New Zealand is a country of rare seismic beauty: glacial mountains,
fast-flowing rivers, deep, clear lakes, hissing geysers and boiling mud.
There are also abundant forest reserves, long, deserted beaches and a
variety of fauna, such as the kiwi, endemic to its shores. Any number of
vigorous outdoor activities - hiking, skiing, rafting and, of course, that
perennial favourite, bungy jumping - await the adventurous. You can swim
with dolphins, gambol with newborn lambs, whalewatch or fish for fattened
trout in the many streams. The people, bound in a culture that melds
European with Maori ancestry, are resourceful, helpful and overwhelmingly
friendly. The extraordinary place names - try Te Awamutu, Whangamomona or
Paekakariki for tongue-trippers - are resonant and, with a modicum of
practice, easy to pronounce.
Because it's such a compact place, travel within New Zealand - whether
by plane, bus, rail, car or campervan - is affordable and efficient.
Accommodation too is cheap and varied. And the culinary promise of
venison, fresh seafood, sublime ice cream and award-winning wines should
more than whet the appetite.
HINTS: It's a three hours trip through the
Ruakuri caves, expertly guided and organized in groups of no more than 12
person at the time. First You get into a Wetsuit and caver's helmet with a
light on the front, grab a black inner tube,and you' re off on a Trek
through the cave which involves leaping over a small Waterfall, floating
through a long glow-worm passageway, and plenty of Kiwi-style joking
and laughs. At the end of the Journey there's a hot shower and soup to
warm up your innards, but in the wetsuit you probably won't get too cold.
email me
add as friend
Comments for texas1947 about New Zealand