Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
man Islands, Te Tapuwae o Rongokako Marine Reserve near Gisborne, and Sugar Loaf Is-
lands Marine Park near New Plymouth. The Poor Knights Islands near Whangarei are re-
puted to have the best diving in NZ (with the diveable wreck of the Greenpeace flagship
Rainbow Warrior
nearby). Stay tuned to see whether the MV
Rena
, grounded off Tauranga
in 2011, will become a dive site.
Down south, the Marlborough Sounds Maritime Park hosts the
Mikhail Lermontov,
the
largest diveable cruise-ship wreck in the world. In Fiordland head for Dusky Sound, Milford
Sound and Doubtful Sound, which offer amazingly clear pseudo-deepwater conditions 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 to
around $600 for a four-day, PADI-approved, ocean dive course. One-off organised boat- and
land-based dives start at around $170. Useful resources include Dive New Zealand
(
www.divenewzealand.com
)
and Scuba Dive New Zealand (
www.scubadive.net.nz
).
Skiing & Snowboarding
NZ is a prime southern-hemisphere destination for snow bunnies, with downhill skiing,
cross-country (Nordic) skiing and snowboarding all passionately pursued. Heliskiing is pop-
ular, too, making good use of a wide off-piste area along the Southern Alps. The NZ ski sea-
son is generally June to October, though it varies considerably from one ski area to another,
and can run as late as November.
The variety of locations and conditions makes it difficult to rate NZ's ski fields in any
particular order. Some people like to be near Queenstown's party scene or Mt Ruapehu's
volcanic landscapes; others prefer the quality high-altitude runs on Mt Hutt, Treble Cone's
steep slopes or quieter club skiing areas.
Most fields have dedicated websites, while visitor information centres can also make
bookings and organise packages. Brown Bear (
www.brownbearski.co.nz
)
and
snow.co.nz
are useful online resources covering all of NZ's ski areas. Lift passes at the main resorts cost
from around $95/55 per adult/child per day; ski and snowboard equipment rental starts at
around $40 a day (less for multiday hire). Heliskiing is cheaper than in North America and
costs around $825 to $1450 for three to eight runs.
