So there I was, on the bungee ledge, overlooking a drop of several hundred
metres to the mountainside below. I had signed a disclaimer, absolving the
operator of any responsibility for death or disability. The last thing that
I felt like doing was slipping gently off the ledge, let alone executing a
somersault.
Trouble is, I had rashly undertaken to do this acrobatic manoeuvre in the
cable car on the way up. “You wouldn’t dare,” said our 15-year-old daughter,
Evie. A mother’s honour was at stake.
So I took a shaky three or four steps back from the edge and then, on the
count of three, I ran at it, dived into the air and spun two somersaults
before the elastic tightened and threw me back up, weightless and exultant.
The gymnastics served the useful purpose of distracting me from the terror
of the fall, a shock that led our 13-year-old, Rosa, to let out a
bloodcurdling scream.
But we did it. We had conquered our fear. And we had become honorary New
Zealanders: crazy, outdoorsy, with a taste for risk and adventure.
This was the culmination of our two-and-a-half week trip around the country: a
week in the North Island and ten days in the South. It had turned out to be
a great holiday for a family with teenagers. They had all the action and
excitement they wanted. New Zealand is friendly, clean, English-speaking and
efficient. But it is by no means antiseptic. Risk and rugged escapades are
the islands’ signature.
A country full of that much natural beauty can’t help but give birth to a
nation of hikers, kayakers, sailors, surfers and, yes, bungee jumpers. You
have only to wake up in the morning and check out the mountain views to want
to be part of them. And you are never far from the sea or a lake, so
watersports are tempting, too.
At least they would be tempting if the water wasn’t colder than the North Sea.
Although we went in the “summer”, over Christmas and New Year’s Eve, we were
unlucky enough to hit the chilliest December on record. Our fantasies of
beaches and bikinis remained just that. The sun-dresses sat reproachfully in
the suit-cases. Our fleeces, though, had a thoroughly good thrashing.
The weather made our stay in the Bay of Islands, on the North Island, a
catalogue of might-have-beens. We were supposed to be swimming with
dolphins; instead we sat frozen on the catamaran as the south wind, straight
from the Antarctic, whipped through our many layers. The dolphins were
fabulous, but swimming was out of the question.
Taking a tiny plane up to the northern tip of the country was frustrating too.
The scenery was breathtaking, but no wonder Ninety Mile Beach was deserted.
We gamely set out to do some sand tobogganing on dunes – great fun – but
were relieved to be out of the biting wind when we climbed back into the
aircraft.
By the time my husband had fallen ill with bronchitis and Evie with a strep
throat, I spent more of Christmas nursing than celebrating. But once we left
the vineyard country of Marlborough and Blenheim, at the top of the South
Island, things started to look up.
Kaikoura, a town on the east coast, backed by snow-capped mountains, has one
of the most glorious settings imaginable. It also has the glorious Hapuku
Lodge, designed by a New Zealander who lives in California and with all the
wackiness and style you might expect from that combination.
Our quarters were a stunning tree-house, with two bedrooms and bath-rooms.
Everything had been thought out, from the iPod playing mellow jazz as we
entered, to the tub and shower with superb views over mountains and ocean.
We were in heaven.
The next day we rose at dawn to go whalewatching. None of us had seen a whale
before, and the previous year we had gone on an abortive trip that resulted
in no sightings. So a lot of expectation hinged on this. After an hour or so
circling the sea, miracles! The captain spotted a plume of water just a few
hundred metres away and gradually a sperm whale emerged and floated in the
water like a giant log before gracefully diving down and granting us that
classic view of the upturned tail sliding under the surface.
Another miracle: the sun came out. By late afternoon, we were on quad bikes,
racing around the most gorgeous countryside and coast that I have ever seen.
As my face became coated with dust, my grin got wider until I must have
looked like a mad bag lady. This was pure New Zealand.
From Kaikoura, it is another two days’ drive past the Southern Alps to
Queenstown, the capital of adventure sports. This buzzy town, set on the
shore of a deep blue lake, with mountains all around, is full of bars,
restaurants and shops. But the first thing you have to decide is which of
the many thrills to experience. This may be the capital of bungee-jumping,
but there are countless other ways to test your nerve.
We spent a day jet-boating up the Dart River and then kayaking back in
inflatable canoes. The captain spun the boat round 360 degrees at top speed
several times to give us our obligatory adrenalin rush. And he pointed out
the peak on which Gandalf and Saruman faced up to each in The Lord of the
Rings. (Wherever you go in New Zealand, there’s a famous LOTR location
to spot.)
From there we took an overnight cruise in Doubtful Sound, New Zealand’s answer
to the Norwegian fjords. To get there requires most of a day: two bus
journeys and a boat trip across a lake. But its remoteness is the whole
point; there is no human habitation for 50 miles. Unlike at Milford Sound,
Doubtful’s easily accessible cousin, you have this place to yourself,
especially if you opt to stay on the boat overnight.
With the sun still out, we took to our kayaks and visited a seal colony. But
the highlight was the trip up the coast as the sun set and the dolphins
leapt and dived alongside us. The Lord of the Rings may be fiction, but in
real life, New Zealand is a truly magical land.
Need to know
Mary Ann Sieghart and family travelled with Bridge & Wickers (020-7483
6555, www.bridgeand wickers.co.uk). A tailormade holiday with a similar
itinerary costs from £2,556pp, based on four sharing. The price includes
return flights from Heathrow, into Auckland and out of Christchurch on Air
New Zealand, domestic flights, 16 nights’ accommodation, 13 days’ car hire,
and all tours and excursions.
Websites: Swimming with dolphins in the Bay of Islands: www.sailingdolphins.co.nz;
flight to the northern tip: www.saltair.co.nz;
Hapuku Lodge: www.hapukulodge.com;
whalewatching in Kaikoura: www.whalewatch.co.nz;
quad-biking in Kaikoura: www.4wheeladventures.co.nz;
Dart River safari: www.dartriver
jet.co.nz; Doubtful Sound cruise: www.realjourneys.co.nz.
Bungee jumping in Queenstown: www.ajhackett.com.
Thriller Kiwi highs
Will Hide
This new 200m (650ft) “human monorail” called the Shweeb,
near Rotorua, hangs 4m (13ft) off the ground. Up to five vehicles can be
loaded on to two parallel tracks for teams to race each other at speeds of
up to 60km/h (37mph), curving out up to 60 degrees on bends. Details: www.agroventures.co.nz.
Mokai Gravity opens this month. The Giant Swing is the world’s highest
tandem swing, at 80m. After a 50m free fall, participants arc into a swing
over the Rangitikei River. Details: www.gravitycanyon.co.nz.
A dirty weekend of mountain biking by Fat Tyre Adventures incorporates
a heli-bike ride, trailing in the Naseby forest and a day of double descent,
including the Leaning Rock and the Dunstan Traverse rides. Dirty Weekenders
enjoy 6,000m of downhill and 120km of riding over the three days. Details:
www.fat-tyre.co.nz.
A £3.7 million luge near Auckland has three tracks up to 1.5km
long. Tracks twist under and over each other, with speeds from “slowly
scenic” to fast and furious. A giant “Flying Karpet” Italian-designed
escalator carries carts and riders back to the top. Details: www.aucklandluge.co.nz.
