Maggie Davis mixes death-defying sports with life-affirming animal antics in a thrilling tour of the ‘Land of the Long White Cloud’ 

‘Just jump straight out with your arms in front of you,’ says a ludicrously enthusiastic man, as I stand on Auckland Harbour Bridge and stare 40 metres down at the deep, rolling Pacific Ocean. Hooked up to what is effectively a rope made out of lots of elastic bands with a harness and clad in a grey jumpsuit, I am about to throw myself off Auckland Harbour Bridge care of AJ Hackett, the New Zealand company that invented bungee-jumping in 1988. My pulse begins to race. ‘Five, four, three…’ he yells, as he begins the countdown. By the time he gets to ‘ONE’, my heart leaps into my mouth and my stomach flips over. 

I jump forward, tossing myself into the air like a suicidal maniac. Everything goes eerily quiet – the jump goes on for just that little bit too long and my body forgets how it should be reacting to this insanely unnatural sensation. I hold my breath, because with the air rushing past me at 100 miles an hour, it isn’t easy to breathe in. Rather than going rigid as I expected to, I dangle helplessly like a lump of limp bait on the end of a fishing rod. And then BOING, boing, boing. My body recoils a good ten, 20, perhaps 30 metres. There’s no sudden jolt as I’d been expecting; instead, a gentle, rhythmic bouncing motion. Then boing once more before I pull the rope to turn me the right way and the team pulls me up. I feel elated, breathless and slightly stupid. Mostly, I just feel happy to still be alive. 

This is the first morning of a two-week tour of New Zealand, extreme-sports capital of the world and prime wilderness destination. It’s a country bursting at the seams with raw, luscious, awe-inspiring vistas that include snow-capped peaks, Narnia-like forests, active volcanoes, fjord lands, primeval forests and long expanses of untouched coastline with vacant sandy beaches. Located in the Southern Pacific, nearly 1,600km southeast of Australia (four hours by plane), New Zealand is the first place in the world to experience sunlight every day. Although it’s roughly the same size as the British Isles or Japan, the feeling of space and air is immense – the population is just 3.95 million, compared with 60 million in the UK, while there’s a mighty army of sheep: 39.2 million, the highest per capita population in the world. 

But New Zealand no longer feels like the forgotten backwater it did a few decades ago. The Kiwis are clean, green and fiercely protective of their environment, and the country suddenly feels very progressive and modern. Compared to Australia and the Aborigines, this is a much more integrated culture where Maoris are appreciated as a vital and rich part of the country’s history. After centuries of oppression, Maori is taught in schools again alongside English; there’s a Maori TV channel and a Maori political party. The situation is by no means perfect but, in a significant gesture, the government has been considering giving back tribes the land they are owed. 

While extreme sports and Maori culture are huge draws, wildlife is by far the most spectacular attraction for visitors to the country. A third of New Zealand’s land is protected parks and reserves – there are now 14. Bird-spotters are well catered for with hundreds of species, including a comical giant-sized pigeon called a kukupa, accomplished songbird and mimicker the tui, and of course the endangered, flightless kiwi, which is best spotted in the South or on an intriguing night-time walk through Wellington’s Karori Wildlife Sanctuary (+64 4 920 9200, www.sanctuary.org.nz). But this being New Zealand, there are some larger and mightily impressive beasts, too: sea lions, whales (most notably the sperm and blue) and dolphins. 

It’s during our second week, having made the epic and indescribably picturesque ferry journey from the North Island down to the South, that we arrive in the nature-reserve resort of Abel Tasman, named after the 17th-century Dutch navigator. We have come to spend the day with Harold, a Maori who is taking us sea-kayaking (www.maoriuncut.co.nz). We spend the morning chanting Maori songs as we kayak up the paradise-like coastline, with its mango-coloured sandy beaches and emerald-hued sea, spotting the odd colony of sea lion. Suddenly Harold shouts, ‘Oh my God, the orca are here!’ We all jump to our feet to see the incredible spectacle of a male killer whale (the bull) with a dorsal fin that looks taller than any man. 

Further down the coast, Kaikoura is the most famous place to whale-watch in New Zealand. Attracting the elusive sperm whale, thanks to its deep waters (it goes down almost 2km), Kaikoura has organised whale-watching trips with Whale Watch Kaikoura (+ 64 3 319 6767, 0800 655121, www.whalewatch.co.nz) which, while amazing, feel slightly commercialised. Instead, we spend the afternoon snorkelling with seals (www.sealswimming.co.nz), a more fun and interactive way to spend time with New Zealand’s sea life. The playful creatures swim up to you, have a good look and then excitedly swim around you, mimicking your movements. It’s hilarious. 

Towards the end of our second week, we make our way down the stunning South Island through The Lord of the Rings territory to the island’s southernmost point, Invercargill. From here we take a tiny plane, and I’m alarmed when the twentysomething steward checking in our bags leads us out to the runway and gets in the pilot’s seat. Twenty minutes later we arrive in desolate Stewart Island, the least talked-about of New Zealand’s main islands, and the final permanently populated island in the Southern Ocean before you get to the Antarctic. We kayak through inky waters that are as clear and smooth as glass, with only the sound of oystercatchers dipping their beaks, and the distinctive call of the kaka parrot. There’s not a soul here. It’s humbling yet strangely liberating. Natural, pure and uninterrupted: this is what New Zealand is all about. 

When to go: October to April is best. December-February might be summer, but it’s also when the country’s tourism operators are at their busiest. Travel offpeak for smaller groups and better deals.
Where to stay: Auckland: The Quadrant, 10 Waterloo Quadrant, PO Box 195, Shortland St, Auckland (+64 9 984 6000, www.thequadrant.com), Napier T&G Apartments, Marine Parade, Napier, Hawke’s Bay (+64 21 117 0240, www.apartment2c.co.nz). Wellington: The Museum Hotel, 90 Cable St, Wellington (+64 4 802 8900, www.museumhotel.co.nz). Nelson: 24 Richardson St, Port Hills (+64 3 548 7621, www.tepunawai.co.nz). Kaikoura: Miharotia, 274 Scarborough St, The Peninsula, Kaikoura (+64 3 319 7497, www.miharotia.co.nz). Stewart Island: The Port of Call Boutique Coastal Accommodation, Halfmoon Bay (+64 3 219 1394, www.portofcall.co.nz). Go to www.newzealand.com and www.qualmark.co.nz. 
Getting there: Singapore Airlines (www.singaporeair.com) and Qantas (08457 747 767, www.qantas.co.uk) flies daily from Singapore to Auckland and Wellington via Sydney. 

Photos from top, AJ Hackett Bungy NZ, sheep farmers and whale Lester Ledesma.

FURTHER INFORMATION
New Zealand has an excellent network of visitor-information centres throughout the country. Go to Visit i-SITE visitor centres for friendly, objective and free information on local attractions, transport and accommodation (www.newzealand.com). Qualmark is the tourism office’s mark of quality. All accommodation, transport, activities and attractions that display Qualmark have been independently assessed as professional and trustworthy (www.qualmark.co.nz).