Aotearoa free for all
The summer holidays are upon us, but that doesn’t mean our end-of-year breaks need to be expensive. We have the most beautiful country on Earth as our playground, and some of the best things to do don’t cost a cent. Here are 10 of the best free things to do this summer.
Crater rim walk Christchurch
One of Christchurch’s best-kept secrets is a ‘‘crater rim’’ walk along the remains of an ancient volcano.
More than five million years ago, two enormous volcanos formed a labyrinth of peaks now known as Banks Peninsula.
These mountains eroded to about half the height, and vast valleys were flooded by the sea.
Lyttelton Harbour was a caldera, and the Awaroa/Godley Head loop track follows the edge of the harbour, effectively meaning you’re walking the rim of an ancient crater.
The three-hour walk weaves its way along a spectacular array of cliffs, passes old military observation points, and takes you down to a quaint little beach community at Boulder Bay.
TSB Festival of Lights New Plymouth
New Zealand’s best light festival gets under way in New Plymouth this month and, due to Covid-19 borders restrictions, many of this year’s light sculptures have been created by Kiwis.
For 44 nights, from December 19, Pukekura Park becomes a neon version of Alice in Wonderland, with 16 sculptures scattered throughout the park in a light safari for young and old.
This year there will be a giant manta ray doing ballet above the park’s main bridge, neon monkeys in the trees and even fireworks with a twist.
During the day, there are lots of free activities, from indie artists performing concerts to aerial performances above the lake.
Hamilton Gardens Waikato
Before Covid-19, more than one million people visited Hamilton Gardens each year, and for a good reason. There are more than 20 exceptional gardens, which are perhaps best described as art pieces made of plants.
The Surrealist Garden is the latest creation, and is quickly proving one of the more popular.
To enter, you walk through a corridor where optical illusions on the ground are a sign of what is to come. You then enter a fantasy land of giant mechanically moving trees, as if they have personalities and are trying to run free.
After weaving through the forest, there’s a large clearing with a giant door and wheelbarrow, which give the impression you’ve shrunk.
Then there’s the Concept Garden complete with a Huddleston airship, and the Tudor Garden with a giant ‘‘pudding house’’ that was once used by wealthy families to have their dessert in while admiring the view.
The gardens began development in the 1960s on the city’s former rubbish dump. Today it’s the region’s most popular tourist attraction, and is one of New Zealand’s most remarkable examples of a trash to treasure transformation.
Waitomo’s other caves Waikato
There’s a vast network of stunning – and free – natural features to see in the Waitomo area.
At night, the Ruakuri bush walk gives you a chance to see glow-worms, which live in the steep hillsides and caves. Just remember to bring a torch.
It’s also an excellent walk for the kids during the day, leading to a magnificent limestone cave with a roaring river running through it. A platform allows you to go inside the cave, high above the river.
Next, head to the Mangapohue Natural Bridge. You’ll weave along a short riverside track, before reaching the remnants of an enormous cave system that’s millions of years old. You can walk through a 17-metre arch that looks like a bridge though, in reality, you’re inside the bottom of an eroded cave.
Tunnel Beach Dunedin
Tunnel Beach is gaining popularity as one of the country’s most unusual and exciting beaches.
You’ll find it along the Otago coast, a short drive south of Dunedin, where giant seas have sculpted enormous cliffs over many thousands of years.
The founder of Otago settlement was William Cargill.
In the 1870s, his son John ordered a tunnel be built through the cliff down to the beach, supposedly so his family could have a private place to bathe.
By the 1980s the track was opened up to the public, including the tunnel walkway down to the beach. To make it safer, steps were installed in the cave because it was so steep.
From the car park, it’s a steep 20-minute walk down to the beach, where you’ll find the tunnel tucked into a hill.
If you’re claustrophobic, you will want to admire
the beach from above, but most decide to take the tunnel down to the secluded beach below. The best time to attempt this is at low tide on a calm day, or you could be contending with powerful surf.
On the beach, you’ll find a waterfall and caves to explore.
Gemstone Beach Southland
On the wild south coast of the South Island, there is a literal hidden gem.
Gemstone Beach is full of colourful rocks and, if you look long enough, you may even find some semiprecious stones, such as jasper, quartz or even sapphire. The beach is often pounded by a ferocious sea, so it’s lined with steep crumbling cliffs that make a dramatic backdrop for your gem hunting.
Our most beautiful seat view Glenorchy
A trip to Glenorchy is a feast for the eyes. First, you get to enjoy the road that weaves along the shores of Lake Wakatipu, with mountains on either side.
When you make it to the little village of Glenorchy, there’s a one-hour walk across a wetland that includes a snaking boardwalk. Along this path, you’ll find a little bench that overlooks the lake and mountains, which is perfectly framed by the surrounding trees, and is possibly the country’s most beautiful seat. The sigh-inducing beauty on view makes you proud to be a New Zealander.
Kiwi spotting Auckland
Spotting kiwi in the wild is an almost spiritual experience. We’re colloquially named after these little creatures, but most of us will never see them outside a wildlife refuge or zoo.
For those of us determined to see kiwi in the wild, most head to Stewart Island, home to an estimated 20,000 of the flightless birds. But, surprisingly, you can actually see them in Auckland if you know where to look.
Ta¯wharanui Regional Park is a predator-free sanctuary near Matakana, and it’s home to an astonishing array of birdlife, including endangered ka¯ka¯ that pop over from Little Barrier Island.
The park also has a resident population of kiwi, and most nights there’s a steady stream of people out to try to spot them. Take a red light (white light disturbs kiwi), and make your way quietly around the bush paths to see what you can find.
Your best chance of seeing them is to book a tour with Habitat Tours: the company’s guide has a thermal imaging camera and an almost 100 per cent success rate. That will cost you, but it’s worth it.
Free tasters at Giapo Auckland
If you are one of those people who dreams of trying every icecream flavour in a shop, you’d better head to Giapo, one of Auckland’s best icecream parlours.
When you enter the gelateria, the first thing you notice is you can’t see any icecream. Instead, you’re invited to join a guided tasting. This involves all the favours being put out in front of you in miniature pots so you can try each one.
The tasting experience is free and there’s no obligation to buy, although it’s almost impossible not to get something after you’ve found your favourite.
Blue Spring Waikato
Some of the clearest waters in New Zealand can be seen at Blue Spring, between Rotorua and Hamilton. The water is so pure, more than 50 per cent of the country’s bottled water is sourced here.
The spring is best seen on the Te Waihou Walkway, a three-hour return journey that weaves along the Waihou River right up to the Mamaku Plateau, where the water takes up to a century to filter into the river, which gives it remarkable clarity.
If you don’t have time for a long wak, the Leslie Rd car park is just 15 minutes from the spring.