Overshadowed by its more popular neighbour Australia, New Zealand is often and ill-advisedly included as a two-day, free add-on to tours of Oz. However, the island nation whose stunning landscapes captivated movie fans around the world in the hugely successful cinematic trilogy Lord of the Rings, merits more than a stop-over

On December 13, 1642, Dutch explorer Abel Tasman, sailing the Pacific Ocean, ordered his captain to steer the ship northwards but fierce winds drove them to the shores of a landmass we now know as New Zealand — a country of striking natural landscapes. Overshadowed by its more popular neighbour Australia, New Zealand — (pop.5.36 million) is often ill-advisedly, thrown in as a two-day, free add-on to ten-day or two-week tours of Oz. However, the island nation whose stunning landscapes captivated movie fans around the world in the hugely successful Lord of the Rings trilogy, merits more than a stopover. A minimum seven-day vacation to soak up the natural wonders of this captivating country is recommended.

New Zealand has an interesting geography. It sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a 40,000 km horse shoe shaped area in the basin of the Pacific Ocean, where there is constant minor seismic activity. Consequently, ancient earthquakes and volcanic eruptions have shaped a diverse topography ranging from bubbling mud pools, hot springs, geysers and smoking earth to splendid beaches, verdant forests, deep fiords and lofty glaciers carved by ice on rocks that are almost 500 million years old. By virtue of its location in the Southern Hemisphere, New Zealand’s seasons are opposite to the norm. So while much of the world experiences cold winters, New Zealand has a blazing hot Christmas — winter runs from June to August and spring from September to November.

According to legend and folklore, New Zealand was fished out by Maui, the gifted demi-god of Polynesian mythology, who is said to have tamed the sun and fire. According to Polynesian Maoris who were the first to inhabit NZ a thousand years ago, South Island resembles the head of the fish and North Island, its tail. Today, the Maoris constitute 14.6 percent of the total population of 4.6 million (cf. Bangalore pop. 11.2 million) with 67 percent of the population of European descent. The Maoris have separate electorates and have conserved their traditions and culture.

A typical tour of the country starts with Auckland in North Island and ends in South Island — a route etched by New Zealand Tourism to promote the charms of its breathtaking locales and vistas, unique flora and fauna, and adventure sports.

North Island
Auckland (pop. 1.7 million), New Zealand’s largest and most happening city, houses one-third of the country’s population. Dominating its skyline is the 328 m Sky City Tower offering a panoramic view of the city, and also a terrifying Sky Walk and Sky Jump. Walking on a mere three ft wide metal circular path without railings at a height of 192 m (630 feet) with just two straps to hold onto or bungee jumping from that same height can really set the adrenaline pumping! To soothe nerves after these perilous adventures, visit the Auckland Zoo with its heart-warming penguins, shy red pandas, lazy wallabys. In Kelly Tarlton Sea World, you can waddle with penguins and cock a snook at the sharks that swim close to the barrier. There is also much shopping, wining and dining to be done in Auckland, but it is the attractions nearby that beckon adventure-seeking tourists.

Among the most recommended hot spots ex Auckland are the Glow Worm Caves of Waitomo. Arachnocampa luminosa are glow worms found only in New Zealand. At Waitimo, they put up spectacular, surreal shows in a cluster of underground caves lined with impressive stalactites and stalagmites. A beautifully laid underground path inside the caves leads to a kayak-like boat (wo)manned by Maoris of Amazonian proportions. With a finger to her lips and a whisper requesting absolute stillness, she guides the boat, not with oars but by propelling herself on ropes that crisscross the cave. There, on the roof of the cave, are hundreds of glow worms, lighting up the eerie darkness in myriad colours of blue, green and red.

Hobbitton aka Middle Earth. An hour’s drive from Auckland, in Waikato district is where master cinema producer and director Peter Jackson filmed the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The NZ tourism department offers curated tours covering all the movie locations. A Lord of the Rings pilgrim can take in the attractions of the impeccably maintained rolling grasslands, the Shire and its houses, and the Party Tree presiding over them all.

Yet the star destination of North Island is Rotorua, that welcomes visitors with the rotten eggs smell of sulphur, and smoke that rises off the road, suffusing the lake and almost everywhere. Renowned for its geothermal activity and Maori culture, Rotorua is a revelation of bubbling mud pools and angry geysers that spurt periodically, champagne-tinted pools and calderas or volcanic lakes filled with water of the unlikeliest hues that change in the course of a day, from ruby red to emerald green and turquoise blue. Don’t miss the boat ride on Waimangu Lake, a volcanic water body that was created in five minutes, in the midst of a tropical forest, about 200 years ago after a volcano erupted, wiping out surrounding villages. Rotorua is authentic Maoriland and presents a neatly packaged experience for an insight into Maoris and their culture — from elaborate tattoos that sometimes cover their entire person to their indigenous skills at wood carving, painting and music.

Accommodation. Today, with airbnb offering accommodation to suit every budget and specification, a traveller has a plethora of options in every city of the world and New Zealand is no exception. However, New Zealand also has a strong network of hostels, service apartments and hotels to suit every budget.

