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Sumitra Senapaty

When in New Zealand, discover the mountains, volcanoes, geysers, secluded beaches, fiords and immerse yourself in mesmerising nature, for the landscape is so varied and multi-hued, says Sumitra Senapaty.

I wanted to explore it all. Discover the mountains, volcanoes, geysers, secluded beaches, fiords, and immerse myself in mesmerising nature. I wanted to spot the kiwi bird, sail on the clear, turquoise waters, gorge on its seafood and wine, and to lie on its famous pastures, beneath the ever-present beech trees. But there was no time for anything on my first day, as I arrived in New Zealand, late, grubby and tired. The next day was spent in a state of disbelief.

So immense was the scenery, so clear was the water, so blue was the sky. Hypnotised by the rhythm of the sea, time just seemed to drift away. What started as a quick picnic lunch, lasted all through the day. I had also got chatting to a local and he told me what it was like here in the 1940s. The road was just a mud track then and they used to make surfboards out of old doors. They'd cook fish over fires and sleep in the sand dunes. The sun finally set at 10 p.m. — it was exquisite.

Some of the other countries I have visited have some or even many of these scenic wonders. But only in New Zealand are such varied landscapes concentrated in such a small area and so easily accessible to visitors. I spent days moving up and down this marvellous conglomeration of mountains and brooding volcanoes, verdant green hills, plains, bays and sun-washed beaches. As you might expect, large areas of the country are virtually unpopulated, notably the mountain reaches. Surprisingly, considering New Zealand's reputation as a land of lavish scenic beauty and sheep farms, more than 70 per cent of the people live in urban-suburban settings along the coast and in the lower hills. The cities wear the stamp of assertive self-awareness, self-esteem and contentment. Broadly speaking, North is town, South is country. One is modern, the other laid-back.

Auckland, on the North Island, is clearly a city on the make, gobbling up agricultural land on the outskirts, busy and materialistically minded. One in four New Zealanders lives in and around this clone of California-style commercialism. One in four Auckland residents own a boat, and they all take off at weekends to potter around the islands. Consequently, Viaduct Harbour is really the centre of town, and a great fun place, with a marina for millionaires' gin palaces, and a long line of working boatyards, where the next generation of Americas Cup challengers is being built.

Wellington is the capital, but the population is under a million and you can walk around the centre in less than an hour. The tourist brochure boasts that you are guaranteed `a live show to see almost every evening', but hot-spring aficionados prefer to hotfoot it to Rotorua for that whiff of hydrogen sulphide in the air. The town centre consists entirely of burger bars, massage parlours, tourist tat shops and Maori nightclubs, offering evenings of haka and hangi (war dances and barbecues). But the geothermal stuff is seriously world-class. Rotorua has practically every bubbling, seething, sulphur-smelling, geothermal feature you could ever wish to see — hot springs, mud pools, geysers, the lot.

Then there is the Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, a few miles out of town that really is a wonderland of beautiful pink and ochre pools, and the Lady Knox Geyser which erupts promptly at 10.15 every morning, when its keeper drops some soap in it (it also erupts at other times, but not so reliably).

On the South Island, Christchurch and Dunedin cling to their heritage, proud and attractive anachronisms. Stiff upper-lip Christchurch is known as "the most English city outside England". Here I admired lovingly tended lawns and gardens, stately colonial architecture, the winding Avon River, and a stern old neo-Gothic cathedral looming over the square alongside Queen Victoria's heroic statue. The South Island has only a fourth of New Zealand's population and it's definitely, not a rat race down here.

Scottish-born Dunedin, hub of rich farming region and a port, ranks, as the country's most important university centre. A city of 1,20,000, it clusters prettily around the inner end of a narrow harbour sheltered by the Otago Peninsula, a 30-km-long finger poking out into the ocean. A statue of Robert Burns gazes from the city's octagonal heart.

