Adventure activities in New Zealand

New Zealand is often referred to as adventure capital of the world. And it does not disappoint, though indulging is too many will burn a big hole in your pocket! There are activities to suit all age groups. Here are a few I could indulge in. Some of the key activities I missed include Sky diving, canoeing and bungee jumping.

Tongariro Alpine Crossing

Turangi is an ideal base for Tongariro Alpine Crossing trek. A very small town, Turangi is known for Trout fishing.

From Rotorua, it only takes an hour(~80kms) to reach Taupo, situated on the Northern end of Lake Taupo, the largest lake by surface area in New Zealand(~600+ sq. kms.). Turangi, on the southern end of Lake Taupo, is at a distance of ~50kms from Taupo that can covered in under an hour. Extremely beautiful drive around Lake Taupo.

Tongariro Alpine Crossing is a very popular trek. A distance of ~ 19.4 kms, with several ups and downs over volcanic areas, it takes you over some very dramatic and unique scenery.

Map of the Track – courtesy www.tongarirocrossing.org.nz

Car parking

Car parking facility is available at the 2 ends of the trek. Ketetahi car park is closest to Turangi and this is where I parked my car. From here, I took a bus to the other end, Mangatepopo car park. You can do the reverse as well but I thought I will be better off with a shorter drive to Turangi after a long trek. Besides, the climb is easier from Mangatepopo. Note the bus timings because if you miss, there is precious little you can do except walk. Also note for parking restrictions that can be imposed when there is heavy rush, especially in summers. Couple of travellers caught up with me while I was nearing the end of the trek and they had parked their car at Mangatepopo. Since it was late, there was no bus available, so I decided to drop them and then proceed to Turangi.

The track

The track is clearly marked all the way and it is highly unlikely you will get lost. The entire length can be divided into distinct sectors:

Mangatepopo car park to Soda springs– takes ~90 minutes – gently sloping.

Soda Spring to South Crater– takes ~60 minutes. Quite steep. Known as Devil’s staircase. The climb is over 200 m

South Crater to Red Crater– takes ~60 minutes. Steep, narrow ridge. Red Crater is the highest point at ~1900m.

Red Crater to Blue Lake– takes ~45 minutes. Descent, slippery at times.

Blue Lake to Ketetahi shelter– takes ~60 minutes. Climb to North Crater and

Ketetahi shelter to Ketetahi car park– takes ~150 minutes. A long stretch, steep descent of almost 700m. From a height, I could see the car park, seemed close but the walk just did not seem to end.

Towards the end, I walked and walked and walked but the car park was still not in sight. It got very dark around 7pm and I had to use the flashlight from my mobile phone. It was beginning to wonder if I had taken any wrong turn when another group caught up with us. Thankfully, I had not taken a wrong turn. There was a river crossing with instructions that if a loud roar was heard(meaning water gushing down from the hill), run to the higher ground! None of us were in a mood to hear anything! Soon thereafter, I could see the welcome sight of the lights at the car park. There were a few cars around and that only meant more trekkers were on their way.

It was extremely tiring at the end but I was fine next day morning for the drive to Wellington. Few people are actually able to complete the entire trek in 7-8 hours but those who do not normally trek this kind of a terrain and should budget 10 hours.

The trek is popular during summers as well as winters. I went in the last week of April and that seemed like a good time. Tangariro National Park is an active volcanic area with 3 active volcanoes. There are detailed instructions on what to do when a volcano starts erupting. But with open spaces all around, where can you hide?

Few tips

Good to start early. I started the trek around 9.30am and towards the end it got so dark I needed to use the flash on my mobile.

Check shuttle bus timings. Don’t miss if you have pre-booked.

Check for parking restrictions. In summers, due to the crowd, there may be time restrictions.

Toilets are available on the way (but not between Soda Springs and Ketetahi Shelter) and at the car parking areas. Not too clean but manageable.

Carry adequate water, lunch and snacks.

