Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Everest. When he came back down, Sir Ed famously uttered to friend George Lowe, 'Well,
George, we knocked the bastard off!'
The Southern Alps are studded with impressive peaks and challenging climbs. The
Aoraki/Mt Cook region is outstanding; other mountaineering areas extend along the spine of
the South Island from Tapuae-o-Uenuku (in the Kaikoura Ranges) and the Nelson Lakes
peaks in the north to the rugged southern mountains of Fiordland. Another area with climbs
for all levels is Mt Aspiring National Park.
The Christchurch-based New Zealand Alpine Club (
www.alpineclub.org.nz
) proffers ex-
cellent climbing information and publishes
The Climber
magazine quarterly. Professional
outfits for training, guiding and advice can be found in Wanaka, Queenstown, Aoraki/Mt
Cook, Lake Tekapo, and Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers.
Rock Climbing
Time to chalk up your fingers and don some natty little rubber shoes. On the North Island,
popular rock-climbing, sport-climbing and bouldering areas include Auckland's Mt Eden
Quarry; Whanganui Bay, Kinloch, Kawakawa Bay and Motuoapa near Lake Taupo;
Mangatepopo Valley and Whakapapa Gorge on the Central Plateau; Humphries Castle and
Warwick Castle on Mt Taranaki; and Piarere and Wharepapa South in the Waikato.
On the South Island, there's world-class bouldering at Kura Tawhiti (Castle Hill) on the
road to Arthur's Pass, while west of Nelson, the marble and limestone mountains of Golden
Bay and Takaka Hill boast prime climbing. Other options include Hospital Flat (west of
Wanaka), Long Beach (north of Dunedin), and Mihiwaka and Lovers Leap on the Otago
Peninsula.
Climb New Zealand (
www.climb.co.nz
) and Freeclimb (
www.freeclimb.co.nz
)
have the
lowdown on the gnarliest overhangs around NZ, plus maps and details on access and where
to learn.
Scuba Diving
NZ is prime scuba territory, with warm waters up north, brilliant sea life and plenty of inter-
esting sites.
Up north, get wet at the Bay of Islands Maritime and Historic Park, Hauraki Gulf Mari-
time Park, the Bay of Plenty, Great Barrier Island, Goat Island Marine Reserve, the Alder-
