Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ford Sound and Doubtful Sound, which offer amazingly clear pseudo-deep-water condi-
tions not far below the surface. Invercargill, with its Antarctic waters, also has a diving
club.
Expect to pay anywhere from $180 for a short, introductory, pool-based scuba course,
and around $600 for a four-day, PADI-approved, ocean dive course. One-off organised
boat- and land-based dives start at around $170.
Resources include:
New Zealand Underwater Association
(
www.nzu.org.nz
)
Dive New Zealand
(
www.divenewzealand.com
)
White-Water Rafting, Kayaking & Canoeing
There are almost as many white-water rafting and kayaking possibilities as there are rivers
in NZ. Rivers are graded from I to VI, with VI meaning 'unraftable'. On the rougher
stretches there's usually a minimum age limit of 12 or 13 years.
Popular rafting rivers include the Shotover and Kawarau Rivers (
Click here
)
, Rangitata
River (
Click here
)
, Buller River (
Click here
)
and the Arnold (
Click here
)
and Waiho
Rivers (
Click here
)
. The grading of the Shotover Canyon varies from III to V+, depending
on the time of year. The Kawarau River is rated IV; the Rangitata River has everything
from I to V.
Canoeing is popular on freshwater lakes. Many backpacker hostels close to canoe-
friendly waters have Canadian canoes and kayaks for hire (or free), and commercial oper-
ators run guided trips. Resources:
New Zealand Rafting Association
(
www.nz-rafting.co.nz
)
Whitewater NZ
(
www.rivers.org.nz
)
New Zealand Kayak
(see
www.kayaknz.co.nz
)
