Big adventures on a $100 budget
New Zealand has a reputation for being an expensive place to have fun. With an influx of foreign tourists, often willing to pay a premium, prices have crept up in recent years.
We’re ranked 104th in the world for tourist affordability, according to the World Economic Forum, behind notoriously expensive places such as Japan.
But there are still some affordable activities to be found. Here are 10 of the best.
Rail biking Gisborne: $30 an hour
An old section of the Gisborne to Napier rail line now hosts an epic adventure through native bush, a 1.5-kilometre tunnel, eventually winding up at a secluded ocean lookout.
In a world-first design, two push bikes are fused together on the rail line, with a steel chassis holding them in place. All you need to do is pedal. There’s no steering and you can’t fall off.
Drift triking Tauranga: $25
Drift trikes are like three-wheeled go-carts, except the rear wheels are made of a material that easily loses traction – so they skid all over the place. And they were invented in Tauranga.
The adventure park, BayStation, has a purposebuilt drift triking course. The race becomes a form of bumper cars because the trikes are pretty hard to control for beginners.
Monster scooters Whangarei: $12
Move over Lime, Monster scooters are here. These off-road buggies are powered by gravity; you’ll be shuttled to the top of a hill, before choosing one of five tracks to race down.
It’s affordable fun for the entire family; just $12 a person, or $30 for two adults and four children to have three runs down the hill.
Parasailing Bay of Islands: $99 a person
Floating nearly 400 metres above the Bay of Islands is the best way to get a view of the 144 islands that make up this beautiful part of the country.
If you don’t think you’re brave enough, consider the youngest to soar in the skies was just 3, the oldest more than 100.
This is New Zealand’s highest parasail and, if the wind is up, you’ll be in for the odd bump. But don’t let that distract you from the view.
You can even request an (optional) dunk in the water while you’re being pulled in.
Mountain carting Cardrona: cart and lift $100
Cardrona ski resort, about an hour from Queenstown, has found an action-packed way to use its ski slopes during summer: transform them into a mountain-carting course.
The carts are like little three-wheeled off-road buggies that you can hook on to the ski lift and be taken to the top of the mountain. You’re then able to ride down three gnarly tracks, getting some serious speed on the way. The buggies don’t have a motor, it’s all about gravity.
It’s the most fun we’ve had on New Zealand soil, but you’d better get in quick. The summer season runs until March 31, before Cardrona starts preparing for snow.
If you miss out, don’t fret – the mountain opens for the summer season again in December.
The Swoop Rotorua, $49
Rotorua’s Velocity Valley is the place to go for an extreme adrenaline rush, with rides like a wind tunnel, jet sprinting, bungy jumping, and a mustdo called The Swoop. You and two friends will be lifted 40 metres in the air – then one of you has to pull a chord – and you’ll fall in a giant swing-like motion. You’ll reach 130kmh in just a second and come within a few metres of the ground.
Queen Charlotte Track
Marlborough Sounds: $18, 5-day pass
This 71km track crosses the spiny backbone of the Marlborough Sounds, offering stunning views and unexpected solitude.
Many of us have briefly experienced the Marlborough Sounds on a Cook Strait ferry crossing, but this track explores its inner realms. You can walk it in three to five days, with camping, cabins and luxury lodges along the way. Bike Lake Pu¯ kaki
Mackenzie Country: $25 an hour
The best way to explore this sapphire blue glacier lake is by bike. Tour operator Lakeland Explorer will drop you near the hydro canals halfway around the lake, where you’ll join the Alps to Ocean track for a gentle ride back to Twizel.
Bring a picnic, and have lunch overlooking the lake, framed against the towering Mt Cook. Heliservices tour
Haast, $99
It’s pretty rare to find a helicopter trip for under $100, and this 10-minute scenic flight over an untouched part of the West Coast will reveal a remote side of New Zealand few know exists.
The dense rainforest has World Heritage protection as it’s considered the best representation of what the world looked like hundreds of millions of years ago when New Zealand was part of the supercontinent Gondwana.
The area is unexpectedly beautiful, vast and empty, with golden sandy beaches framed against towering cliffs. We even spotted Hector’s dolphins. Luge
Rotorua, $45
This Kiwi classic was invented in Rotorua in 1985 and it’s still as much fun today. There is a track for everyone, with the advanced course even giving you the opportunity to get some air.
Try to avoid rainy days, as the fast track is often closed. After a few runs, everybody should give the fast track a go.
The writers were hosted by the activities mentioned in the article.