Don't Miss Experiences

New Zealand is one of the most beautiful and exhilarating spots on earth. Grab your bags and go - my top 5 experiences in this incredible country.

Milford Sound Trip

Milford Sound was amazing, it literally took my breath away. Located on New Zealand’s South Island, it is a truly spectacular Fjord within the Fiordland National Park and the world heritage listed Te Wahipounamu. What was most evident to me was the lushness of my surrounds. Evidence of this being one of the wettest places not only in New Zealand, but the entire world was everywhere.

Waterfalls were spilling over cliffs reaching more than 1200 metres in height. A great way to explore the Fjord is to take a fly in and guided walk tour, a day or overnight cruise up the inlet or combine that with a coach tour along the beautiful and precarious alpine road.

grab your card and go  Milford Sound Tours from $169 per adult


Experience Queenstown

I love adventure and this made Queenstown the perfect destination. If you are like me and happen to be an adrenalin junky and adventure seeker, then Queenstown is definitely worth a visit. Feel the head throbbing thrill of an extreme bungy jump or shotover jet ride, get the heart rate going with a unique river surfing experience – take your pick from whitewater body boarding and even learn how to ride whirlpools.

For those who prefer a more laid back holiday adventure, there is plenty to do. There are vineyards and winery tours, world class golf courses to suit all levels with stunning scenery and backdrops, walking trails are almost endless, bike riding and also sailing.

Let’s not forget winter, this place changes to the perfect snow skiing and snowboarding destination. It is one of my favourite spots for winter fun. I found a range of resorts and accommodation to suit all budgets and for those again with the extreme need for adventure in their blood, there were heli skiing and heli boarding tours offering blood pumping experiences.

grab your card and go The Worlds Fastest Ride, Queenstown


Cuba Street, Wellington

Cuba Street was one of Wellington’s most diverse, creative and artistic streets around. Located just south of the CBD, this funky street gave me a taste of Cuba, without actually going there.

There were cafes and restaurants, bars, street buskers and entertainers, Cuban coffee, op shops, major retailers, records shops, tattoo artist and remnants of the thriving red light district that once was.

grab your card and go - Discover Latinos Tapas Bar, Wellington


Auckland Shopping District

If you love shopping, do what I did and grab your wallet and hit the shops in Auckland. There are some great markets in Victoria Park and on Saturday mornings in the Otara Town Centre you can try all things Polynesian – the food and fruit is great and the shopping pretty good too.

In the central part of the city is the Downtown Complex in Queen Street. I found it to be really geared towards tourists with Duty Free Shops, great exchange rates and plenty of bargains. For a bit of an old fashioned shopping experience head to Queen’s Arcade, the Atrium and Smith & Caughey’s department store. If shopping for designer labels is more your idea of fun, then I found the best areas to be Parnell, Posonby, Newmarket and K. Road, all located in the inner city. Onehunga had great factory outlet shopping.
grab your card and go  Crystal Mountain Theme Park,

Auckland


Experience the true Maori Culture

A trip to New Zealand wouldn’t be complete without experiencing the true Maori way of life. The Chronicles of Uitara have been shared from generation to generation. In Rotorua you can experience one chapter of this story – Journey of Ages and in Christchurch another chapter is on offer – Lost in our Own Land. The show can be a little expensive, but well worth the money.

Also in Rotorua is the Mitai Maori Village, these guys also put on a great show and here you will also see Rotorua’s glow worms. If you want to take the experience one step further and stay in a Marae, Auckland NZ Maori Tours offer a weekend experience that takes you to a traditional village, shows you the customs and traditions, gives you the low down on the Haka, traditional food and a sleep over in a sacred traditional meeting house.

grab your card and go  Mitai Maori Village, Rotorua