Set in the heart of New Zealand’s southern Alpine region, Queenstown has reputation as the adventure capital of the world. Surrounded by stunning mountains, lakes and rivers, Queenstown is New Zealand’s premier alpine resort. Only 3 hours direct from Melbourne or Sydney, it is the country’s major tourist destination. The city provides perfect venues for all kinds of adventure sports and offers some of the world’s best skiing and snowboarding conditions.

Offering visitors the chance to indulge in almost every adrenalin activity, Queenstown will feed your imagination. Majestic Queenstown offers an incredible range of things to do no matter what the season. Queenstown will satisfy even the most ravenous appetite for the adventure alike. From skydiving, bungee jumping, rafting, and jet boating, breathtaking helicopter flights, paragliding in summer months to winter activities such as skiing and snowboarding.

This beautiful alpine village is located in a thermal region and is popular holiday and conference destination. Situated 372 m above sea level it is one of New Zealand’s major health retreats. The Hanmer Springs has seven open air thermal pools suitable for therapeutic treatments as well as relaxing bathing.

Hanmer Springs is the New Zealand alpine playground for all seasons. There’s a great variety of peaceful outdoor activities such as walking, mountain biking, a game of squash, tennis, picnic area, fishing, hunting and jet boating. You can relax in the famous thermal pools with its health and fitness centre. Hanmer Health & Fitness Centre wraps, relaxation, sports massage, spa pedicure and gym facilities.

Hanmer Springs has a great selection of pubs and restaurants to choose from. The local restaurants serve a wide variety of traditional and a la carte cuisine for any budget.

A bunch of New Zealander’s interpreters  has created a human-powered monorail system, known as the Shweeb. Their creation does double duty, acting not just as an innovative transportation system, but also an amusement ride.

The technology of the Shweeb is remarkably simple – the only infrastructure required is a network of interconnected single rails. A number of pods are hung from this these lines, which are powered by the people sitting inside them. In principle, these pods are no different than recumbent bicycles – they can achieve close to 25 mph, are comfortable to use, and can be used by nearly anyone.

Shweeb is a World’s first and New Zealand’s newest adventure activity. You pedal it yourself and tt a given speed you are using around half the energy of a racing bike and 1/3rd of a mountain bike. You race against friends or the clock, one to four people can Shweeb at any one time and you need to be at least 1.4m tall. SHWEEB abides by its “green and sustainable business charter” for NZ and any offshore locations.

The Shweeb’s prices are: $45 per adult rider, $35 per child rider (under 15 years old). The Shweeb Racing Circuit can be found at Agroventures Adventure Park, Rotorua, New Zealand. For more information go to shweep.com

The caves provide you an amazing opportunity to be a part of one unique natural phenomenon. Formed over 30 million years ago, they are one of the most visited attractions in New Zealand. Thousands of little glowworms radiate their luminescent lights that reflect off the water around you and decorate the cavern roof above you. It is a genuine caving adventure – millions of glowworms are a magnet for day tourists.

The cave is rich with stalactites and stalagmites that form an underground fantasyland with mythic figures that can fill one with awe. After about a 15 minute walk through the cave with your guide you come to the section of the cave where the glowworms reside. This section of the cave is flooded and you ride through on a raft. You are warned to be very quiet as noise apparently disturbs the glowworms. The raft carries on through this section and you arrive at the end of your journey.

Your visit to Waitomo Caves will leave you with a true sense of relaxation and serenity- photograph the pristine crystal formations and push comfort zones climbing and squeezing through wet and dry passages and waterfalls. Trips are either 2 hours or 4 hours underground and have a maximum of 5 people.

Once a Viking assembly ground and site of a legendary battle against the ‘Berserkers‘, a terrifying warrior cult, Samso lies 15 km off the east coast of Jutland. It is only 28 km long with a complex, indented coastline linking its two district parts, North Island and South Island. These ancient islands were joined at the end of the Ice Age, when the melting glacier waters washed up deposits that created the landscape around Stavns Fjord – a strikingly beautiful conservation area of more than 1,500 hectares of low-lying heathland, meadows and reefs. The highest point is Ballebjerg in North Island, a region of lovely countryside perfect for biking and walking, while South Island is open farming land with picturesque villages, manor houses and harbours with lovely views over the Baltic. Photo by: Will Francis UK

Samso is an ecological ‘green dream’ island. The entire community there has pulled together to demonstrate that it is perfectly possible to be carbon neutral. Electricity is produced by the island’s windmills and an offshore wind farm, which between them are able to generate more than enough energy to supply the inhabitants and offset the fuel used by the island ferry service; any excess is sent to the mainland. The islander heat their water by means of solar panels at community heating plants as well as individual straw-burning central heating system. All the island’s vehicles are run on home grown bio-fuel. Photo by: masshuu