Some streets bear Scottish names as, of course, do many people, and a trace of the Scottish burr visits the ear. Take the high road and you're in Scotland — the graceful pile of stones that is Larnarch Castle might adorn any misty hill above Loch Lomond or Loch Ness. Take the low road and you're back on a breezy Southern Hemisphere coastline, where sea lions rumble with displeasure if you get too close and screaming seabirds wheel on the wind. I picked up a rental car at Dunedin and charged 250 km west to Queenstown.

On route I headed into the Alexandra district, a region noted for cherries, apricots, peaches, plums, apples and pears. Much of this fruit is exported, all of highest quality. When the orchards bloom in September and October, the Clutha River Valley is an Eden of colour. I pulled over at a roadside market. No attendant was on hand, only a sign: "Put money in the slot. Thank you." Driving on, I feasted. Hitting the highway did turn out to be a fruitful pleasure.

Queenstown, the outdoor capital of New Zealand is near the bottom of the South Island. The bungy jump was invented here — on purpose, apparently — and jet boating, canyoning and other adrenaline-fuelled lunacy still draw huge numbers. The Shotover Jet is a half-hour thrill that has you hurtling through narrow canyons just inches away from rock walls, skimming past boulders and crags, and holding on tight for 360-degree spins.

Just about any adventure you can think of is available here, from white-water rafting to hang gliding, mountain biking, bungy jumping, jet boating, helicopter rides, kayaking, fly by wire, skydiving and horse riding. If you're the sort to jump out of a plane tied to a person you only met five minutes ago, Queenstown is the place to do it.

Now attracting what they call "an international crowd" (i.e. not backpackers), Queenstown is increasingly aimed at a more moneyed, less daredevil visitor, and has the accommodation to suit. One among them deserves special mention — The Matakauri Lodge, halfway to laid-back Glenorchy (the Elvish Kingdom in

Fellowship of the Ring), must be one of the most spectacularly located five-star lodges in the world. Its eight slate-and-timber palatial lodges have floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the lake and the mighty Cecil's Peak.

Wanaka, on the shores of Lake Wanaka, an hour north of Queenstown, is a gentler variation on the theme. It sits on a plane surrounded by mountains and cut through with roaring, crystal-clear rivers stuffed with enormous trout. Fly fishermen arriving here have the look of pilgrims finally reaching Mecca. For the rest of us, some of the finest tramping, mountain biking and climbing locations are just outside the hotel door. I also spent some time absorbing the quaint charm of Arrowtown, a goldmining village that retains its authenticity from the goldrush of the 1800s. I had spent two weeks touring New Zealand, and developed a condition unique to visitors: Scenery Fatigue Syndrome.

In the early stages, you wander around muttering "Awesome!", occasionally qualified by an expletive, before falling into a wide-eyed state of contentment and then longing for an undemanding view to recover.

At times, New Zealand feels less like a country than a nature reserve. The only mystery is why there aren't more people here, though the success of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which was almost shot here, will undoubtedly change that. Not that everyone wants to see more tourists.

I met one lady, who, on discovering I was a reporter, muttered: "Oh Christ. Don't go telling everyone about this place; they'll only come and ruin the view."

Pictures courtesy: New Zealand Tourism Board

Fact file

How to get there: The best way is to fly Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong and then take the connecting CX flight to Auckland. The two international airports are Auckland (North Island) and Christchurch (South Island).

When to visit: New Zealand is a year-round destination. Just remember that during the blazing months of our Indian summer, it is winter out there and during our winter months, Kiwis have their spring and summer.

What to buy: Hand-knit stores have sprung up around New Zealand that sell vibrant patterned garments created by home knitters, particularly popular with visitors, being useful, light and easy to pack. Other specialities include sheepskin, kauri wood, pauna shell products, natural honey, wines, fruit wines, dried flowers, lanolin skin products, New Zealand and Maori arts and crafts, fibre and glass arts. New Zealand is also making a name for itself in the pottery field.

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