Ultimate bucket list: New Zealand

A place can have a very visceral effect on you, as I experienced during a recent trip across New Zealand.

Places, like people, have personalities. A place can have a very visceral effect on you, influencing your wellbeing, changing your worldview, and encouraging you to do things you never thought possible. Such is the power of travel.

This was my final thought as I prepared to jump off the 139-year-old Kawarau Bridge in Queenstown — the birthplace of bungy jumping. I had no desire to hurtle my body into mid-air before arriving in Queenstown, in the South Island of New Zealand, but the dramatic landscape — snow-capped mountains, rocky cliff faces, and ice-blue lakes — convinced me otherwise.

Once the adrenaline subsided, I realised that this powerful personality, this adventurous spirit, is what makes New Zealand such a bucket-list destination...

AJ Hackett has a number of bungy, swing and zipline sites across Queenstown — along with a flawless safety record.

Also in Queenstown, KJet (main) offers high-speed jet boating with 360-degree spins (and views) on the Kawarau and Shotover Rivers, while The Helicopter Line conducts scenic flights, landings on snow-capped peaks and glaciers.

Into the abyss... my nighttime bungy jump at AJ Hackett Queenstown

Cruise along Lake Wakatipu on the TSS Earnslaw vintage steamship, which can be chartered exclusively. Disembark at Walter Peak High Country Farm before tucking into a gourmet BBQ buffet at the historic Colonel’s Homestead.

With such a dramatic landscape, even transfers are impressive in Queenstown — and the 45-min drive to Central Otago is no exception. The region is known for its wineries and fruit orchards, and a roadside pitstop at Mrs Jones Orchard will allow you to stock-up on local treats. End a day of wine tasting with dinner at The Stoaker Room, where food is smoked, grilled and steamed in upcycled pinot noir barrels.

For more thrills, Highlands international race track circuit is nearby, where groups can test the speed of V8 muscle cars and go karts, or take a ‘fast dash’ around the track in a Ferrari.

For an authentic Maori experience, explore the geothermal valley of Te Puia in Rotorua. Take part in a Haka war dance, enjoy a traditional Hāngi feast (cooked in an earth oven) and listen to stories shared by local hosts before visiting bubbling mud pools, natural hot springs, and the world-renowned Pohutu geyser (below).

Nearby, visit the National Kiwi Hatchery and sponsor a baby kiwi chick before heading to Off Road NZ for petrol-fuelled activities like self-drive 4WD bush safaris and 4X4 monster truck thrill rides through native forest.

Located 10kms north of Rotorua City, Agrodome is a 142-hectare working sheep and cattle farm. Here, you can get up close with farm animals, witness a live sheep-shearing demonstration and explore a thriving fruit orchard.

Up the ante in Auckland by joining the crew on an America’s Cup sailing yacht. Explore Group can cater for up to 60 people across two yachts, where you can take the helm or power the grinders as the vessel glides through Waitemata Harbour.

Drive to the Waikato region and explore the Hobbiton Movie Set, the only permanent, purpose-built movie set in the world. Forty-four Hobbit Holes are folded into rolling hills, which create The Shire from Peter Jackson’s epic Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.

The five-hectare site is also a working farm, so the idyllic countryside (bar a few props) is real. Tour the set at dusk, before indulging in a Hobbit feast sprawled across tables in the Green Dragon Inn.