Outdoor Pursuits in New Zealand
New Zealand’s natural assets encourage even the laziest lounge lizards to drag themselves outside and get active, whether it’s casting about for trout or taking to the trails on two wheels. Here we bring you a range of readily accessible outdoor activities that will complement your hikes and tramps.
Bird-Watching
A diverse and fascinating array of birds may be seen in the wild, with many resident (or regularly returning) populations well protected and indeed promoted by high-profile visitor attractions. Examples include the Royal Albatross Centre on the Otago Peninsula; the godwits of Farewell Spit in Golden Bay; and the kotuku (white heron) sanctuary at Whataroa on the West Coast.
NZ does a great line in island sanctuaries, and increasingly ‘mainland islands’ – reserves encircled by predator-proof fences. Such enclaves include Tiritiri Matangi island near Auckland, Ulva Island near Stewart Island, Kapiti Island near Wellington, and Motuara Island in the Marlborough Sounds. Visitor-friendly ‘mainland islands’ include Maungatautari near Hamilton, and Zealandia in Wellington. Another opportunity to gain insight into NZ bird species and their conservation is at numerous captive breeding facilities, including the West Coast Wildlife Centre in Franz Josef Glacier, where rowi – the rarest of all kiwi species – are hatched. Another such kiwi hatchery is Rainbow Springs, in Rotorua. For a selection of some of the wonderful birds you may encounter on the tracks and elsewhere, refer to our bird-spotting guide.
Fishing
Introduced in the 19th century, brown and rainbow trout have thrived in NZ’s lakes and waterways and attract keen anglers from around the world. Many walking tracks follow rivers or skirt lakes, giving trampers ample opportunity to catch supper. Lake Waikaremoana, the LeslieKaramea and Caples Greenstone are memorable places to try your luck. Licences (daily adult/youth $23/7, whole season adult/youth $100/24) are essential and can be bought at outdoor/fishing shops, visitor centres or online at Fish and Game New Zealand (www.fishandgame.org.nz), where you’ll also find information on when, where and how to fish. Sea-fishing options are bountiful too, whether casting off the beach or rocks, or reeling fish in from a kayak or chartered boat. Delicious snapper, cod, tarakihi and groper are all on the menu, but know your limits and release all undersize fish. Fishing rules and guidelines are available from www.fish.govt.nz, while www.fishing.net.nz can hook you up with charters and guides, as will i-SITE visitor centres nationwide.
Horse Trekking
Unlike some other parts of the world, where beginners get led by the nose around a paddock, horse trekking in NZ lets you loose in the countryside. Expect to saddle up on farms, in forests, along beaches, and up into the hills amid Hobbitworthy scenery. Rides range from one-hour jaunts (from around $50) to fully catered overnight and multiday treks. Used to transport people, carry goods and work the land, horses were an integral part of early NZ life and have left a legacy of horse-loving folk offering equine adventures all over the country. For info and operator listings, search 100% Pure New Zealand (www.newzealand.com) or pop into the local visitor centre.
Kayaking
With over 15,000km of coastline NZ is a paddler’s haven, and sea kayaking is a fantastic way to see the coast and get close to wildlife you’d otherwise never see. There are endless great spots for kayaking, readily identifiable by the presence of the ubiquitous boat-hire kiosk. Notable areas include the Hauraki Gulf (particularly off Waiheke and Great Barrier Islands), the Bay of Islands and Coromandel Peninsula on the North Island; and the Marlborough Sounds, Te Anau, Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound and Manapouri on the South Island. The ultimate kayak adventure is an overnight trip on the azure waters of Abel Tasman National Park, camping on secluded, white sandy beaches unreachable on foot.
Marine Mammal
Watching Kaikoura, on the northeast coast of the South Island, is NZ’s nexus of marine mammal–watching. The main attraction here is whale-watching, but this is dependent on weather conditions, so don’t expect to be able to just rock up and head straight out on a boat for a dream encounter. The sperm whale, the largest toothed whale, is pretty much a year-round resident, and depending on the season you may also see migrating humpback whales, pilot whales, blue whales and southern right whales. On NZ’s coastal tracks you are likely to spot New Zealand fur seals (kekeno) and several species of dolphin, including the playful dusky that frolics in pods of up to 500, and the pint-sized Hector’s dolphin, including the playful dusky that frolics in pods of up to 500, and the pint-sized Hector’s dolphin, one of the world’s smallest and rarest.
