What the Lonely Planet Bluelist 2008 says about NZ:
Great River Trips: Jetboating the Shotover River
"For high-octane thrills in a high-octane city, head for Queenstown on New Zealand's South Island, where one of the signature activities (among a smorgasbord of adventures) is jetboating the Shotover River. Through the river's steep-sided canyons, jetboats skim past the rock walls, fishtailing and throwing themselves into 360-degree spins. It's 30 minutes that's like a drug-induced dance on water, deep in the mighty Middle-earth scenery of the Southern Alps. Tolkien geeks may recognise the Shotover as the Ford of Bruinen, if they can look beyond the spinning bow of the jetboat, that is."
Others in this list include: Paddling the Wilderness Waterway, USA; Felluca on the River Nile, Egypt; Rafting the Franklin River, Australia.
Best Places to Sleep Behind Bars: Napier Prison Backpackers
"As New Zealand's oldest prison, the Napier facility locked up convicts from throughout the country, including mass murderers, drug barons, gang members and the criminally insane. Inmates had the special opportunity to attend Rock College, ie. they were marched to the quarry next door and forced to break the stone and build the walls that kept them imprisoned. Guests nowadays can tour the hanging yard (where locals used to pay a shilling to watch executions take place), sleep in converted cells and get a mug shot taken as a memento of their time in the clink."
Others on this list include: Ottawa Jail Hostel, Canada; Celica Hostel, Slovenia; Karosta Prison, Latvia.
Best 'Big!' Things: The Big Kiwifruit
"The town of Te Puke touts itself as 'the world's kiwifruit capital' - with its warm climate and fertile soil, it couldn't be anything but. Accordingly, it's built a giant representation of the furry brown berry known as the 'kiwifruit' to rub it in to other pretenders to the title. Jump on a KiwiKart and tour the kiwifruit-growing surrounds, before returning to marvel once again at this giant, green, circular sculpture sticking out of the ground. OK, we get it - Te Puke's kiwifruit rules."
Others in this list include: The world's largest Buffalo, USA; Atomium, Belgium; Big Banana, Australia.
Best Brews - The World's Finest Beer Headquarters: Mussel Inn
"New Zealand's remotest boutique microbrewery is two hours from the town of Nelson on the South Island. Apparently there is a signpost, but it's far easier to spot by the cars parked nearby. Beer is an integral part of life at the Inn. The owners once used it to eradicate furry pests by offering a 'beer bounty' to cull possums taking over the Onekaka countryside. The offer of a free handle of beer or cider for every possum tail encouraged locals to eradicate over 5000 of the critters."
Others on this list include: Cascade Brewery, Australia; Weihenstephaner, Germany; Staropramen, Czech Republic.
Explorers and their journeys: James Cook, Queen Charlotte Sound
"To see James Cook's hometown, visit Whitby on the Yorkshire coast. To see the place where he felt most at home, visit Queen Charlotte Sound on the frayed north coast of New Zealand's South Island. In suitably titled Ship Cove, Cook anchored five times, staying a total of around 100 days (and where he is celebrated today with an elephantine monument). Offshore you can climb to the summit of Motuara Island and a plaque commemorating the spot where Cook raised the Union Jack to claim British sovereignty over New Zealand. Nearby there's accommodation in Endeavour and Resolution Bays, named for Cook's ships."
Others on this list include: Erik the Red, Brattahlid, Greenland; Marco Polo, Silk Road, China to Turkey; David Livingstone, Victoria Falls, Zambia & Zimbabwe.
Best volcanoes: Whakaari (White Island)
"White by name, but black by nature, White Island has been in almost constant eruption for the last three decades. Sitting in the Bay of Plenty, the island marks one end of the highly active Taupo Volcanic Zone, which also includes the volatile Mt Ruapehu and the geothermal fields of Rotorua, and though the latter is one of New Zealand's premier tourist attractions, the ever changing colours and fury of White Island are arguably more impressive. The island can be visited by boat or helicopter from Whakatane, and once ashore at Crater Bay you'll witness an array of volcanic features."
Others on this list include: Paricutin, Mexico; Hekla, Iceland; Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, USA.
- NZ HERALD STAFF
