New Zealand’s South Island.

March 26, 2017 / 1 comment

New Zealand’s South Island.

In my last post I went through my favourite activities I did on the North Island of New Zealand so today I will do the same for the South Island.

Go jet boating on the Buller River. This is the ultimate adrenaline ride. The guy who was in charge of the boat had us hurtling towards the cliff at the edge of the river only turning away at the last second. I don’t think I stopped laughing the whole trip.
Go to the poo party. This is specific to the Kiwi Experience bus I was on but if you do get the chance to go to the legendary party held at Lake Mahinapua then you should. It was such a bonding exercise with the rest of the bus as we donned our themed fancy dress and partied the night away.
Hike the Franz Josef glacier. They are strict about their health and safety here and because the weather was not safe for helicopters anyone who was remotely ill or injured was not allowed up which unfortunately included me and a couple of friends. Everyone who did get to go had an amazing time and their photo’s looked incredible so I had to include it on this list.
Do a skydive. I did mine over Lake Wanaka which had beautiful views although Lake Taupo on the North Island is also highly recommended. Wow, I loved it!
Puzzling World at Wanaka. This novelty experience was an amusing way to spend the morning and would be a great activity for kids as well.
Go skiing. This can be done at a few locations including Wanaka and Queenstown. This is quite different to skiing in Europe, the pistes are far less obviously marked and the resorts are smaller however the views are spectacular.
Eat a Ferg Burger. This is a foodie constitution in Queenstown and does some of the most amazing burgers with a wide variety of fillings.
Do a bungee jump. This is one of my favourite things I have ever done. Some people did the one from the Kawarau Bridge which gives you the option of dunking your head in the water but I chose the Nevis bungy which is from a box suspended over a deep gorge where you fall 134metres! Not one for those with serious vertigo but oh so amazing!
Marvel at natural wonders. There are so many spectacular things to see in New Zealand from the world famous Milford Sound, to the stunning Lake Tekapo and the interesting Punakaiki “pancake” rocks.
Swim with wild dolphins in Kaikoura. One of the top things on my bucket list was to swim with dolphins and in Kaikoura you can not only view seals and whales but also don a wetsuit and jump into the ocean with a pod of over 500 dusky dolphins like I did. Obviously you don’t touch them, but they swim so close to you they basically bash into you anyway.
Attend a Kiwi rugby match. What with the All Blacks being arguably the best rugby team in the world it is unsurprising that the country is rugby mad and as I have said before I am all about visiting local sporting events, it helps that I am a massive rugby fan anyway, but the atmosphere in New Zealand is unlike anything I have been to back home including the local derby of Northampton Saints v Leicester Tigers.