14 Amazing Must-do Adventures in New Zealand (Travelling from the North Island to the South Island)
The land of the ‘Long White Cloud’ is calling your name. Whether you are a nature enthusiast, adrenaline junkie or anything in between, this breathtaking country will encapsulate you, and will ensure long lasting memories will be etched into your soul forever.
Two weeks of adventure and touring New Zealand; in both the North and South Islands is nothing short of exhilarating. Every turn and bend; a picturesque postcard setting. Let me share the:
14 Amazing Must-do Adventures in New Zealand
Even those who are fortunate enough to call New Zealand their homeland, say it is a new adventure every time they visit home. The thing I love most about New Zealand is that it is jam packed with so many incredible things to see and do.
Getting around the islands is exceptionally easy. We decided on a family adventure with our young 11-year-old son, Lincoln, with a focus on lots of new experiences. Gav and I last visited NZ over 30 years ago and wanted to show Linc all the best that New Zealand has to offer.
1. LUGE RIDING
Linc Luge Riding in NZ (booked through Book Me NZ)
This is by far one of the most fun things to do in NZ for people of all ages. You will find luges on both the North Island (Rotorua) and South Island (Queenstown). Luges are small karts that are gravity propelled down the mountainside. They have a unique braking system so that you can control your speed when hurtling down. (I met one lady on my travels that shared her younger experience of choosing not to use her brakes in order to beat her brothers in a luge race). She lost control falling over the edge, shoes flying through the air, only to be taken off by ambulance – not seriously hurt though…just her pride! Tip – use the brakes!
There are different tracks from beginners through to advanced. A short but spectacular, scenic trip up on the gondolas will allow you access to the luges. Once you have finished your ride, then you take a chairlift to return to the mountain for another round.
Some tips – book more than one luge ride, in fact book as many rides as you can fit in for the day. The more you do works out cheaper anyway. This is such a super fun activity you are going to want to spend most of the day there. There is also a raft of other activities to do up there like Bungy Jumping (Queenstown), zip lining or simply dining high in the skies.
Another tip – if you are also headed to Queenstown and thinking of going on the luges there, buy the annual pass as this will save on the gondola costs in Queenstown; which is considerably more there. The queues are longer in Queenstown; mornings being a lot busier than afternoons so may need to be realistic about how many rides you can fit into the afternoon.
2. TAMAKI MAORI CULTURAL VILLAGE
A trip to New Zealand must include a journey to learn about the Maori culture and heritage. We had limited time in Rotorua and knew that this most award winning cultural show was a not to be missed evening. Tamaki arranged to pick you up directly from your hotel and is a short drive to the outskirts of Rotorua, lapping the edge of the ancient Tawa Forest. It is a recreated indigenous village that takes you on a cultural journey about ancient traditions, hosting an amazing show and incredible performances followed by a feast on a traditional hangi buffet dinner, which is by far the best hangi I have ever had.
Gav and our son, Linc, joined the men in the traditional Haka ceremonial dance. Our son loved it and I have since caught him frequently emulating the vigorous dance movements and stamping of his feet.
To make your stay even more memorable, the village offers overnight stays in a Whare Moe (sleeping house). I wasn’t aware of this on our visit and would have loved the opportunity to stay overnight at the village. This is one event to be added to your itinerary.
3. THERMAL SPA’s
Polynesian Day Spa - Rotorua,NZ
In and around Rotorua and in fact across New Zealand you will find many thermal spa’s to indulge the senses and refresh your soul.
We visited the Polynesian Day Spa in Rotorua, famous for it’s Acidic and Alkaline springs.
It has 28 mineral pools and the water is sourced from 2 natural springs.
We chose a deluxe private pool for our family to experience the heavenly 38.5 degrees of alkaline water.
A chance to rejuvenate and relax whilst looking out over the pristine waters of Lake Rotorua.
4. WAI-O-TAPU THERMAL WONDERLAND
En route from Rotorua to Taupo (on the north Island of New Zealand), we stopped to walk the trails of this truly majestic place. Described as a Geo-thermal wonderland, the landscape is weaved with bubbling hot mud baths, geothermal pools with hot rising steam, deep volcanic craters and a mixture of the most glorious and vibrant colours the earth has to offer.
It is named as “One of the 20 Most Surreal Places in the World’ and I would have to agree that ‘Surreal’ is an apt description. The Wonderland is also home to the Lady Knox Geyser. We timed our arrival carefully as the Geyser erupts (with some assistance) daily at 10.15am, so be sure to time your day to include this into your activities. Book Me NZ offer combination deals for admission and transport for this but we had our own rental car. Instead, we booked on-line which offered a great family discount available on-line only.
