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Viaduct Harbour

by Bernd_L

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Viaduct Harbour
by Bernd_L
View from Sealy Tarns
by DSwede
Mueller Hut in the Ice Fields
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View from Kea Point
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View of Hooker Lake and Glacier
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Most Viewed Sports & Outdoors in New Zealand

Canterbury Crusaders Rugby Christchurch

5 Reviews Rugby is the big team sport which is played in Jade Stadium in winter, and the Crusaders are probably the best club/regional team in the world. They have been the champions of the Super12 and Super14...

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Rafting Queenstown

5 Reviews For the last section through the tunnel, we overshoot the entrance, and have to rock climb back to a suitable spot. We almost end up going over a very evil rapid called The Mother-in-law. We make it...

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Paragliding Christchurch

2 Reviews I do not do paragliding but visiting friends of mine have enjoyed it very much in the Port Hills. Along the Summit Road there are several fine spots for the start, one at Castle Rock which is a very...

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Bungy Jumping Queenstown

1 Review Bungy jump over the local rivers, and get the thrill of your life. There are a few sites around New Zealand where you can make a bungy jump. The first and original commercial site (started 1988) is...

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Cricket Christchurch

2 Reviews If the Black Caps - the national team - do not play the ninetieth test against Sri Lanka or whichever team in AMI Stadium (formerly: Jade Stadium) cricket takes place in other locations and all...

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Rowing Christchurch

2 Reviews There are lots of sports you can do around Christchurch, but we weren't after anything too adventurous. Canoeing was ideal for us, because it was in the city. Nothing required (not even lifejackets,...

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Tennis Christchurch

1 Review If you love tennis you can play in Hagley Park for nearly nothing. The Hagley Park Tennis Club welcomes casual players and charges only NZ$ 10. There are even some locations in Christchurch where you...

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Tramping / Hiking

by kiwigal_1

What the rest of the world calls hiking most kiwis refer to as tramping. New Zealand is a great place to go tramping as there are mountainous regions, lakes, bush, volcanoes and general wilderness areas that make for many and varied tramping routes. There are some popular tracks that you need to book ahead to go on (such as the Milford Track) and there are others that are marked and you can do in a day (such as the Tongariro Crossing). There are others that are well off the beaten track also. The Lonely Planet guide books have written a specific book on tramping in New Zealand so if you are an outdoors/hiking enthusiast then this book is highly recommended. In New Zealand the weather can be extremely changeable so it is recommended that you are well prepared for any tramping adventure. This includes the one-day Tongariro Crossing!!! Please make sure that you have clothing to suit the...

Tongariro Crossing, you and a million other folks

by tomatohead

Yes, it's touted as the best one-day hike in New Zealand and yes, it's stunning. If the weather is good, be prepared to share the trail with about 500-700 other folks.You will see how different cultures tackle sustained one-day hikes. You will see gorgous crater lakes and volcanos, alpine, and subalpine scrub. Be warned, even if it is classified as the best one day hike, weather conditions can change and folks do get lost/killed every now and then.Have your layers, food, water, etc. ready.Stout boots really help on the gnarly shale trail. Sunscreen and hat and camera.There are about three toilet stops available on the trail.

Tramping???

by martin_nl

Yep tramping they call it over here, rather than hiking. Nevertheless it i the same activity. This is by far the best way to get the ultimate New Zealand experience, especially if you have the time to do one or more of the multiple day tracks in the greatest national parks of the country. Almost complete isolation at some tracks, noone can be there except for you and a small group of other people.I have done the Milford Track in Fiordland NP, Did a day on the Routeburn Track where we walked up to Key Summit from the Divide. Hiked up Mount Luxmoore on the Kepler Track. Tramped up the Ben Lomond mountain in Queenstown. I also did the Tongariro Crossing in Tongariro National Park. Apart from these longer tramps you can doa lot of short hikes all over the country. Take a look at the Department of Conservation's (DOC) website to get an idea. If you want to to the populat tracks such as...

Wakeboard

by SURFIN7TH

This was my first time wakeboarding. The island in the background is called Rangitoto. Its one of many dormant volcanos in NZ. Its difficult to use it as a landmark because it looks very similar from all sides. My friends took me on a center console, we dropped the boat in Browns Bay, Aukland. I think Rachel Hunter is from that area. Believe it or not we are fishing at the same time. Earlier we set up a set of hooks with bait weighted to the bottom between two bouys. Later when we pulled up the lines we caught several fish including a John Dory. There wasn't a boat ramp like we have here. We actually drove onto the beach to the water and pushed the boat off the trailer. Having an outboard came in handy because we were able to trim the engine all the way up. It didn't hurt to have a light boat either because we had to crank it up on the trailer at the end of the day.