Wear appropriate clothing. Windcheater and comfortable shoes are a must. Carry some warm clothing as well. Plus a small torch.

The easy start to Tongariro Alpine Crossing, New Zealand

Parasailing in Paihia

The coastal holiday town of Paihia, in Bay of Islands, is ~200kms from Auckland, a driving time of ~3 hours. The driving route was pleasant, without being unduly scenic. Good roads and hence I did not have to worry about getting back to Auckland before dark. In fact, it was almost getting dark when I left Paihia. There are several towns on the way with restaurants and hence, getting something to eat was not a problem.

Paihia is a charming little seaside town, full of shops, cafes and restaurants. Very nice to stroll around and indulge in water sports. Being a Sunday, it was crowded. All in all, a very enjoyable day.

Feels great at 1000 ft over water

Parasailing is one of the top activities in Paihia. At 1200-1300ft., it is New Zealand’s highest parasailing. At that height, I could barely feel I was moving. And the views of the Bay of Islands-just amazing. I was in the air for 10-15 minutes and it was a lovely experience. It costs ~NZ$100 per person if 2-3 persons are together. The rate is higher for a single person. I sorely missed my camera as I was not allowed to take it for safety reasons.

Sky walk at Auckland tower

On the Auckland tower, at a height of 192 m(~630ft), a narrow open ledge has been created without handrails. Skywalk involves walking around the tower on this ledge. Safety harness is provided and an instructor always leads. You are allowed and in fact encouraged to stand on your toes at the edge of the ledge. The ledge is about 4ft wide and good for one person to walk.

You get a 360 degrees view of Auckland city and the nearby areas. The day I went, it was cloudy and drizzling a bit and hence the distant views were not great though the sky did clear after some time.

Costs about NZ$150 per person.

Ziplining in Queenstown

Imagine zipping through treetops. That’s exactly what I did in Queenstown. Took the Gondala to the Bob’s peak where the group was met and we walked down to the first treehouse. There are several such treehouses connected by ziplines that takes you a long way down way down. Initial sections are easy but gets longer and steeper later. I was told speeds of upto 50kms/hr are reached. The longest zipline was about 800 ft.

All in all, great fun. If you a bit acrobatic, you can one or 2 sections upside down but it is not easy to hold that position. Costs~ NZ$150 and the tour lasts about 2 hours.

Hot Air Ballooning in Christchurch

Early mornings are supposed to be the best time for ballooning. I was picked up around 4.30am from the Christchurch hotel. Reached the take off point after a 30 minute drive. The operator explain how the balloon is inflated and invited the participants to help him. It takes ~30 minutes to be fully ready for take off which is timed just before sunrise. So initially, it is all dark but what a change as soon as the sun appear over the horizon. Those are the magic moments. The balloon went up to a height of ~1500ft and the 360 degrees views of the Canterbury plains was fantastic. It was a clear day and at a distance, I could see the snow capped Southern Alps. The ride lasted about an hour.

But I was also taken by surprise by the way the balloon ‘crash landed’! I was expecting the basket to come down gently and stay upright. But no, the balloon with the basket hit the ground gently and the basket rolled over and was dragged for a few feet. No risk but you do need to hang on tight.

Great fun but it can cost ~NZ$400 per person, with free pick up and drop to Christchurch hotel, plus light snacks after landing. But you still need to go back to your hotel and have breakfast!

Franz Josef glacier

Located about 350 kms north of Queenstown, this very scenic drive takes about 5 hours. My longest drive in New Zealand and I took over 6 hours with few halts in between. I stayed in a hotel in the town of Franz Josef from where the glacier is quite close. You need to take the car to the parking lot of the glacier and walk for about 60 minutes to get to the viewing platform. You can also walk to the foot of the glacier if you have time.

Overall, I was left with a feeling that viewing the glacier from a distance was not really worth the time and effort and you need to get to walk on/explore the glacier. The glacier is over 10kms long but believed to be retreating. There are glacier walks and helicopter rides to make most of the visit.