Any MUST do's in New Zealand?

Kristoph

Kristoph

Kristoph

Soldato
Joined
11 May 2007
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Hey, I'm off to NZ for a month soon and I'm after some recommendations on things I really need to try!

Skydive, bungee jumps, jet boating, helicopter trips and mountain biking back down, glacier walking... I've heard the museum of NZ is good?

Anything else you'd put on a list of to-do's in NZ?

We're touring both islands so anywhere is possible.

Cheers.
 
Glowworms - Waitomo Caves just south-west of Taupo
Bird Hunting - Anywhere
Sea Kayaking - Auckland Bay out to one of the islands or bay of plenty/islands
Bridge Walk - From Nrth to0 South Shore @ Auckland
Skytower - Auckland
Bridge to no where - North Island
Moon Craters/Thermal Parks/Geysers - North Island nr Taupo
90 mile beach - Nrth or Nrth Island but is only 65m long iirc
 
There is just so much to do over there. I spent 8 weeks in NZ over two visits and heres some of my highlight, although I still have many things to tick off of my own list -

Franz Josef - Glacier Helicopter Flight (Brilliant Stuff)

Queenstown - Nevis Bungee Jump (440 feet, the biggest in NZ)

Queenstown - Shotover Jet (Jet powered boats along the Shotover river)

Kaikoura - Whale Watching Cruise (Puts a smile on everyones face when you see whales in the wild)

Millford Sound - Cruise the sound (Fantastic Scenery - You can get there on a day trip from Queenstown, with an option to fly back over some fantastic mountain views)

Rotorua - Thermal Park (Plenty of Geysers & boiling mud etc)

Christchurch - Transalpine Railway (Train crosses the South Island from Christchurch to Greymouth - Has fantastic scenery)

Edit: How could I forget -

Beer - Tui or Speights Gold (In that order - Accept no others) :)
 
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Thanks for all the replies everyone. Parents have most of these down already but some we'll look into, booked it and planned it over the last year so hopefully we'll get everything in.
 
There is also a Angora rabbit farm too en route to Rotura.

Also go to the mud baths.

Both the above probably more appropriate if you are with a lady ;)

I did a skydive over Mercer on our way to Rotura - it was fantastic, although I found the skydive a bit of an anti climax if I'm honest. The parachute down and seeing all the scenery was cool though :)

BB x
 
Bit Vague this but they do this Rapids ride in a trick speedboat over there. I've only seen it on telly but it looked proper larey & a must do. Half a dozen bods in a tricked up speedboat shooting rapids & near missing cliff over hangs
:cool:
I'm hoping someone else knows what i am on about & can give details.
 
Jump out of a perfectly good airplane - lots of places to do it, Taupo is the cheapest (and strangely one of the prettiest as well, IMHO).

Zorb (roll down a hill in a big inflatable ball) - go for a "wet zig-zag" if you have the option - by far the most fun :D

Jet-boat on Shotover.

Sea kayaking - Go for either the Abel Tasman for glorious weather and that "middle of nowhere" feel, or if you have plenty of cash, go for a week in Fjordland - get dropped off in the middle of nowhere - literally - and kayak your way back to civilisation. A lot of work, but phenomenal scenery.

That's just a few suggestions - I was there for a year and didn't manage to do everything I wanted!!
 
For skydiving, Taupo is the cheapest and damn pretty. You do it over the lake and have snow-capped mountains in the background. It's absolutely stunning.

Most things have already been mentioned, so here's a couple different. In Rotorua, do the Tamaki Brothers Hangi (Maori feast). It's the best in the country and it's always good to get a bit of culture and learn about about the country you're visiting. The food is fantastic too!

Also in Rotorua, have a go on the luge up/down the hill. It's a lot longer and faster than the one in Queenstown. We had some great races there, and some even better bails :D

Oh, dont go to Milford Sound. It's the most popular one because its slightly easier to get to. Find a trip to Doubtful Sound instead and you'll get to go on a smaller boat (with less people), and even stop off at the underground power station on the way. The scenery is just as good. You can go from Queenstown or Wanaka iirc.

Sea kayaking at Abel Tasman is brilliant too.

Dont think you have to pay for everything too. Do a few walks and just take in the scenery. :)
 
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