Fishing and wakeboarding at the same time.

by SURFIN7TH

This is a letter that KIWI sent me. I knew she would know things like this. Check out her pages on New Zealand !<<<<<<<<<< " Great fish, one of the nicest to eat. Called a John Dory and the black mark issaid to be the thumb print of Jesus!!hope you ate it!! " >>>>>>>>>and I did...delicious.As I mentioned above, We set out what resembled a long line of baited hooks, weighted to the bottom between two floats. We went wake boarding for a couple hours and we went back and pulled up our lines.Here's a John Dory. This was the first and only time I've ever seen one. When my friends said we were going fishing I asked them where the rods were. They laughed and pulled out the longline. I prefer angling with a rod and reel but this method has its advantages.

Kayaking in the Abel Tasman National Park

by kiwigal_1

One of the coolest place to do a kayak trip in New Zealand is in the Abel Tasman National Park. This is an all inclusive tour of the park taking you from bay to bay until you return to Motueka (near Nelson). It was a trip that I had always wanted to do. Although the Nelson area of New Zealand is known for its large number of sunshine days unfortunately for me the holidays that I took the trip was one of the wetest summers that the area had! Not to worry though, it is still an amazing experience that any traveller to New Zealand should not miss.See my Abel Tasman National Park travelogue for an overview of the kayaking trip that we did! No need to bring any equipment as it is all included in the tour price.

Fishing trips at Bay of Islands

by hopang

Fishing is a very popular travel and tour activity at Bay of Islands which is very rich in all species of fish. There are organised fishing trips from the Wharf, Paihia in the North Island of New Zealand. Of course you don't expect to fish such a large shark as depicted on our photographs on the right. The large shark displayed at the Wharf in Paihia came from deep sea fishing! We are placing the photographs here just to let you know that there are lots of fish at Bay of Islands for you to fish if you are keen on fishing trips! Fishing equipment can be hired at local fishing trips tour operators.

Snow park NZ

by srinpav

If you are in the queenstown area and you are into hitting big kickers, rails and burms than snow park NZ is definitely for you. It's a man made snow park with some absolutely crazy kickers and rails that are designed for the more advanced borders and skiers. If you are only a beginner it is still worth going to snow park to check out the crazy action. Have fun and play safe. Warm clothes, perhaps a helmet and other safety equipment, camera and your courage and ego are a must.

Great Golf Courses for every Budget

by Kakapo2

I am no golf player (still too fit and young LOL) - but I can tell you that there are great golf courses all over New Zealand. And you can play nearly everywhere by paying the green fee. Here are two websites where you can check out the locations where you want to travel: http://www.nzgolf.net/ http://www.golfguide.co.nz/ (The Golf Guide lists lots of clubs, not just the courses, and also lists the green fees, so you get an idea how much the playing alone costs.) Kauri Cliffs in the Bay of Islands is one of the most famous ones in the country, and if you have a look at the website you understand why. I just see that it as rated the world's number 58 golf course in 2005: http://www.kauricliffs.nzgolf.net/ The Cape Kidnappers Course on the East Coast is even rated higher (27): http://www.capekidnappers.nzgolf.net/ In the Auckland area Gulf Harbour is the most famous one:...

Fishing NZ

by fishandchips

Big game fishing is an unforgettable thrill. The sheltered waters of the Bay of Islands are renowned world-wide for their Marlin, Kingfish and Swordfish. Striped Marlin grow bigger in these waters than anywhere else in the world averaging around one hundred kilos. No licence is required for big game fishing, but chartering a boat with an experienced skipper is the way to go.Opportunities to fish for Brown and Rainbow Trout are available throughout the country: try the lakes of Rotorua and Taupo and the rivers of Canterbury (Rakaia) and Southland. Salmon fishing is also on offer in Canterbury (Waimakariri and Rangitata rivers) and on the West Coast. All gear can be hired from fishing stores and/or tour companies. What you will need will obviously be dictated by the type of fishing you are going to do.A licence is required for trout fishing and regulations govern quantity of fish and...

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Questions and Answers

Q: Hi, Are there good beaches where you can go for snorkeling on the South island ? Eddy

A: You betcha Eddy! :-) Snorkelling off New Zealand's South Island coastline offers snorkellers the chance to snorkel alongside fur seals or the world's smallest...

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