Some hotels in the area also offer discount entry to the park so be sure to check with your hotel.
5. SAILING LAKE TAUPO
Sailing Lake Taupo
Taupo is a short distance from Rotorua. We headed to here from the Thermal Wonderland. Lake Taupo is a beautiful lake and a super volcano. I thought it was going to be a tiny township on the edge of a small lake. I was incredibly surprised at the size of the lake, which is the collapsed crater of the volcano.
To give you some idea of size, the lake is the same size as Singapore and for fellow Aussies; 12 times the size of Sydney Harbour – in other words; it is enormous! It has its own horizon!
When we arrived in Taupo, it was very windy and the lake was whipping up waves more like an ocean. We wanted to cruise to Mine Bay to visit the Maori Rock Carving (Built in the late 1970’s). With the water being so choppy; it was possible this would be a challenge! The next day the skies cleared, the lake calmed and we boarded the yacht - Sail Barbary (the yacht that Errol Flynn bought!) for a relaxing enjoyable sail across Taupo. I took my mandatory ‘Queen of the World’ position on the bough of the boat as it glided peacefully across the lake.
The skipper was happy for anyone to take the wheel and she really knew her history about Taupo. The Rock Carvings were stunning and a truly relaxing way to enjoy the lake.
6. HUKA FALLS
Huka Falls, Outside of Lake Taupo, New Zealand
Whilst in Taupo we headed to Huka Falls and took a scenic walk along the banks of the Waikato River. The water runs at a powerful pace and is a spectacular natural attraction with its unique blue colour. The blue colour is from the clear water reflecting blue light. A true natural phenomenon and well worth the visit. Huka Falls is only 9 minutes drive from Taupo. There are a number of ways to enjoy the views of the falls either from the bridge stretching over the falls, along the scenic walk or through more adventurous ways through Jet Boat or River Cruises that approach at the end of the falls. I am a big fan of Jet Boating and would choose this option if we were only travelling on the North Island. As we were headed to the South Island, we saved our Jet Boating experiences for there. Again deals for river cruises or jet boating could be found on Book Me NZ
7. SNOW VISIT
The beauty of New Zealand is that you could be wading at the ocean’s edge and travel only a few short hours to be standing high on picturesque snow-capped mountains. Our next destination was Wellington so on the advice of Taupo locals, we took a small scenic detour to Whakapapa Village at the base of Mt Ruapehu. We checked the conditions to know if the car needed chains but weather was clear enough to allow us a drive right up to the ski-fields. Such easy access and no cost to park at the fields (although you can book shuttle buses). We travelled in the early spring, there was plentiful snow about and the ski fields filled with eager winter sports enthusiasts. An opportunity to jump straight into the snow, build a snowman or start a snow fight. Whilst we saved our skiing for the South Island it seemed far less crowded at Mt Ruapehu. I hadn’t put this area of New Zealand on my radar for snow skiing but the appeal of the beautiful, quiet surrounding villages, with dramatic volcanic landscapes as backdrop, has definitely made me think this is one winter destination to add to the list.
If time is limited and you only have an opportunity to see part of New Zealand, then I would suggest particularly if you are an adrenaline-seeking adventurer to include Queenstown into your itinerary. There are so many things to see. Let’s continue with activities in Queenstown and it’s surrounds.
8. E-BIKING
Some might say it is cheating to ride Electric Bikes but I just love them. You can effortlessly discover enormous terrain over the course of a day. At speeds of 30+km an hour is easy to cover some distance. There are biking trails all over NZ and no better way to see the countryside then get on a bike. Linc voted this activity in his top 5, second to the luge experience. You could be riding up hillsides or leisurely coasting alongside the Kawarau and Shotover Rivers as the Jet boats power by alongside. Our E-Bikes were delivered directly to our hotel. A quick training session before we were on our way to explore. A superb day out. Again, booked through Book Me NZ
9. HELICOPTER ALPINE EXPERIENCE
There are so many companies that operate out of Queenstown than compared by my experiences 30 years ago. On my last travels, I had a heli experience across the Fox Glacier, snow landing and also chartered a small plane into Milford Sound. Both of those adventures so absolutely unforgettable as were just awe-inspiring. We wanted Linc to share this experience as flight offers such as different perspective. We chose an alpine experience and landing. The weather didn’t quite allow us to get the alpine landing we had originally planned, but instead we landed on the cliff face at Cecil’s Peak. Incredibly dramatic scenery and in the words of Da Vinci-
“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will long to return.”