High-end: Park Hyatt Auckland (Rs.31,661 per night), Pullman Auckland Airport (Rs.18,299), The Grand By SkyCity (Rs.10,200); Mid-range: President Hotel Auckland (Rs.4,492), Haka House (Rs.4,115), Kiwi International (Rs.3,114); Budget: Silverfern Backpackers (Rs.2,079), Surf’N’Snow Backpackers (Rs.2,068), Avondale Motor Park (Rs.1,981)

South Island
Crossing over, South Island is fjord and glacierland set against the backdrop of stunning landscapes. Queenstown, in South Island, is the Mecca of adventure sports offering a wealth of outdoor activities from skiing, snowboarding, jet boating and white-water rafting to bungee jumping, paragliding, skydiving and mountain biking.

South Island is also the gateway to the majestic Southern Alps, whose gigantic glaciers fall precipitously into deep valleys as sheets of snow and ice. Of these, Fox Glacier and Franz Josef Glacier have been developed into observation sites. Sited at the end of two scenic drives, on roads that sometimes skirt the coast or climb hills, but at all times provide a continuous panorama of New Zealand’s flora and fauna, from trees with flaming red leaves and crimson flowers to countless varieties of ferns, the country’s national plant. Visitors can marvel at the glacier from designated vantage points in town or trek up the glacier with experienced guides. The high point of our visit was a chopper ride to the top of the glacier. It’s a chilling, hair-raising ride as the pilot deftly weaves through the mountains, dips into the ravines and finally lands on a thick blanket of snow. Even to a thoroughly biased admirer of the Himalayas, this is an experience to savour.

Glaciers in the South Island have also carved out innumerable fjords or sounds like Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound. These are narrow inlets of water that flow between lofty mountains, lush with vegetation, cascading waterfalls and rare birds. Little wonder British writer Rudyard Kipling named Milford Sound the Eighth Wonder of the World!

Another amusement in South Island is Puzzling World at Wanaka, near Queenstown. The fun here is in getting lost in one of the largest mazes of the world, straddling two levels and then there’s the Ames Room where among other things, short people become tall and vice versa, the Illusion Gallery, and Tilted House where water actually flows uphill and snooker balls creep up a downward-sloping snooker table among other experiences.

Of course, it’s impossible to miss the Kiwi experience, the country’s national bird, which has famously given NZ’s inhabitants the moniker Kiwis. An extremely fragile, flightless nocturnal bird, the Kiwi is a classified endangered species and is housed in special enclosures that mimic night temperatures and lighting. Startled easily by noise, lights and sounds, visitors are required to maintain silence and refrain from photography. The Tuatara, again native to New Zealand, is known as a living fossil because it belongs to a species which became extinct 60 million years ago! The tuatara (which means ‘peaks on the back’ in Maori) resembles a lizard but is almost motionless compared to the lizard. Then there are the kea, takahe and kakapo avians found only in NZ.

The Southern Lights or Aurora Australis are best seen from New Zealand which has some of the darkest skies. Almost 4,300 km of the Lake Tekapo region in the South Island has been designated the first ‘Starlight Reserve’ of the world by Unesco. Light pollution is strictly regulated to make it possible for star gazers to view sights visible only from the Southern Hemisphere, such as the Magellanic Clouds, Southern Cross and Milky Way.

New Zealand offers perhaps the best tourist infrastructure of the world so much so that it is possible to book almost every entry ticket from the comfort of your home before you leave. The government website, www.newzealand.com is exhaustive and convenient, facilitating trouble-free accommodation and transportation bookings.

Accommodation. High-end: Blanket Bay (Rs.1.48 lakh per night), Azur Luxury Lodge (Rs.91,168), The Hermitage Hotel (Rs.67,010); Mid-range: The Sheperd’s Rest (Rs.9,447), The Fairways Luxury Accommodation Kaikoura (Rs.7,975), South Sea Hotel (Rs.7,151); Budget: Hampshire Holiday Parks — Queenstown Lakeview (Rs.3,275), The Barn Cabins & Camp (Rs.2,476), Rangiora Eco Holiday Park (Rs.1,139)

EXCELLENT TOURISM INFRASTRUCTURE
Getting to New Zealand. Quantas, Singapore Airlines, Jet Airways, Air Malaysia and several other major airlines fly from the four major metros of India to Auckland and Christchurch. Return fares range from Rs.53,000-68,000.

Domestic travel
By air. Air New Zealand flies between 62 airports within the country. Fares range between Rs.5,000-25,000
Self drive. If you have an international driver’s licence, then driving around the country (left hand drive!) is the best way to explore it. Campers with reasonably comfortable amenities can be hired at a range of Rs.5000-Rs.60,000 per day. Or you can rent a car from Rs.5,000 and upwards per day.

Bus & coach. This is the most carefree way to travel within New Zealand. Coach companies such as Newman, Kiwi Discovery, Greatsights and Straybus operate a plethora of inter-city routes.

Fares. Rs.900-plus. Some of the excursions include entry tickets, lunch and in some cases even accommodation.

Ferries operate between some islands and beaches. An exciting option, ferry rides start from Rs.240 upwards depending on the class of the craft.

www.newzealand.com lists a wide range of travel and accommodation options. Booking through them is safe, reliable and highly recommended.