New Zealand has an incredible array of daytrips and excursions - making it very difficult for the average tourist to choose, especially for those who do not "know" New Zealand - as we do! The following is my personal list of excursions and activities that I highly recommend....I hope you have the time to enjoy them!     

These are some of my favourite excursions and activities:-

• Fox Glacier - The glacier is a monolith of ice originating high in the Southern Alps and descending almost to the sea at a remarkable rate of 1 metre per day, creating pinnacles, magnificent ice formations and azure coloured ice-caves along the way. A heli-hike adventure whisks you over vast rain forests to the upper reaches of the glacier, where the helicopter deposits you onto the creaking ice. You then start your descent, pausing to explore this glacial wonderland.

• Flight-seeing - The best place to try this is from Glentanner Park. Whether you fly by ski plane or helicopter over Mount Cook and Mount Aspiring National Park, the flight is guaranteed to be THE trip of your lifetime! It is also possible to combine the flight with a cruise on the Milford Sound - the jewel in New Zealand's crown!

• Whanganui River - From Wanganui, drive north on the Whanganui River Road to Pipiriki. From here a jet-boat will take you on an awesomely scenic trip further upstream through steep sided gorges deep (deep, deep) into the Whanganui National Park. Included is a 40 minute bush walk to the Valley of Abandoned Dreams as far as the Bridge to Nowhere and to all the film locations of the River Queen. If possible, stay at the Bridge to Nowhere Lodge. This is a farm-stay experience with a difference far away from civilization in a farmhouse with fabulous views from the wrap around decks of bush clad hills and the stunning river. The Whanganui River has the title of 'longest navigatable river' in New Zealand - I would like to bestow it with the title of 'most beautiful river' in New Zealand as well!

• Hanmer Connection - This is a luxury 50 kilometre horse-trek through spectacular high country from Mt Lyford to Hanmer Springs. Each evening a gourmet meal, hot showers and beautifully appointed bedrooms await you, with a well earned soak in the thermal springs at Hanmer at the end. Add an extra day to go trout fishing - now that's a real New Zealand experience!

• White Island - This is an active volcano 50kms offshore. For me the tour scored a 10 out of 10 for awesomeness. Staring down into the crater’s mouth, stepping around steaming sulphur pools and bubbling mud will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of my life. However the island doesn’t have a wharf, so persons with low mobility are discouraged from taking the trip, also preferably no children under the age of 8 – and only then if they are well behaved and can be trusted not to wander from the path, it is a dangerous environment out there.

• Wai-o-tapu Thermal Wonderland - It really is a wonderland of orange, green, yellow, blue, white and black pools, the highlights being the exquisitely coloured Champagne Pool, Oyster Pool and the Devil’s Bath - you’ll be amazed how nature can conjure up such a kaleidoscope of colours. There are 3 self guided walks, the short, the medium and the long – the latter takes about 2 hours which I recommend as it takes you all the way to the green lake of Ngakoro, with great views en route of the blue lake Whangi-o-terangi, meaning `colour of the sky’. The track is uneven at times so you need walking shoes.

• Whale Watching - The rugged coast around Kaikoura is home to a diverse range of wildlife which gladly pose within camera range. Watch out for seals, dolphins and albatrosses amongst the rocks, freshly cooked crayfish is usually available from a roadside shop housed in a caravan. A deep-sea canyon system rich in plankton lies close to the coast, which then attract a variety of those very special creatures - the whales. However only male sperm whales are resident all year round as the females stay in the warmer tropical waters near the equator. Sperm whales can dive to a depth of 2kms and stay submerged for up to 2 hrs and can swim at 40km/h.

• Albatross Watching - I'll tell you a secret, if you do the Albatross Experience in Kaikoura, you will not only get to see hundreds of different sea birds hunting and interacting in their natural habitat, but you may even get to see whales (I saw two) and watch a pod of dolphins having a great time jumping and flipping out of the water (as I did). The various albatrosses are just awesome when seen up close, especially watching them effortlessly glide just inches above the water.

• Swimming with Dolphins -  In 1835 French whaler Jean Langlois established a whaling station in the beautiful Akaroa harbour at French Bay and bought some land from the Maori. Once he had secured the deal he returned to France to organize a group of settlers to come and establish a community. Unfortunately the English had placed the whole of New Zealand under British sovereignty only 13 days before, so the settlers were forced to sell their claims. They did however stay, bringing both their character and culture. Akaroa’s other attraction are of course the tiny and rare Hector’s Dolphin - enjoy the unique opportunity to swim with them ….or you can choose to be just a spectator instead.

• Putangirua Pinnacles - The very edges of earth are seemingly found on the wild southern coast of the North Island. Here you'll find Cape Palliser’s candy striped lighthouse, the sea-lion colony, baby bulldozers at Ngawi and the Pinnacles - an unusual valley of scree that has been compacted and lifted out of the sea, rising to a height of 200 metres. The erosion    of the land over the millennia has left fingers of gravel spires and turrets topped with a harder stone which provide some,    let’s say, interesting views. From below you feel the full force of what nature can inflict on this earth, from above you get a full picture of the valley – and it’s awesome. The walk is a bit of a scramble to say the least over river boulders, debris and fossils, but the adventure is more than worth the small effort.

• Rangitata River - Hidden deep in the Southern Alps is one of my favourite places in New Zealand! The scenery dramatically changes as the road meanders through the huge high country farms to reveal your first breath-taking view of     the massive glacial valley. The elaborate set of the Golden Hall of Edoras for the Lord of the Rings Trilogy was purposely built on Mt Sunday - it is not really a mountain but a small rocky outcrop lying in the middle of the valley that escaped the destruction of the advancing glaciers. It is permissible to walk to Mt Sunday but it does involve getting your feet wet several times. We failed in our attempt on the fourth crossing of the glacial river, however it was an adventurous and humbling experience trekking as tiny insignificant specks through morass and icy cold streams surrounded in an amphitheatre of massive snow-capped mountains.

• Paradise -  From here the most scenic jet-boat ride in the world (another New Zealand invention) will take you on a thrilling ride up the Dart River into the very heart of the Mt Aspiring National Park  - there is an option to raft back down on "Funyaks" ....amazing!

• Cathedral Cove - Sea kayaking is a `must do` in New Zealand and this is one of the most beautiful places to try it Cathedral Cove is a gorgeous beach hidden within a dramatic coastline. Nearby is Hot Water Beach. It is a lovely beach, but more importantly hot water rises to the surface here from a geothermal reservoir under the seabed. Check the tides, as you need to dig a hole below the high water mark, 2 hours either side of the low tide is your time limit. I recommend it after low tide, so you may then get to use an abandoned hole instead of having to dig one for yourself! You can dig a hole on the northern end of the beach, then sit back and soak in your very own private spa.

• Milford Sound - This stunning fiord (and not a sound) lies in the middle of Fiordland National Park - 1,250,000 uninhabited hectares of awesome wilderness. Fiordland has a primeval rugged landscape, largely untouched by humans. It was declared a World Heritage Area on account of the outstanding geological features and exceptional beauty, the jewel in the crown being Mitre Peak in the middle of Milford Sound. Once the masses depart on their buses, you will finally experience the sound of silence on board your boat cruising this eighth wonder of the world - kayaking with the dolphins under the many waterfalls is simply paradise.

We know New Zealand – we live here!