and a forest walk to seeglow worms. You can combine it with a night visit tonext-door Rainbow Springs with its trout pool andcollection of native animals and birds, among them theendangered and delightful kiwi.

Other musts include the Buried Village (www.buriedvillage.co.nz), with its movingaccount and trail telling the story of theviolent eruption of Mount Tarawera inJune, 1886, which killed over 150 people

in Te Wairoa village, and Hells Gate ThermalReserve (www.hellsgate.co.nz). Here, you can

explore Rotorua’s most active geothermal field aswell as enjoying a mud bath and sulphur spa.

The Coromandel Peninsula, just twohours from Auckland, is a holiday hotspotfor New Zealanders and is beginning toattract more British visitors, thanks to itsnatural beauty and stunning beaches. We

spent a long weekend there holidaying just like Kiwis,renting a typical bach, or beach house, and havingbarbies at night under the stars. The pristine, white sands

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aboard the veteran steamship, TS Earnslaw(www.realjourneys.co.nz). It sails several times a daybut my favourite is the dinner cruise. As daylight faded,we disembarked at Walter Peak Farm for a wholesomebuffet dinner and a sheep-shearing demonstration, thenon the cruise back everybody joined in a sing-song to oldfavourites such as Roll Out the Barrel being played onthe out-of-tune piano. All it needed was Chas and Dave.Allow a full day to see Milford Sound, in the spectac-

ular Fjordlands. A coach journey through magnificentalpine scenery is followed by a cruise down the sheer-sided fjord past basking seals and cascading waterfalls.Both times I have done the cruise, rain and low cloudsobscured the amazing views, although the experiencewas still well worthwhile.


getting to know � new zealand getting to know � new zealand

My first visit there was in winter and as we set off onthe journey back the rain turned to snow, causingavalanches which blocked the road and forced us andanother coach to turn back. Milford’s hotel, closed for thewinter, was hastily opened to accommodate us and wewere fed from the tour boat kitchens. Next day dawnedsunny and clear, allowing me to finally enjoy Milford’sspectacle. We even made the national news when wewere rescued and flown back to Queensland on emer-gency flights aboard a fleet of small aircraft.Before leaving Queenstown we also popped into

nearby Arrowtown, a former mining town now popularfor its historic buildings, restaurants and craft shops. The drive back to Christchurch Airport from Queen-

stown is a comfortable six hours, but we had lots of timeand took a couple of detours to Mount Cook village andLake Tekapo town, to visit its tiny lakeside church.

north islandThe North Island may not be as dramatic as its sibling,but it has just as much to offer visitors. Auckland isknown as the “City of Sails” and for good reason. Itstraddles the isthmus linking the main part of the islandand the far north, and on sunny days it seems the wholepopulation is out enjoying the water, whether on sailingboats in the Hauraki Gulf as we did aboard my brother’syacht – he has lived there for 30 years – or on a sight-

“Nature canbe brutal inNew Zealandbut it willalso leaveyou in awe”

stopoversAs New Zealand is such a long way to fly to, it makes sense to break your journeyby stopping off on the way. The range of airlines flying to Auckland andChristchurch from the UK gives a number of different possibilities. One option isSingapore, where you can fly to on Singapore Airlines’ Airbus A380 super-jumboand explore the city for a few days. Either stay in the city or, for even moreconvenience, stay at the Crowne Plaza Changi Airport (www.crowneplaza.com),which is literally just a walk from where you pick up your baggage at the airport’snew Terminal 3.

� WhakarewarewaThermal Village,Rotorua � Whakarewarewa geothermal park

� Hot Water Beach, Coromandel

� Auckland – city of sails

� MitaiMaoriVillage,Rotorua

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of crescent-shaped Whangapoua Beach were literallypaces from the deck of our three-bedroom house.

rock pinnaclesCoromandel’s popular Cathedral Cove is only accessibleby boat or on foot via a long path and steep steps. Ahuge arch carved through towering cliffs links twobeaches guarded by offshore rock pinnacles more remi-niscent of Thailand than New Zealand.Also popular is Hot Water Beach, named for the hot

spring water which flows underneath and which seeps upthrough the sands. For two hours either side of high tide,a throng of people squeeze into a small area and shuffletheir feet in the sand or furiously dig with shovels to findthe spring water and create a personal hot spa.The island’s sub-tropical top end is called Northland.

