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Destination adventure

Want to climb the walls of a volcano or swim with dolphins? Then visit New Zealand

Diverse EXPERIENCES That’s what New Zealand offers

I knew I was in trouble the moment my friend suggested biking across Europe in temperatures below zero degree. It marked the definitive end of comfortable coach tourism: when you got out at the Eiffel Tower, smiled for the camera and then had a tour guide lead you straight to the souvenir stall.

This is the decade of new age tourism. And New Zealand is one of the big winners in these times.

“There’s a huge shift. Indians are becoming evolved travellers,” says Kiran Nambiar of Tourism New Zealand. “And they’re looking for an experience rather than a break.”

He pauses and shuffles through a glossy pile of brochures showing gorgeous fiords, forbidding mountains and alluring lakes. “Tourists used to collect souvenirs – now they collect stories,” he says, adding “Once it was passive travel… just get down and take photos. Now they want to trek through forests, land on glaciers, swim with whales, learn to ski or go mountain biking. They want interactive travel; they want to do more.”

New Zealand, he claims, is perfect for the ‘Evolved Tourist.’ Which, he stresses is very different from the snooty tourist. This isn’t about who ate the most expensive lobster, or brought back the most expensive Louis Vuitton bag.

“New Zealand is not for everyone. If you want shopping or theme parks, then don’t go there,” he says, adding, “we are looking at the quality of tourists. Our objective is to increase value rather than numbers.”

For instance, roughly 80,000 people go to Australia every year, and 70,00,000 head to Singapore. About 130,000 descend on Switzerland. New Zealand, however, gets only about 21,000 tourists.

These ‘Evolved Travellers’ would rather climb the walls of a volcano than dance on a bar counter at a hip new club.

They’d rather swim with dolphins than sit in a Jacuzzi. And rather steam beside a geyser than spend all day covered in mudpacks at a spa.

However, it must be admitted, New Zealand is tempting even if you’re more the ‘Shopping Festival’ and ‘wild carnival’ kind of tourist. With an area that’s the size of Japan, it consists of three main islands, and countless tiny islands – some still uninhabited – and offers surprising diversity. You can head to North Island and follow the thermal explorer touring route, explore caves at Waitomo, study steaming geothermal parks or just go trout fishing at Lake Taupo, set in a giant crater.

The Pacific Coast Island has forests and beaches, including a peculiar ‘hot water beach,’ “where you can dig the sand, and get a pool of hot water.”

And whether you’re floating on the Whanganui river or wildly rafting the Rangitikei, you’re guaranteed stunning scenery.

This is, after all, the land of “The Lord Of The Rings”. “The movie did help create awareness,” says Nambiar, adding that it was shot in 150 locations across New Zealand.

“There have been about 100 films since 1999 – including “Kaho Na Pyar Hai”, and lots of Tami movies.” In fact a lot of the stunning scenery you saw in “The Last Samurai” was as Japanese as MacDonald’s.

“They created a Japanese village at the foot of the mountains and shot for four months,” says Nambiar. “The Chronicles of Narnia”, parts of “King Kong” and smaller films were also created in New Zealand.

Just like the movie producers, you can create your own New Zealand depending on what your interests are. “You can watch sperm whales, each the size of a city bus,” says Nambiar, “You can trek in an active volcano, or take the helicopter to the top.” Or you can follow the example of rich Indian families, and hire a Jaguar limousine and chauffer to take you around the country. There are Kiwi tour guides in each city who will list your interests and then plan your holiday accordingly.”

A holiday comes up to about three-and-a-half lakh rupees for a family of four.

And Nambiar insists that “It’s the best self drive holiday. Routes are easy and it will take 20 minutes before you see a car pass by. On the Christ Church Road you see your first traffic signal after 360 km… because there’s no traffic!” Besides, there’s always the option of taking that bicycle.

SHONALI MUTHALALY

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