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Seen That
New Zealand has to have one of the most diverse landscapes of any country in the world with bubbling hot springs, volcanic pools, fjords and the most amazing mountains and lakes. I arrived into Christchurch, which is a quiet, laid-back city. From here it was across the mountains and valleys to Greymouth on the west coast of the South Island.

Next it was down to Glacier Country and Franz Josef Glacier in particular. It was here that I did one of the most amazing adventure activities (and there are plenty in New Zealand). We spent an entire day climbing the face of Franz Josef Glacier, all decked out in our wet gear with spikes and ice-picks. For someone who has never done anything like this before it was quite daunting, but very exciting. Our guide was excellent and ensured that no-one in our small group of 10 people fell into a crevice and that we stuck to the trail, which had been picked out that morning by the first climbers into a track of ice steps. A whole days climbing seemed quite a task as we set out that morning, but it became more enjoyable as the day went on. We had spectacular views of the glacier and learned a lot about the huge ice formation we were climbing. The highlight of the day was sliding down a natural ice-slide, which was formed that morning and would likely not be there the following day

After Franz Josef it was off to the adventure capital of New Zealand – Queenstown. The nightlife here was every bit as good as everyone said – with that much adrenaline about it would have to be. The next adventure activity on the list was jet-boating which involved speeding through a rocky gully, almost touching the cliff face, before turning to speed off in the opposite direction. Queenstown is New Zealand’s skiing and snowboarding center, but unfortunately there was no snow when we were there, and I didn’t fancy trying a bungy jump.

We headed back towards Christchurch next and on to Kaikoura, feeding ground of the Sperm Whale and many other whale species. On our whale-watching trip we saw 3 sperm whales, seals and a number of dolphins.

Next it was over on the ferry from Picton to Wellington to visit the government capital of New Zealand. Wellington is another interesting city, most famous for it’s Beehive Parliament Building.

From Wellington I headed north to Rotorua, famous for the rotten egg smell from the volcanic pools of sulphur. Here I attened a Maori Dance Show where I got an interesting insight into Maori culture and also learnt the Haka.


After Rotorua, I continued northwards to Taupo situated at the northern corner of Lake Taupo, New Zealand’s largest lake, on a volcanic plateau of dormant volcanoes. In Taupo, I planned to do our most adventurous activity to date – a skydive. The preparation all went well, I got kitted our for my suit and was taught how to bend back like a banana on leaving the plane and how to bend my knees when landing. Nothing was to prepare me for the exhilaration of the free-fall, though – Absolutely Brilliant – I would recommend it to everyone!! I spent the next day fishing on Lake Taupo with a friend who lived locally – nice and relaxing after the adrenaline of the day before, didn’t catch anything though….

My second last stop before Auckland was Waitomo, to see the famous caves. I didn’t have time to do the black-water rafting trip – it sounded interesting, it’s basically like tubing and potholing combined where you follow the course of the underground river in the cave. I did do a tour of the caves and got to see the glow-worms!

Last stop in New Zealand was Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city and home to the majority of it’s population. Auckland is a beautiful waterside city – known as “City of Sails” it is known for it’s yachties and their love of sailing. Another thing Auckland is good for is socializing – well at the weekends anyhow. Check out “The Dogs Bollix” Irish Pub on K Road and the trendy Lime Bar in Ponsonby Road.

Overall, I would rate New Zealand as one of my top travel destinations ever! If you like the outdoors life and a bit of adventure activity it’s the place for you.

Done That
Glacier Hike – Franz Josef, Skydive – Taupo, Jet-boating – Queenstown, Volcanic Pools – Rotorua, Waitomo Caves – Waitomo