The main draw here is the Bay of Islands – a leisure play-ground of beautiful beaches, charming towns and tinyislands. We took a Dolphin Discoveries cruise(www.explorenz.co.nz) from Paihia to see the area’siconic Hole in the Rock and watch dolphins playfullydance in the bow-wave. When there are no calves, unlikeon our trip, you can swim with the dolphins. A key attrac-tion is the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, where the 1840 treatysigning with the Maoris led to the birth of New Zealand. At Paihia, you can also board an off-road bus to visit

New Zealand’s northernmost point, Cape Reinga, anddrive along 90 Mile Beach as well as “surf ” down hugesand dunes on boogie boards..South of the Bay of Islands, the Poor Knights marine

reserve is a mecca for divers, accessed from Tutukaka.To the north is Matauri Bay, with the offshore CavalliIslands. It was here, almost 25 years ago, that campaign-ing Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior was given atraditional Maori warrior’s burial at sea after it had beenbombed by French secret service agents in Auckland’sharbour, killing the engineer. I dived it five years later,marvelling how marine life had colonised the vessel insuch a short time. It was a moving experience, mademore so back ashore when I trekked up a sacred Maorihill. At its summit overlooking the bay is a memorialcomprising a basalt rock and semi-circle of stonessurmounted by the Rainbow Warrior’s propeller.Staying at the nearby, luxury Kauri Cliffs golf resort

– built since my first visit – last year, I retraced my stepsto take in the view once more. It is just as moving todayas back then.We couldn’t leave New Zealand without paying

homage to its oldest and grandest residents, so on the

way back to Auckland we drove over to the west coast tovisit the giant kauri trees of Waipoua Forest. The largest,Tane Mahuta – Lord of the Forest – measures an incredi-ble 45 feet in circumference and 169 feet tall.Nature can be brutal in New Zealand but it will also

leave you in awe. Every time I visit it gives me a naturalhigh.



new zealand facts

when to goSeasons are opposite to those of theUK. The climate depends on whereyou go, but New Zealand is generallywarmer and is sub-tropical in thefar north. In Auckland, temperaturesreach 27C in January and fall to 8Cin August. South Island is colder,with Queenstown the main skiresort.

getting thereAir New Zealand (www.airnewzealand.co.uk) flies from LondonHeathrow to Auckland westwards via Los Angeles and eastwards viaHong Kong. You can also fly from Heathrow to Auckland via othergateways including Bangkok (Thai Airways: www.thaiairways.com),and from Heathrow to Auckland and Christchurch via Singapore(Singapore Airlines: www.singaporeair.com), Hong Kong (CathyPacific: www.cathaypacific.com), Sydney (Qantas:www.qantas.com.au/uk) and, from both Heathrow and Gatwick,Dubai (Emirates: www.emirates.com).

getting aroundNew Zealand is roughly the same size as the UK, and is easy to drivearound each island. It is far less populated but also has fewer fasthighways. The Interislander ferry (www.interislander.co.nz) links theNorth and South islands, between Wellington and Picton. Severaldomestic airlines fly between both islands. You can also rentmotorhomes and campervans with companies including Maui(www.maui-rentals.com) and Britz (www.britz.com).

tour operatorsOperators offering New Zealand include Austravel(www.austravel.com), Trailfinders (www.trailfinders.com), APT(www.aptouring.co.uk), Scenic Tours (www.scenictours.co.uk),Bridge & Wickers (www.bridgeandwickers.co.uk), New Zealand in

Depth (www.newzealand-indepth.co.uk) and1st Class Holidays(www.1stclassholidays.com). Rugby fans wanting to follow theWorld Cup in New Zealand inSeptember and October can bookthrough Gullivers Sports Travel(www.gulliverstravel.co.uk).

tourist informationTourism New Zealand:

www.newzealand.com

� Cathedral Cove, Coromandel

� Church of the GoodShepherd, Lake Tekapo

� Cardrona Pass,South Island

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