New Zealand – Visit the South Island
March 27, 2009 by NZ Guide
Filed under Places to See
On the South Island, excitement is around every corner. Rivers race through rocky ravines and then meander across plains washed down from the Southern Alps. Alpine lakes provide endless diversions, and the various contents that sweep along the western and eastern coasts carry food and a huge variety of dramatic sea life.
Up in the north, the stretches of golden sand and numerous coves attract sea kayakers and canoeists to Abel Tasman National Park. Around the corner, in the Marlborough Sounds, deep waterways entice boaters and fishermen to its inlets and fiords.
The combination of cold and hot currents and the continental shelf drop offs attract sperm, humpback, southern right and minke whales; as well as dolphins, orcas and a plethora of other sea life, to the Kaikoura coast.
The shallow rivers of Canterbury have been well stocked with sea-run trout and well fed quinnat salmon. Within a two-hour drive from Gore, there are 27 rivers worth fishing. Gore boasts that it is The World ‘s Brown Trout Fishing Capital.
High speed jet boats take small groups of people on safe, but thrilling, tours along the rivers and incredible gorges. The Shotover and Kawarau rivers just outside Queenstown provide some of the most exhilarating rides. This resort area is renown as the Adventure Capital, where skillful drivers can judge the gaps with astounding accuracy and can thrill the passengers with seemingly impossible turns and spins.
Whitewater rafting appeals to those that want a marginally more laid back activity and the gleeful shouts and whoops are evidence of their thrills. The Southern Lakes are teeming with sailing dinghies and water-skiers on hot, lazy summer days.
The Southern Ocean’s cold currents thunder as they roll up onto the Otago coast. Thse waves create an awesome surfing experience for surfers. Formidable fiords of the Fiordland region hold many surprises. An event called “deep water emergence” allows you to view a unique marine environment, including rare black coral, about one meter below the surface.