Mountain Biking
NZ is laced with quality mountain-biking opportunities. Recent developments include the creation of the New Zealand Cycle Trail/Nga Haerenga (www.nzcycletrail.com), a network of more than 20 rides nationwide that will eventually cover almost 2500km of track. Construction was well underway at the time of writing, and most trails were open to cyclists to some extent (if not actually complete), providing two-wheeled access to some of the country’s most impressive landscapes. See the website for info and updates. Generally graded 1 (easy) to 3 (intermediate), these multiday rides are suitable for most levels of rider, and can generally be split into half- and full-day sections should you not want to overnight along the way. Some traditional tramping tracks are also open to mountain bikes, including the 71km Queen Charlotte Track and the Heaphy Track. Other excellent dedicated mountain-biking tracks can be found in Rotorua’s Redwoods (www.redwoods. co.nz), at Makara Peak (www.makarapeak. org; South Karori Rd, Karori; admission by donation) in Wellington, along the West Coast, and around Queenstown, Alexandra and Wanaka. In recent years the Central Plateau has emerged as one of the country’s great cycling destinations. Mountain bikes can be hired and repaired in major towns, and most definitely in adventure-sports centres like Queenstown, Wanaka, Nelson and Taupo. You will also find supporting bike shops and shuttle operators in smaller gateway towns close to the trails. These shops are normally great sources for the latest track information, as are the local mountain-biking clubs (www.mtbnz.org). Other useful resources include Classic New Zealand Mountain Bike Rides (www. kennett.co.nz), which details short and long rides all over NZ, and the bimonthly magazine New Zealand Mountain Biker (www.nzmtbr.co.nz).
Mountaineering
NZ has a proud mountaineering history − this was, after all, the home of Sir Edmund Hillary (1919–2008), who, along with Tenzing Norgay, was the first to reach the summit of Mt Everest. When he came back down, Sir Ed famously uttered to friend George Lowe, ‘Well, George, we knocked the bastard off!’ The Southern Alps are studded with impressive peaks and challenging climbs. The Aoraki/Mt Cook region is outstanding; other mountaineering areas extend along the spine of the South Island from Tapuaeo-Uenuku (in the Kaikoura Ranges) and the Nelson Lakes peaks in the north to the rugged southern mountains of Fiordland. Another area with climbs for all levels is Mt Aspiring National Park. The Christchurch-based New Zealand Alpine Club (www.alpineclub.org.nz) proffers excellent climbing information and publishes The Climber magazine quarterly. Professional outfits for training, guiding and advice can be found in Wanaka, Queenstown, Aoraki/Mt Cook, Lake Tekapo, and Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers.
Rock Climbing
Time to chalk up your fingers and don some natty little rubber shoes. On the North Island, popular rock-climbing, sport-climbing and bouldering areas include Auckland’s Mt Eden Quarry; Whanganui Bay, Kinloch, Kawakawa Bay and Motuoapa near Lake Taupo; Mangatepopo Valley and Whakapapa Gorge on the Central Plateau; Humphries Castle and Warwick Castle on Mt Taranaki; and Piarere and Wharepapa South in the Waikato. On the South Island, there’s worldclass bouldering at Kura Tawhiti (Castle Hill) on the road to Arthur’s Pass, while west of Nelson, the marble and limestone mountains of Golden Bay and Takaka Hill boast prime climbing. Other options include Hospital Flat (west of Wanaka), Long Beach (north of Dunedin), and Mihiwaka and Lovers Leap on the Otago Peninsula. Climb New Zealand (www.climb.co.nz) and Freeclimb (www.freeclimb.co.nz) have the lowdown on the gnarliest overhangs around NZ, plus maps and details on access and where to learn.
