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Things To Do In New Zealand – South Island
March 21, 2010 by dive892
Filed under recent articles
New Zealands South Island is the larger of the two main islands, but is only home to about 25 percent of the population. It is best known for its magnificent glacier-carved mountains, its fjords, the Milford Sound, Mount Cook, gorgeous beaches, unique flora and fauna, whale-watching and adventure tourism.
Christchurch, the largest city on the island, also known as The Garden City, is located on the east coast of the South Island. The city is lush with trees and parks throughout and the River Avon runs right through the middle of it. Christchurch is an excellent destination for travelers seeking adventure sports.
Some of Christchurchs must-sees include:
Willowbank Wildlife Reserve provides visitors with the opportunity to watch, touch and even feed some of the countrys native wildlife, including kiwi birds, wallabies, keas, lemurs and fresh water eels. The reserve also features nightly Maori Cultural Performances and an onsite restaurant that is open for lunch and dinner. The Reserve is open from 10am 10pm year-round, with day and evening tours operating daily. Christchurch Botanic Gardens are located in Hagley Park, with the Avon River flowing right through it. The Gardens are abundant with flora and fauna native to New Zealand, as well as plants from around the world. Open 365 days per year; free admission. Orana Wildlife Park is the largest wildlife reserve in New Zealand. Set on 80 hectares of park-like grounds, animals are housed in their natural habitats with few barriers or fences, allowing visitors to see them up close and even feed some of the gentler species. Open 10am 5pm daily; closed Christmas day. Arts Centre Weekend Market is a world-class market located in the historic Arts Centre, featuring almost 100 vendors selling hand-crafted local art, jewelry, clothing and fresh produce. The Market also features an international food fair and live music. Open every Saturday and Sunday, year-round. Take the Christchurch Gondola 1500 feet up to the gondola station for unbeatable 360-degree views of Christchurch, Canterbury Plains and Lyttelton Harbor. Mountain Creek Ranches Hunting Club . At the top, visitors can peruse the small gift shop, explore the history center, or relax at the restaurant and caf.Dunedin is the second largest city on the South Island, and also New Zealands oldest city. This coastal town is perhaps best known for being one of the best-preserved Victorian and Edwardian cities in the southern hemisphere, as well as for its amazing wildlife. Dunedin is home to the Northern Royal Albatross, Yellow-eyed Penguins, and several species of seals and sea lions.
Some of the most popular attractions in Dunedin include:
Penguin Place, home of the Yellow-eyed Penguin Conservation Reserve, is located about 30 minutes from Dunedins city center. Small group tours, which run throughout the day, take visitors through the colony for a close-up viewing of the birds. Reservations are required. Elm Wildlife Tours offers visitors the opportunity to see Sea Lions, Fur Seals, Yellow-Eyed Penguins and Albatross in their natural environments, including Elms own restricted wildlife conservation sanctuary. Private and small-group tours are offered year-round. A good fitness level is required for tours. Dunedin Public Art Gallery is one of New Zealands finest art galleries, which holds the main public art collection of the city. The gallery showcases a large collection of native New Zealand art as well as rotating exhibits from around the world. Open year-round, except for major holidays. Larnach Castle, the lone castle of New Zealand, was built in 1871 by William Larnach for his wife, Eliza, and took 15 years to complete. The castle is open for tours, lodging and dining every day, except Christmas day.Located on the shores of the beautiful Lake Wakatipu and surrounded by the Southern Alps, Queenstown is an excellent adventure destination any time of year. lga . Besides skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, jet boating, rafting , kayaking and water skiing, some of the other popular activities in Queenstown include horseback riding, golfing, mountain biking, hang gliding, sky diving and touring the local wineries.
Milford Sound is a very famous fjord located in glacier-carved Fjorland National Park; it is the most popular tourist destination in New Zealand. Milford Sound is a spectacular sight on sunny day, or in the rain, when the waterfalls are in their full glory. Dolphins, seals and penguins can also be frequently seen in the sound. Tours are available by day cruises, kayak, plane or helicopter.
Another popular way to see the Milford Sound is the Milford Track, which is the most famous tramping route in New Zealand, and one of the most famous walks in the world. Along this 32-mile trek that goes from the head of Lake Te Anau, through the rain forest and Fjordland National Forest, to the Milford Sound, visitors can take in the beautiful valleys carved from glaciers. The trail is busiest from October through April.