Apart from a few days every July, when visitors pour in for the annual Music Festival, Samso is a remarkably uncrowded, eco-tourist haven in which to unwind, admire the scenery and experience the hospitable tranquility and relaxed pace of Danish island life. Photo by: yavoy1980

When to go: Early May to early September. Population: 4,124 (2006). How to get there: Ferry from Hov, near Aarhus, Jutland to Saelvig, Samso or from Kalundborg, Zealand to Kobly Kaas, Samso. You should know: The island is also famous in Denmark for its new potato and strawberry crops. In June and July, young people come from all over the EU for picking holidays. Nordby is the prettiest village on the island with timbered houses and distinctive church belfry. The harbour is Langor. Photo by: Will Francis UK

A sacred island in a lake, Mokoia is a green lava dome rising 180 m above the still waters of Lake Roturua in the heart of North Island. Stepping ashore, its deeply spiritual nature seems to reverberate through the air. This natural sanctuary for wildlife belongs to the Te Arawa people and was once known as  Te Motu Tapu a Tinirau – the Sacred Island of Tinirau. Isolated for hundred of years, it holds unique  kumera (sweet potato) plantation, which meant it was once hotly contested by warring tribes. Photo by: sam&onny

It is said that Makoia was home to Tutanekai, a young warrior. The shores of Mokoia hold geothermal springs and Roturua is New Zealand’s most dynamic thermal area – with geysers, hot springs and bubbling mud pools. The area is also the epicenter of Maori culture, with one-third of its residents being Maori. ‘ Sulphur City’ as it is known is a much – favoured spot tourists and backpackers; so to find more spiritual solace, cruise out to the hidden island of Mokoia. Photo by: marsh.hayley

When to go: Best to avoid the really busy summer months of December and January. Population: Uninhabited. Photo by: marsh.hayley

]]> http://www.wayfaring.info/2009/07/23/mokoia/feed/ 0 http://www.wayfaring.info/2009/07/23/norfolk-island/ http://www.wayfaring.info/2009/07/23/norfolk-island/#comments Thu, 23 Jul 2009 10:31:10 +0000 misha http://www.wayfaring.info/?p=11301

A tiny jewel set in the azure seas of the South Pacific, Norfolk Island is just 8 km long and 1,600 km northeast of Sydney. It is the biggest of a cluster of three islands on the Norfolk Ridge, fingered by coral reefs and crowned by pristine rainforest and some of the world’s tallest tree ferns. On October 1774 James Cook first landed on this diminutive island and named in honour of the then Duchess of Norfolk. Convict starred to arrive 14 years later and over time it gained quite a reputation, becoming known as ‘hell in the Pacific‘. Then in 1856, descendants of the Bounty mutineers with their Tahitian wives and children sailed for five weeks form Pitcairn Island to settle on Norfolk Island. Photo by: thinboyfatter

The new settlers brought with them a distinct culture and language and many held mutineers’ names such as Adams, Buffett, Christian and McCoy. From that day, Norfolk Island began its steady climb out of hell and into heaven. Traditional culture remains deep-rooted – with dancing, singing, and a unique cuisine. Banana dumplings, fried fish and Hihi pie, concocted with periwinkles, can be sampled at one of the fie restaurants throw across the island. Photo by: The lovebird

The blue waters around Norfolk Island are teeming with fish, and there are countless fishing charters and scuba diving trips out to the reef to explore this kaleidoscope underwater world. In the sheltered waters of Emily Bay, you can also indulge in some lazy swimming and snorkeling, and endless relaxation. Photo by: *omnia*

Norfolk Island is favoured by well-heeled Australians and New Zealanders, and a few millionaires have migrated to this tax-free haven. There are over 70 low-tax shops and many eager customers. Yet the island seems to balance the old and the new perfectly – honouring its Pitcairn people, its rich environment and its visitors. Photo by: thinboyfatter

When to go: Idyllic in December-January, with temperature ranging from 12 degrees at night to 19-21 degrees in the day. Population: 1,800 (2007).

Hang gliding is an air sport in which a pilot flies a light and un-motorized foot-launchable aircraft called a hang glider. It allows you to own an aircraft that doesn’t require an expensive hangar or special pilot license. ?his is a very extreme experience. Hang gliding is one of the most exciting solutions for most people. You will have the unique sensation of flying, surrounded by beautiful mountains and beaches.