10. JET BOATING
These thrill rides are now offered in all kinds of destinations. I have been jet boating at some exotic locations but find jet boating in Queenstown to be exhilarating. Linc was somewhat nervous for this new experience and we had a couple of options. Gav and I have been on the Shotover Jets and K Jets in Queenstown. The point of difference between the two is the Shotover Jets is the only jet boats to operate in the Shotover Canyon. They promise the ultimate thrill ride through the narrow canyon and I have to say was completely and utterly exhilarating. The Shotover Jets are at Arthur’s point – a short bus or car trip to get there. K Jets can be taken straight from the jetty in the heart of Queenstown and offer a similar but considerably longer jet boating experience on the Kawarau and Shotover rivers (but not into the thrilling narrow canyon). The K Jet thrill ride rated in Linc’s top 5.
11. AJ HACKETT
Bungy Jumping Experiences - AJ Hackett Bungy
Anything with this man’s name in it, will promise you extreme adventure. The AJ Hackett motto is ‘Live More, Fear Less’ – I think that gives you a pretty good idea. The activities are designed to get you facing your fears and embrace all the adventure that life has to offer. The activities include things like bungy jumping, Nevis swing (most famous swing in the world) and zip-lining. I remember being in Queenstown when the world of extreme sport was just emerging and the sports have grown considerably since then. I am sure that there will be one adventure that you will find is the right fit for you. Just a tip, we had hired a car at this stage and intended to go Nevis Swing but we missed this as we weren’t aware that this was a location that we couldn’t enter with our rental car (only accessible by 4WD buses). Check out the road in - is hair-raising and exciting just for the drive alone! Linc decided on a Zip Lining experience alongside the Kawarau River. We stopped here en-route to Arrow Town. Best value is for every paying adult, your child rides for free or you can get group discounts if all your friends are keen. Rated in Linc’s top 5 – riding twice on the 130m zipline. You can choose to hang upside down, backwards, forwards, superman style; anyway you choose. Zip-lining is a lot of fun!
12. SEGWAYS
Segway on Q - Queenstown, New Zealand
Another great way to get around and see Queenstown is on a Segway. I haven’t used Segways before, but with a short training session was able to pick up pretty quickly.
I did chat to our guide about whether anyone has accidents using them. He laughed saying he would tell me later. Before this occurred, I had a small incident hitting a bollard! Not hurt but a little embarrassed.
Apparently this is quite common with at least one person falling off every ride! So make sure you listen well during training.
Super amount of fun and an easy way to get around whilst listening to the history from your guide.
So absolutely worth it and a picture perfect setting (booked through Book Me NZ).
13. PUZZLING WORLD – WANAKA
Had no idea what this place was about but I can tell you no matter what age or nationality you are – you are going to love Puzzling World. A wonderful mix of weirdness, illusion rooms, the most weirdest public toilets you will ever see and Great Maze which seems much easier to do than when you are in it! This is one place that you really just need to see to experience. Wanaka is just a short drive from Queenstown (about 1 and a half hours).
14. SKIING
What is a visit to the mountains if you aren’t going to tackle some activities in the snow? Whether it is as adventurous as heli-skiing or some great family fun like sledding, you can use Queenstown or surrounds as a base to get up onto the mountain. Just a quick shuttle bus up and easy to get all your gear in the heart of Queenstown. The ski fields nearby are Mt. Remarkables, Cardrona and Coronet Peak. There is another ski field, Treblecone, but locals said that this ski field in particular is for the very advanced skier. Skiing or Boarding is something you should try at least once!
There are so many other adventures that I haven’t included in my recent travels, but have done in NZ– white water rafting, glacier climbs, river cruises, there is so much to do, to see….kayaking, canoeing to the glow worm caves, skydiving, balloon rides, a visit to Hobbiton - the list simply goes on and on for activities or adventures. Be sure to check out Book Me NZ to allow creative ways to do more, see more and travel more.
I got my flight to New Zealand during peak season for $13 from Virgin Australia to kick-start our adventure. Yes, just $13. Check out my blog on 10 Great Tips to get you flying to your dream destination faster and upcoming blog on 11 Clever Tips to Find Accommodation to fit your budget.
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The Land of the Long White cloud is most definitely calling your name!
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