Stewart Island is located off the southern coast of the South Island. This rugged island is 40 miles long, about 24 miles wide, and does not even have roads. As the bird capitol of New Zealand, Stewart Island is an excellent bird-watching destination. Boat cruises, fishing, kayaking and hiking are also popular activities.
Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers cut through glacial valleys flowing into the temperate rainforest. Each of these dramatic glaciers is about 7 miles long. Located in a relatively mild climate, no other glaciers in the world are as easily accessible as Fox and Franz Josef. One can see these glaciers via walking tours, kayak tours, helicopter tours and even skydiving!
At over 12,000 feet high, Mount Cook (Aoraki) is the tallest mountain in New Zealand, and is located in the Southern Alps, which span the entire length of the South Island. This tourist destination is an obvious favorite among mountain climbers. The mountain can be enjoyed by one of the many hiking trails, by 4WD safaris, horseback riding, scenic flights and even boating on the glacier lakes.
Contact a Professional Travel Agent today to book your dream vacation to New Zealand! Call us at 1-800-788-0829 or visit http://www.travelteam.com.
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Fun Things to Do on the Garden Route – South Africa
February 21, 2010 by dive892
Filed under recent articles
So where is the Garden Route? you might ask. ingersoll rand . Its a 200km section of the South African coastline stretching from the town of Mossel Bay to just the other side of the Tsitsikamma National Park. Just recently I took some time out to revisit the Garden Route, this time to research what fun exciting things one can do on the Garden Route. Its a fabulous destination and a definite must see for anybody visiting South Africa. To summarize the Garden Route, I would call it the outdoor adventure activities and golf Mecca of South Africa! I have put together some suggestions here for your trip down the Garden Route.
Scenic Drives: Well, there are a couple of lovely scenic drives on the Garden Route and depending on how much time you have and where you are staying the night you could include these on your itinerary.
Swartberg Pass and Meiringspoort near Oudtshoorn a gorgeous day trip to be enjoyed with a picnic lunch stop at a beautiful waterfall in Meiringspoort, dramatic mountain landscape and scenic vistas. New York Wholesale Jewelry . Seven passes road, the original road between George and Knysna dense indigenous forest, tannin rich black water rivers, steep gorges and a prolific bird life. Montagu pass traversing the majestic Outeniqua Mountains between George and Oudtshoorn, the original route built in 1848 with convict labour.
Mossel Bay
Shark Cage Diving an exhilarating experience I would recommend to anybody! Mossel Bay has the most accessible great white shark experience in the world, offering a shorter more comfortable boat ride on calmer waters than the competition at Gansbaai near Cape Town. You will leave with a newfound respect for these magnificent predators.
Oudtshoorn great place to visit especially if its raining everywhere else on the Garden Route. Oudtshoorn is the capital of the Little Karoo which is classed as semi desert so you can count on the weather being pretty good most of the year round.
Cango Caves an underground wonderland with the most spectacular dripstone formations
Cango Ostrich Farm - learn about the ostrich farming industry that made Oudtshoorn famous and take a ride on an ostrich!
Cango Wildlife Ranch a sanctuary to endangered wildlife species. Get up close and personal with a cheetah or go diving with the crocs.
Wilderness a tranquil seaside village offering an array of outdoor activities such as Paragliding, Canoeing up Touws River, Hiking trails through the enchanted indigenous forests, Kloofing and Abseiling.
Knysna a bustling happening little town with much to offer!
I can recommend the 4 Hour Eco Experience at Featherbed Bay, which includes a boat ride across the lagoon, a guided tour in the nature reserve, a tractor-trailer ride and a tasty lunch in a classy restaurant under the old milkwood trees.
Quad biking, Mountain biking in Harkerville and Knysna forests, Abseiling off the Knysna Heads, Canoeing on Knysna River, Hiking in the Knysna Forest
Plettenberg Bay another bustling town to include on your itinerary offering a huge selection of outdoor activities, something for the whole family. Many children activities on offer as well.
Elephant Sanctuary - where you can walk with these gentle giants and even ride one
Birds of Eden - a magnificent display of birds from all over the world!
