Emergency Stop on the Kepler Trek in NZ by RobB7

This one above is another one, which we have seen some similar ones at different places and always up in the mountains. This one though is "secured" with wires if you look closer, that is supposed to keep it from falling over the edge…

Just think about the feeling when sitting in there and suddenly falling backwards with your pants down… The ultimate nightmare! Ha ha!

©Lifecruiser Love Toilets Travel Photos

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Mackay Falls, Milford Track by Harald Selke

One place you will want to be absolutely sure not to miss is Fiordland National Park. This is the largest national park that New Zealand has to offer and it’s rainforests, waterfalls and fiords all combine to make this park exquisitely beautiful. This is a wonderful place to walking while soaking in all the wondrous natural beauty around you. You can even have the pleasure of seeing dolphins and seals if you choose to go diving in the fiords there! Also, Fiordland National Park is so beautiful that quite a bit of the scenes from the Lord of the Rings movie was filmed there.

Have you always wanted been interested in thrill seeking adventures such as bungee jumping or white water rafting? If so, then you will definitely want to check out Queenstown. Perhaps you would prefer something a bit more relaxing. Fortunately, it is also an ideal place to go shopping or out to eat as they offer an excellent selection of great shops and restaurants. Queenstown is also a wonderful place to go skiing. As a matter of fact, people from all over the world come here to ski!

You will also want to be sure to check out the Bay of Islands during your stay in New Zealand. This could easily provide several hours of entertainment as there are approximately 150 islands available for you to explore! The stunning beaches, secluded bays and sub-tropical climate make these islands popular places for both sun bathing and swimming. If you love to either fish or golf then you’ll find yourself in good company here. This is because this particular locale has a tendency to attract a lot of fishermen and golfers to it. The Bay of Islands is also a great place to spot penguins as well as many other types of animals!

Kaikoura is a seaside town that is an excellent place to go whale watching. The reason for this is that whales can be spotted all year round here rather than just seasonally like in many other places. A wide variety of other marine animals can also be seen in Kaikoura. Also, the mountains that overlook this town are incredibly beautiful.

Last but not least, Rotorua is definitely a place that you will want to put on your must see list! Rotorua is located in the Bay of Plenty region, and it’s most well known for its volcanic activity. Here you can see hot springs, geysers, boiling mud, craters and much more! Rotorua also offers many lakes that are ideal for both fishing and swimming. Rotorua is also said to be the number one place to go if you want to learn more about Maori Culture.

Lifecruiser Love New Zealand
 

New Zealand’s rolling hills and jagged cliffs are also synonymous with extreme sports, and the country is recognised as one of the best places to go skydiving, bungee-jumping, and take part in various other activities that involve throwing yourself off the edge of the earth in a death-defying display of bravado. Not being particularly interested in free-falling from great heights (read; I’m a wuss) I decided to check out the Orana Wildlife Park in Christchurch for a more tranquil ride (or so I thought).

Most Zoos I’ve been too are located in large cities and while, on the whole, the animals have ample space to roam around in, the atmosphere is always somewhat ‘manufactured’ and false. Orana Wildlife Park is completely different however, in fact it’s more akin to a Safari route; the animals have much more room to explore, play, and make the land their own; everything feels a little bit more organic.

Just check out all the room these lucky Lions and Leopards have to roam around in, this shot doesn’t really do justice to the vast amount of space these animals have to enjoy!

To my slight disappointment, Orana wasn’t big on NZ’s indigenous species, I didn’t spot a single Kiwi when I was there (though I did purchase a nifty Kiwi key-ring), but the ability to get up close and personal with all kinds of animals you perhaps wouldn’t find in other Zoos.

Just check-out this cute Meerkat!

It wasn’t just the surroundings at Orana that made it feel like the animals were really thriving, but the knowledge and passion of the Zoo keepers. These weren’t your average cookie-cutter Zoo-staff wearing standard issue uniform, you could really tell they had a genuine interest in and knowledge of the natural world.

Another noteworthy point about Orana was the proximity of the animals to spectators, in most mainstream Zoos the two are separated by various layers of protection – not here, a mere wire mesh fence was the only barrier between us and these curious, yet thankfully docile leopards!

Remember how I said I didn’t like doing scary stuff at the start of this post? Well, Orana has a ride that’s far more terrifying than any theme park rollercoaster or leap of faith from a sheer cliff face; what is it? A chance for YOU to become the spectacle for the resident Tigers, in a spine-chilling role-reversal that see’s you rattle through their enclosure in a metal cage that they can leap on top of, menacingly sizing you up.

At this point I was far too paralysed with fear to take any pictures, which gives you an idea of the scale of the beasts that were just inches away from us…

Other activities on offer at Orana included an even more intimate big cat experience; namely paying a princely sum to climb into a Tiger cage (accompanied by an expert handler), where it proceeds to hug you/maul you half to death. Quite why anyone would enjoy this (very) near death encounter is beyond me.

Either way, Orana Wildlife Park was a real eye-opener and a refreshing change from most run-of-the-mill ‘city zoos’. Orana itself is a short journey from the centre of Christchurch and thus can be combined with a visit to this vibrant city, valiantly recovering from the earthquake which hit in February.

Guest post by Joe

Author bio: Joe is a travel blogger and wildlife enthusiast (though he mainly enthuses about small, cuddly things), he hopes to see some of the native species when he takes his Spain holidays later this year!