The training needed to get you flying solo is minimal. The basic techniques of hang gliding – launching, turning, and landing – are fairly easy to learn. The Health and Safety Executive says you have a one in 116,000 chance of dying during a hang-gliding flight. To put it in perspective, that’s roughly twice as dangerous as scuba diving.

There are plenty of spots to hang glide located all over the world. Utah is one of the places in the United States that features some of the best places to hang glide. For magnificent natural beauty nothing beats the Swiss Alps. New Zealand and Britain have their own associations, as do many other countries.

Hawaii is very famous around the globe for its hula dance. HULA -the dance known as hula was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by their original Polynesian settlers. The dances accompanied by the drum  appear to be the most sacred, dedicated to the gods.

No one knows its exact origins but Hawaiians agree that the first hula was performed by a god or goddess which makes the dance a sacred ritual. Every movement in hula has a specific meaning, and every expression of the dancer’s hands has great significance.

There are many styles of hula. They are divided into two broad categories: Ancient hula, as performed before Western encounters with Hawai,  is called “kahiko”. It is accompanied by chant and traditional instruments. And called  “auana”,  it is accompanied by song and Western-influenced musical instruments  as the guitar , the ukulele.

Hula, as old as the Hawaiian culture, was once shared by all of the people. They dances,  that expounded on every aspect of life–warfare, death, birth, sex, even surfing.

There also exist other exotic dances that originate from the other Polynesian islands like Samoa, Tahiti, Tonga and New Zealand or Aotearoa. Hula groups from around the world come to participate.

This is the south-western coast of Sri Lanka (26th December 2004). In this picture we can see the ocean rapidly retreats 400 metres,  just 5 minutes prior to the arrival of a devastating tsunami.

The spiraling waters continue to fill the coast just moments after the tremendous wave has hit.

This photo shows an alluvial fan, formed on the southern border of the Taklimakan Desert in China. An alluvial fan usually develops when water leaves a canyon, each new stream eventually closing up due to sediment – the result being a triangle of active and inactive channels. The blue ones on the left are currently active.

Retreating Glaciers Bhutan Himalaya. They are very beautiful and has a clear sign of slowly melting due to global warming. Easily visible are the ends of most of these glacial valleys’ surfaces turning to water to form lakes, a trend which has been noticed only in the last few decades.

Hurricane Isabel 2003. This photo was taken on the international space station in 2003 and illustrates the huge size of the hurricane’s eye. Isabel was the deadliest of 2003 and its winds reached 165 mph.

Greenland Eastern Coast. Greenland’s eastern coast is included in this true-color Terra MODIS image from August 21, 2003. The small marks of white in the water looks like ice originating from the deeper fjords and reach all the way to the ice-cap covering most of the island.

Aurora Borealis is natural phenomenon. The image was taken on-board space shuttle Atlantis during the sts-117 mission.

Egmont National Park New Zealand. The picture displays Egmont volcano last erupted in 1755 and is now situated at the centre of Egmont National Park. The volcano can be seen from space in the form of huge dark green disc. This photo was taken during the sts-110 mission, april 2002.

Whirinaki Forest Park is a wildlife reserve located in the central North Island, New Zealand. The park area varies from impressive tall trees, rushing rivers and a wide variety of habitats for wildlife to narrow gorges and waterfalls.

The Whirinaki Forest offers over 100 km of tramping tracks that range from flat trails to rugged climbs. Opportunities for tramping range from overnight trips to five or more days. Other activities: Horse-trekking, Hunting, Mountain biking and camping. The Whirinaki, Rangitaiki and Whaeo rivers have excellent trout fishing and deerstalking is popular.

The Treehouse Restaurant is build in enchanted forest and raised above an open meadow. The tree house story is very ancient, based on childhood dreams, playtime and fairy stories of imagination. The form of the restaurant also has similarities to a sea shell with an open ends spiraling in the centre.

So we all dreamed of it as children, but could only do as an adult fantasy. Yes the success is via 60m  tree-top ”accessible” walkway – an adventure itself. The selected tree is one of the larger trees on the site and sits above a steep part. The restaurant has 18 seats, waiting staff in relative comfort complete with a bar, gaining correct camera angles with light qualities for filming. The kitchen, catering facilities and toilets are at ground level.

The Treehouse Restaurant is almost 10m wide and over 12m high, with the split-level floor sitting 10m off the ground. Openings are formed for windows by leaving spaces between the slats/fins that keeps the overall form yet affords a variety of openness for the views and light and closes down toward the rear.

It is designed to be weather resistant using acrylic sheeting fixed to the roof under the fins with vertical roll-down café-style blinds within. Lighting is an important architectural component changing the mood, with discreet lighting within the walkway and up-lighting within the tree house. The Treehouse Restaurant is located Auckland, New Zealand.