Monkeyland - fascinating and informative!
Adventure activities such as Sea kayaking, Canoeing up the Keurbooms River, Boat cruises to view marine life such as dolphins, seals and whales in season (Jul to Dec) Sky diving, Abseiling, Hiking in the Robberg Nature Reserve, Bunji Jumping off Bloukrans Bridge (the highest bunji jump in the world at 216m)
Plett has become well known as the polo mecca of South Africa. t-amp . Exciting polo tournaments are being played at Bitou House and Kurland during Easter, December and January with polo practices throughout the year.
Tsitsikamma National Park
The Big Tree largest Outeniqua Yellowwood tree in the area with a circumference of 8.5m and a height of 36m. This is one of the largest tree species we have in South Africa and of the most beautiful in my opinion.
Tree Top Canopy Tours offering fun and adventurous cable sliding from one big tree to the next, a great way to be introduced to our beautiful indigenous forest and its little inhabitants!
Hiking trails along the rugged coastline
Pristine Beaches
Of course dont forget that this entire stretch of coastline has a myriad of gorgeous beaches, most of them having blue flag status. Heralds Bay, Glentana and Victoria Bay near George, Wilderness beach, Buffels Bay, Noetsie Bay, Plettenberg Bay and Natures Valley, all offering the warmer waters of the Indian Ocean and beautiful stretches of golden sand. This makes the Garden Route a superb summer destination!
Golfing is a huge activity on the Garden Route with some of the top golf course in the world based here such Fancourt Country Club Estate offering 4 courses built by Gary Player, our South African golf icon, George Golf Course, Simola Golf Estate, Pezula Champioship Golf Course offering the most spectacular scenery, Knysna Golf Course and Goose Valley Golf Course in Plettenberg Bay.
So all in all, a great destination to include on your itinerary when you come to visit our beautiful South Africa!
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Surf Travel to South Africa
February 21, 2010 by dive892
Filed under recent articles
Arriving in Cape Town is over whelming, the first thing you notice is the warmth and friendly attitude to you the surfer. This country has been through so much in the past 30 years and it has always been my dream to set foot on its soil to surf the glorious waves that caress its shores daily. South Africa is blessed with some of the best and most consistent surf the world has to offer. Couple this with the mild climate and you have a surfing paradise. During the South African winter the coastline is supplied with almost endless groundswell and offshore winds due to the constant flow of cold front activity in the southern Atlantic. So as a surfer arriving from a rainy Oregon to find warmth and amazing surf is a dream come true.
The tour I was on, involved sessions at numerous South African premier surf spots which include Jeffrey's Bay, Seal Point, Victoria Bay, Bruce's Beauties and as well as many other spots that "crank" in winter. Dylan collected me after arrival and we were all packed up to head off along the coast. South African surfers are always so stoked it is amazing and Dylan was no acceptation to that rule and assured me that he had a thorough knowledge of surfing in the area and that he was our tour guide. Furthermore he practically guaranteed me that I will get to the respective spots when they are at their best, he just fell short in advising me he had arranged the swell as well.
As we arrived at the lodge on the outskirts of town I was greeted by the other surfers on the tour who had arrived a day or two earlier. Dylan whispered in my ear and ensured me with an eager smile that the tour remains personal and that by limiting the number of people on each tour guarantees we all get a great time. Like all South Africans he is proud of the countries surf and then could not refrain from telling me yet again for the 5th time that he would ensure I surfed as many African barrels as possible. Umm. I went to bed with that thought. My second day started with Dylan taking the tour to a place at Muzuimbrug, an ideal spot he assured me to get acquainted to African Waves. Muzies as it is known, is renowned for its rolling and very consistent A-Frame waves and endless stretch of beach. Whilst Dylan provided surf lessons for some learners on the tour I paddled out the back to enjoy some glass morning surf.
After a hearty lunch we set off on an orientation tour of the stunning Cape Peninsula, Dylan believed this would help us get our bearing on the land and we also had a visit to the Cape Point Nature reserve as well as Cape Towns more famous tourist sights including a visit to boulders beach where wild penguins happily play.
