Auckland Adventures

Riverhead Forest Riverhead is a large pine forest 15 km west of Browns Bay (North Auckland), which has some of the best mountain biking close to Auckland. It’s criss-crossed by gravel roads, 4WD tracks and single track through rolling hills, up to 180 metres high. Most riders cycle up the roads to a high point [...]

Wellington Adventures

Northern Crossing For experienced trampers this Tararua crossing, northwest of Masterton, takes 2.5 days. It’s a less developed and wilder version of the Southern Crossing. The ability to follow rough tracks and use a map and compass is essential. When in Masterton staying a few nights at the Masterton Motor Lodge is highly recommended.If doing [...]

Classic New Zealand Adventures

Rob Roy Glacier Track This excellent day tramp in Wanaka takes you up to the head of Rob Roy Stream, amongst the peaks of Mount Aspiring National Park. The shattered faces of Rob Roy Peak are exposed beneath massive ice falls. There is an open basin at the head of the valley, which is a [...]

Kaikoura Coast

Kaikoura is a small town between the Pacific Ocean and the mountains on the east coast of the South Island. The region is renowned for its seafood (the name Kaikoura means “Crayfish meal” in Maori), and is a convenient stop on the journey between Christchurch and Picton (where you catch the Cook Strait Ferry to [...]

West of the Lewis Pass

The Lewis Pass is the northernmost pass allowing road traffic through from the east of the South Island, to the West Coast. Travelling west, even before the Pass, the landscape has changed from the usual grass-covered hills and plains of farmland, to dense native forests of evergreen Beech and Podocarps, with an understorey dominated by [...]

Christchurch Sightseeing

These are some suggested sightseeing ideas within the Christchurch area. The day trips are very easily arranged by either using the city buses and tram (all buses depart from the main, Cathedral Square, where there is also a bus info kiosk); or organised guided tours in the case of Akaroa. Like all other NZ towns, [...]

Golden Bay and Farewell Spit

This region is the most north-westerly of the South Island. Although part of the West Coast, the rainfall here is much less than further south; together with the beaches and wilderness areas, it makes a good holiday location if you want to minimise the chances of rain. Heading north-west along the coast from Nelson are [...]

Central Otago

Otago stretches from the rolling countryside of the east coast around Dunedin, west across the dry interior of Central Otago, to the alpine regions around Wanaka and Queenstown (which is situated by Lake Wakatipu). The vegetation on the barren schist hillsides consists of sparse grass, some scrub, and some exotic weeds such as the very [...]

Lake Manapouri and Te Anau

Travelling west and south from the Queenstown region, you drive through gently rolling and flat farmland, and occasional areas of red tussock. Eventually, you reach Lake Te Anau and, further south, Lake Manapouri. The grassy landscape and climate along the eastern sides of each lake is quite different to the bush-covered west sides, which are [...]

Doubtful Sound

If you take one of the boat cruises to Doubtful Sound, the itinerary takes you westwards along Lake Manapouri’s West Arm, at which point you disembark the boat, and take a coach over the Wilmot pass. This road was the most expensive to construct in NZ, and only one tour operator is allowed to take [...]

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