North Island The top of the North Island offers
a temperate climate and areas of scenic beauty such as that seen in the Bay of Islands. With over 200 islands
within the greater area, the Bay of Islands
has been named appropriately.
The game fishing capital of New Zealand. Take in a trip out to the hole
in the rock and sail through it.
Auckland is New Zealand's
largest city with a third of the country's population living in greater
Auckland. Known as the city of sails,
Auckland was host of the America's Cup in the
late nineties and up until 2003, until being won by the Swiss.
The city is also home of the SkyTower, Oceania's tallest structure and
has many attractions and tours.
Don't miss a trip out into the Gulf and visit some of the nearby
islands.
Rotorua must be the
smelliest city in New Zealand. Built on a geothermal region
Rotorua has several natural attractions in the
form of mud holes, geysers and hot pools. The huge capacity of the
geothermal resource is large enough to allow the generation of
electricity for New Zealand's main grid.
Visited by thousands every year, other attractions and tours exist in
the area.
Lake Taupo is New Zealand's
largest lake and is the result of one of New Zealand's historical
volcanic eruptions.
Now teeming with large trout and eels and surrounded by gorgeous native
bush, Lake Taupo is an essential stop for a stay while
passing through the North Island.
Ohakune is to the south of three majestic volcanoes,
Ruapehu, Nguaruhoe and Tongariro. Ruapehu occasionally interrupts the
ski season with a spectacular eruption. |
South Island
The northern end of the South
Island begins with a maze of channels and islands making up the Marlborough Sounds. The beauty of 'the Sounds'
attracts thousands of New Zealanders for their summer holidays.
Not far down the road is Kaikoura, a seafood lovers paradise.
The steep sided mountains along Kaikoura's
coast don't stop at the water's edge and continue down to depths of
around 2 kilometres only a short distance from land.
These impressive depths attract sperm whales and elusive giant squid
from other parts of the world. Whale watching and swimming with the
dolphins and sharks are a 'must do' activity while staying in Kaikoura.
Hanmer
Springs is the South Island's largest geothermal resort. Water
heated by the geothermic activity below the earth's crust makes a
relaxing rest in the hot pools above. Tracks in the surrounding forest
parks makes a backpackers and mountain bikers paradise.
Christchurch, the
largest city in the South Island, is often referred to as a more English
city than those in England.
Situated at the base of an extinct volcano that formed Banks Peninsula,
Christchurch looks out over the
Canterbury Plains towards the majestic Southern Alps.
During the early exploration of the Antarctic,
Christchurch was often used as the
departure point for expeditions and today is used by many nations to
support their Antarctic bases.
Lake Tekapo
is situated in the heart of the MacKenzie Country in some of New
Zealand's most spectacular high country.
Known internationally for its teal blue lake water,
Lake Tekapo
is fed by melted glacier water that produces its unusual colour.
Established as a rural village, Lake Tekapo
is surrounded by high country merino sheep stations and spectacular
mountains.
Mt Cook, know to the local Maori as Aoraki, is
the highest mountain in New Zealand and Oceania. At at height of
3,753m (12,313ft) above sea level.
Surrounded by huge glaciers and covered in spectacular ice falls and
snow covered plateaus
The small alpine village of Mt Cook is situated
within the National Park and sports some of the most spectacular scenery
in the world. Queenstown is
known as the tourism capital of New Zealand. Situated on the shores of
Lake Wakitipu and nestled under a mountain range know as the Remarkables,
Queenstown is spectacular.
Literally hundreds of activities orientated towards the tourist are
available in and around Queenstown.
Take a journey across the lake to Walter Peak sheep station on the
historic steamship, Earnslaw. Enjoy a gondola ride up to the restaurant
overlooking the township.
Milford Sound is one of the perils of New
Zealand's natural features. Deep in the heart of Fiordland,
Milford Sound is beauty at an unimaginable
level. Huge waterfalls cascade down sheer cliffs in to the clear waters
of the sound itself. Native bush lines the surrounding hills until the
snow takes over at altitude.
The trip to Milford Sound is breathtaking
alone. A 'no exit' highway has been carved through untouched rainforest
and chiselled across mountainsides. At its peak a tunnel in the middle
of nowhere allows traffic to drive through the Southern Alps and on to
the South Island's West Coast.
Franz Josef is on the South
Island's West Coast, one of the wettest places on the planet. Areas of
the West Coast have been known to receive up to 18 metres of rainfall in
a 365 day period.
Franz Josef's secret is a spectacular glacier
winding its way down a steep valley from the upper reaches of the
Mt Cook region.
While the head of the glacier forms at over 3km above sea level, the
terminal is only 40-50 metres from sea level and can be driven and then
walked to. |