The morning of day 3 was an important one for me personally as I could not wait to set out on our first port of call which was a 65-meter bungee at Gouritz. This is optional on the tour but its highly recommended to get you stoked and ready for the adventure that lies ahead and I was game for it. If you plan on doing the worlds highest one later in the trip, I suggest you do this one first to get a feel for it! I did not opt for the higher
Along the way we stopped at Mossel Bay for a surf session, there was a selection of 3 breaks to choose from, Inner and Outer Pool as well as Ding Dangs. Depending on the conditions and your standard the surf guides will take you to the one with most zest, and they selected one just fine for me.
Inner Pools wave breaks very close to famed outer Pool off a section of rocks, walls up when at its best and is usually surfed when Outers is flat. Outer Pool Gets large and challenging in solid winter swell but is usually surfed when clean and orderly in light westerly winds. Outer offers a cooking right hand reef break with a solid wall and a long ride. Ding Dangs a fun hotdog wave that works when winter swell wraps around cape St Blaise.
After the surf, we set off on the road again, the most beautiful scenery as we enter the Garden Route is breath taking and most of us all sighed with disbelief at the views and the panorama that was unrolling ahead of us. Depending on the time of year, apparently the guides can surprise the group and dive for some crayfish (Cape Rock lobster) along the way for the evening dinner, this was not the case for my tour but I gather it can be the norm.
Its up early to get the best swell the next morning and we all opted to head for a spot called Buffalo Bay Point - a very similar wave to Bruces Beauties that too me was going to be the highlight of the tour and was to come so I took this as a trial event. The point can get superlative in the right conditions by all accounts and before leaving the US I had heard great reports of the conditions that can be found here so was please to see a perfect 3ft day.
That evening we checked into another local surf lodge, and zipped out for and evening surf! We headed off to a place I had dreamed of since first seeing the movie Endless Summer - Bruces Beauties - it breaks a lot more often than is thought of and is by know means a gentle long boarders paradise. When cooking, Bruces is a screaming right hand point that freight trains along a jagged line of rocks. Get ready for mean gaping barrels Dylan shouted as he disappeared into the water, leaving the rest of us half changed, running and falling every other step! It was just like a clip from the movie here I was about to hit the surf of Endless Summer.
The next day I found it very difficult to get up to be honest, three great days of epic surf and with another few more to comes I just could not cope my body was feeling the flight and the perfect surf of the night before. So rather than surf I just joined the tour to watch the rest of the group under a go some lessons on the beach and sat back enjoying the wild environment that seemed as if Portland and US Airports was just a forgotten memory. I could not believe that only 90+ hours ago I was crammed into a bus in Portland with a huge longboard knocking everyone that moved. Now I lay head back on the sand listening to the sounds of sea birds and knowing that I am totally at peace and having the best surf trip in my life. Heating Denver . Sure I have surfed some amazing spots but to surf a spot I have seen over a thousand time son video and then to actually enjoy it going off better than in the film was beyond even my wildest thoughts of surfing in South Africa.
After a few more days of touring and surfing spots such as Boneyards, Supertubes, Salad bowls, J-Bay, Tubes, Point and Albatross it was time to start to head back in the direction of the Cape. Everyone on the tour had become exhausted and tired but we were now a travelling surf family too tired to talk but desperate for one more last surf before the Cape and we were not disappointed as slowly we drove towards Buffalo Bay again and it was just as we left it, perfect
As we drove in to Cape Town the next day Dylan turned to us all and said How about Sky diving, or Paragliding? We can even arrange a shark dive if you wish! in a great chorus we all said shut up man we are exhausted! The one thing you can say about South Africans they are a great friendly bunch and the stoke of surfing runs deep in there veins.
The beauty of the tour I think was summed up by the people on it, from 6 surfers who were learning to surf for the first time and having lessons daily to the rest of us who ranged from beginner to advanced. We all surfed well and all experienced the conditions first hand. We all had our own experiences and that is something all of us will take away and is our surf memory an amazing surf trip.
I travelled with Xoxxi ( http://www.xoxxisurf.com ) which is a surf brand run by regular surfers for regular surfers and they were very helpful in this unique travel surfing experience. You can also visit the South African tourism website at ( http://www.southafrica.net ) for other information on visiting the country. You may also like to purchase a book, and I would recommend Surfing in South Africa, By Steve Pike (ISBN: 1919833153).
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