Scuba Diving
NZ is prime scuba territory, with warm waters up north, brilliant sea life and plenty of interesting sites. Up north, get wet at the Bay of Islands Maritime and Historic Park, Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park, the Bay of Plenty, Great Barrier Island, Goat Island Marine Reserve, the Alderman Islands, Te Tapuwae o Rongokako Marine Reserve near Gisborne, and Sugar Loaf Islands Marine Park near New Plymouth. The Poor Knights Islands near Whangarei are reputed to have the best diving in NZ (with the diveable wreck of the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior nearby). Stay tuned to see whether the MV Rena, grounded off Tauranga in 2011, will become a dive site. Down south, the Marlborough Sounds Maritime Park hosts the Mikhail Lermontov, the largest diveable cruise-ship wreck in the world. In Fiordland head for Dusky Sound, Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound, which offer amazingly clear pseudo-deepwater conditions not far below the surface. Invercargill, with its Antarctic waters, also has a diving club. Expect to pay anywhere from $180 for a short, introductory, pool-based scuba course to around $600 for a four-day, PADI-approved, ocean dive course. One-off organised boat- and land-based dives start at around $170. Useful resources include Dive New Zealand (www.divenewzealand. com) and Scuba Dive New Zealand (www. scubadive.net.nz).
Skiing & Snowboarding
NZ is a prime southern-hemisphere destination for snow bunnies, with downhill skiing, cross-country (Nordic) skiing and snowboarding all passionately pursued. Heliskiing is popular, too, making good use of a wide off-piste area along the Southern Alps. The NZ ski season is generally June to October, though it varies con siderably from one ski area to another, and can run as late as November. The variety of locations and conditions makes it difficult to rate NZ’s ski fields in any particular order. Some people like to be near Queenstown’s party scene or Mt Ruapehu’s volcanic landscapes; others prefer the quality high-altitude runs on Mt Hutt, Treble Cone’s steep slopes or quieter club skiing areas. Most fields have dedicated websites, while visitor information centres can also make bookings and organise packages. Brown Bear (www.brownbearski. co.nz) and snow.co.nz are useful online resources covering all of NZ’s ski areas. Lift passes at the main resorts cost from around $95/55 per adult/child per day; ski and snowboard equipment rental starts at around $40 a day (less for multiday hire). Heliskiing is cheaper than in North America and costs around $825 to $1450 for three to eight runs.
Surfing
With swells hitting the shores of NZ from all points of the compass, there’s good surfing to be found somewhere in NZ at any time of the year. Surf.co.nz has the lowdown on many great surf spots, although unsurprisingly local knowledge is king for some of the best and more remote spots. Newbies can learn to hang ten at surf schools at most of the well-known breaks and beaches; visit www.surfingnz.co.nz for some recommendations. Two hours of group tuition will cost around $80 per person; expect to pay around $120 for a one-on-one lesson. Raglan’s Manu Bay has NZ’s most famous wave, but the Auckland area (Piha, Muriwai), Gisborne (Waikanae Beach, among many others), Mount Beach at Mt Maunganui, Taranaki (Greenmeadows Point, Stent Road, Fitzroy Beach), Tauranga Bay near Westport, and Dunedin (including St Clair) attract surf dudes from all over.
White-Water Rafting & Canoeing
There are almost as many white-water rafting and canoeing possibilities as there are rivers in the country, and there’s no shortage of companies to get you into the rapids. Rivers are graded from I to VI, with VI meaning ‘unraftable’. On the rougher stretches there’s usually a minimum age requirement of 12 or 13 years. Popular South Island rafting rivers include the Shotover Canyon and Kawarau River (Queenstown), Rangitata River (Christchurch), Buller River (Murchison/ Westport), Karamea River (Westport) and the Arnold and Waiho Rivers on the West Coast. On the North Island try the Rangitaiki, Wairoa, Motu, Mokau, Mohaka, Tongariro and Rangitikei Rivers. There are also the Kaituna Cascades near Rotorua, the highlight of which is the 7m drop at Okere Falls. Canoeing is so popular on the North Island’s Whanganui River that it’s been designated one of NZ’s ‘Great Walks’! You can also dip your paddle into northern lakes such as Lake Taupo and Lake Rotorua, as well as freshwater lakes on the South Island. Many backpacker hostels close to canoe-friendly waters have Canadian canoes and kayaks for hire (or free loan), and loads of commercial operators run guided trips. The New Zealand Rafting Association (www.nz-rafting.co.nz) is a good place to start.