New Zealand, the home of adventure tourism. So you've seen many of your friends who have experienced sky-diving in New Zealand. When is your turn? If you're already planning on achieving that, don't just stop there! Try the many other adventures below to tick off your bucket list!
[If your choice is South Island, this first-timer's guide for Queenstown will come in handy!]
Credit: giphy
[...and if you're in Auckland, you can try these 8 Muslim-friendly eateries!]
1. Sand surf for the first time at Te Paki Sand Dunes
Is there anything you can’t do in New Zealand? Apparently not, because you can even whizz down sand dunes at Kaitaia, New Zealand. Just north of Kaitaia, you can participate in this unique activity for FREE (if you have your own bodyboards)! If not, you can rent a bodyboard for NZ$10-15 and use it as long as you want.
#HHWT Tip: Make sure that you don't leave valuable items at the parking area as the place is notorious with crafty local thieves.
[We promise you, New Zealand will leave you wanting more!]
Address: 47 Te Paki Stream Rd, Cape Reinga 0484, New Zealand
Price: NZ$15.00
Website:Te Paki Recreation Reserve
2. Jump off Auckland Sky Tower
A visit to New Zealand without thrilling adventures is like eating dry, stale bread and that is why we recommend the trying out New Zealand’s highest base jump at 192m! Right in the heart of Auckland, not only you’ll get the best views of the city and harbour, you can also conquer your fears in various ways.
If you’re not up for a jump, you could opt for a 360 outdoors view of Auckland with SkyWalk.
Address: Victoria St W & Federal St, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand
Prices:
SkyJump - Adult, NZ$225; Student, NZ$195; Child, NZ$175
SkyWalk - Adult, NZ$145; Student, NZ$125; Child, NZ$115
Admission to the SkyTower - Adult, NZ$28; Student/Concession, NZ$22/20; Child, NZ$11
Operating Hours: 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
3. Freefall over Taupo
Credit: nztravelorganiser
Take one step further from your comfort zone. Leave the security of solid ground and enjoy a bird’s eye view of Taupo at 12,000ft above the ground because you only live once. When else are you going to get this opportunity? Might as well do it in a country that offers a killer view while you’re at it.
Credit: bbh
Price (For skydive only*):
15,000ft (60 seconds of freefall) - NZ$339
12,000ft (40 seconds of freefall) - NZ$249
*depends on the company you opt for
Websites:skydivetaupo | taupotandemskydiving (Operates from sunrise to sunset, depending on the weather)
4. Get soaked at Great Lake Taupo
Credit: go4travelblog
The Great Lake of Taupo possesses a fiery history, located near a passive volcano that once changed the structure of Europe and China. One of the main attractions at the lake is the Maori Rock carvings at Mine Bay that are only accessible by water. You can either sail, kayak, or take a slow cruise to view the intricate carvings.
Buuuuuut the highlight of Lake Taupo is Huka Falls, the most visited natural attraction in New Zealand.
Credit: greatlaketaupo
Visitors have two options of experiencing the Falls: either you take the thrilling Hukafalls Jet and speed to the white waters, or take the 90-minute Huka Falls River Cruise that can get you really close to the falls; close enough to get soaked!
Alternatively, you can take your time paving through the walking trail or work them thigh muscles biking on the track.
Address: Tongariro St, Taupo 3330, New Zealand
Price:
Hukafalls Jet – Adult, NZ$115; Child, NZ$69
Huka Falls River Cruise – Adult, NZ$39; Child, NZ$15
Opening Hours:
Hukafalls Jet: 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Huka Falls River Cruise: 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Websites: Great Lake Taupo | Hukafalls Jet | Huka Falls River Cruise:
5. Conquer the world famous Tongariro Alpine Crossing.
Credit: olofolsson
The Tongariro National Park doubles as New Zealand’s oldest national park and an accredited World Heritage Site. The Park comprises of three mountains, one of which is an active volcano, and serves as a challenging yet picturesque terrain for visitors.
So what is the Tongariro Alpine Crossing?
It’s a 19.4km tramping track over Mt Tongariro and takes about 5 – 7 hours to complete. The journey is physically demanding as the trail is designed by the unpredictable effects of active volcanos. But the trek is not world-renowned for no reason. Along the way, you’ll be treated by the discoveries of the vibrant Blue and Emerald Lakes, the steaming Ketetahi springs, and the Te Maari craters which had burst into life in a recent 2012 volcanic eruption.
Credit: doc.govt.nz
Opening hours (for Tongariro National Park Visitor Centre):
Summer: 8:00 am to 6:00 pm in the summer (November - March)
Winter: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm in the winter (April - October)
6. Have fun with black water rafting at Waitomo Caves
Credit: waitomotrailrun
The subterranean adventure will have visitors jumping over and cascade down waterfalls throughout a three-hour journey. Seen as a much tamer version of white water rafting, black water rafting is basically riding the underground river of the Ruakuri Cave on black tubes but serves as a more unique alternative to view the glowworms on the limestone ceilings.
If you prefer something more physically challenging, Waitomo also offers Black Abyss and Black Odyssey adventures which mainly focuses on dry caving on steep cavern walls.
Credit: backpackersworld
Address:Waitomo 3977, New Zealand
Price:
Black Labyrinth (Black water rafting) - NZ$135
Black Odyssey (Extreme dry caving adventure) - NZ$185
Black Abyss (The Ultimate Adventure) - NZ$235
Departing Times:
Black Labyrinth: Regular tours - 9:00am, 10:30am, 12:00pm, 1:30pm, 3:00pm, 4:30pm, plus additional tours in summer
Black Odyssey: 10:00am, 3:00pm.
Black Abyss: All year 9:00am, 11:00pm, 2:00pm plus additional tours in summer (to be confirmed at booking).
7. Swim with the dolphins at Bay of Islands
Credit: marinedirectorynz
This is the Bay of Islands, an enclave comprising of more than 140 individual islands. To list the activities you can do here would take more than 10 paragraphs, and that’s not including pictures! But the main, must-do itinerary in Bay of Islands is swimming with the dolphins.
Your unique adventure would start with a cruise that you can board from either Russell Island or Paihia Island, and spend half the day sluicing through warm waters of the Bay. Cruise passengers can get up close with the dolphins, whales, and other sea creatures with the low-viewing decks. Once you reach the destination, what is left is for you to jump into the sea and meet the dolphins.
#HHWT Tip: some of the cruise organisers have a Lifetime Dolphin Viewing Guarantee, in which is your trip fails to spot any dolphins, you can have another go on the cruise at a different time without extra charge.
Price: Adult, NZ$117; Child, NZ$58.50*
*Depends on the organizing company.
Now that you’ve come to the end of the list, have you made your decision on which island to visit?
[We've got 10 reasons why you should drop everything and visit New Zealand right now!]