New Zeal For Sport And Life
This World Cup season, a trip to New Zealand
promises a mix of cricket action and adventure sport activities
TO USE a cricket metaphor, I wasn’t nervous about being in the
90s. That my weight was approaching a century didn’t deter me from dangling 122
feet high from a rope upside down over the enticingly azure waters of the
Pacific. No, I hadn’t suddenly lost my head and decided to jump off the
Auckland Harbour Bridge on the spur of the moment.
HEAVY-DUTY ADVENTURE
‘Leap of faith,’ ‘lose your fears,’ ‘you only live once’ – none
of these clichés come to your rescue when you are making up your mind about
whether to jump off a bridge. When the managers at AJ Hackett enquire whether I
want to do a bridge walk or do the bungee as well, I have one query: Will the
elastic be strong enough to take my heft? “We’ve had people weighing 150 kilos
jumping with us. You’d do just fine,” says our guide. I need no other
assurance.
And then I plunge! The blood rushes to my head and I realise
I’ve lost perspective. The yachts from the marina are suddenly on top and the
volcanic mountains at the bottom. Heck, even the Auckland skyline has turned
turtle! I bob up and down at least three times before the harness begins to
spin and so does my head. “It’ll be over in a few moments,” I tell myself and
close my eyes.
And after what seem like the longest 20 seconds of my life, the
elastic starts tugging at my chest and I begin the retreat to the jumping
station. The adrenaline rush is diminishing.
Much before I visited Kiwi land, I’d heard friends and
colleagues say how New Zealand was the safest place in the world to try
adventure sport. During the course of a media trip, I was to discover for
myself why more than 90,000 tourists had been voting the island nation the best
destination for tourism in the world, three years running.
RUINS TO RUNS
When the first ball is bowled for the tournament opener of the
ICC Cricket World Cup on February 14 at Hagley Park, one cricket legend, a
Christchurch local, will be watching from the stands with bated breath. Sir
Richard Hadlee, New Zealand’s ICC cricket ambassador (see interview), says the
World Cup is an opportunity for Christchurch to bounce back from the 2011
earthquake. The 6.3-magnitude quake, which killed 185 people and injured
thousands, left a trail of destruction in its wake.
Hagley Park, the boutiquestyle stadium, will host the opening
ceremony of the World Cup on February 12 that features former Kiwi captain
Stephen Fleming and current captain Brendon McCullum, apart from Hadlee.
HAVE A DECO
That New Zealanders know how to move on from natural disasters
is reinforced a second time on trip, when we visit Hawke’s Bay.
Home to the twin cities of Napier and Hastings, Hawke’s Bay is
wine country. Levelled to the ground during the 7.8-magnitude earthquake of
February 1931, Napier has since transformed into the Art Deco capital of the
world. Renowned for its Mediterranean climate and tree-lined promenades, the
city rose from the ashes, literally, after the quake led to a fire that razed
timber buildings. Today you can see architecture in the styles of the 1930s:
Art Deco, Spanish Mission and Stripped Classical, and in a contemporary touch,
one of the only two Art Deco McDeco McDonald’s outlets on the planet!
Hawke’s Bay is also the fruit bowl of New Zealand. So, apart
from visiting one of the wineries – they produce quality sauvignon blanc – I’d
recommend a visit to the farmers’ market. Here you can haggle
with orange and banana sellers, desi-style.
THE
SET-JETTERS
With one-third of New Zealand protected
in parks and reserves, wilderness is never too far away. Still, nothing quite
prepares you for the sight of thousands of birds – chirping, swooping and
taking off with fish – at Cape Kidnappers, the largest and most accessible
mainland gannet colony in the world.
“The Australasian gannet (takapu) has been
nesting at Cape Kidnappers since the 1870s,” says Graham, our genial guide, as
he pours us steaming cups of coffee at a vantage point overlooking the craggy
peninsula.
Set-jetting – holidaying in countries
and locations where films are shot – is a phenomenon familiar to many of us. No
wonder thousands of Indian tourists have been flocking to Switzerland inspired
by Yash Chopra romances.
One of the biggest tourist magnets in
New Zealand, too, is the movie set created at Hobbiton, home of the
hairy-footed heroes of JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The
Lord Of The Rings fantasy classics. The
Shire is located on the Alexander farm just outside the town of Matamata.
The terrain is lush and undulating. Kiwi
director Peter Jackson discovered the farm in 1998 during an aerial search for
locations. The countryside reminded Jackson of the ‘shire’ as imagined by
Tolkien. Today, the permanent movie set hosts tours of around 40 tourists every
10 minutes.
It is raining the day we reach Matamata.
As we sip ginger beer, we make acquaintance with Pickle, the resident cat
lounging philosophically by the fireplace, as if to ask what the fuss is all
about.
UP,
UP & AWAY
After an array of adventure experiences,
including bungee, jet-boating and riding Harley bikes, a relaxing way to
conclude a trip to New Zealand is a hot air balloon ride. So, with the mercury
hovering below zero, we help inflate a giant balloon at Christchurch. Helming
the ride, Michael Oakley, one of New Zealand’s top balloonists (never knew such
a career existed!), says each of us would have to assist him in getting it
off-ground. Braving icy winds, once we go up, up and away, the sunrise over the
Southern Alps makes us marvel at the brilliance with which New Zealanders have
perfected the art of marketing the outdoors. And then, there’s cricket!
FAQs ON NEW ZEALAND
How to get
there: Connecting flights to New Zealand are available on Singapore Airlines,
Thai Airways, Cathay Pacific and Malaysia Airlines with stop-overs in their
respective hubs. New Zealand’s international gateways are Auckland, Wellington
and Christchurch.
Visa procedure:
Forward your application to the tourism office in Mumbai or Delhi, which will
then
be directed to
the High Commission. A visitor visa for NZ is processed within 15 working days.
Visit
www.immigration.govt.nz
Within New
Zealand: Fly between all New Zealand cities using domestic air services. Air
New Zealand and Jetstar are the main providers, complemented by regional
airlines, charter companies and other operators.
HTBR1FEB15
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