Whale Trail tours

We are really excited about a new product that we are working on right now with Dr Ingrid Visser and the Orca Research Trust. Dr Visser is one of the leading researchers of orca worldwide, and is working with us to develop a “Whale Trail” tour of New Zealand and the South Pacific. Hosted by Dr Visser, these tours will include not just whale watching, but dolphin and seal swimming and studies of other marine animals and birdlife – with a strong educational element.

We are also looking at combining these tours with humpback whale swimming and other marine mammal close encounters.

We are expecting these tours to be extremely popular and places will be limited. Anyway, we can’t give too much away just yet, but will send out details of the tours in the next newsletter. If you can’t wait that long, have a look at the Orca Research Trust’s website at www.orcaresearch.org, and while you are there why not adopt your own orca or make a donation to support Ingrid’s research!

This year's dive shows

Last year we made appearances at both the Birmingham dive show in the UK and DEMA in Las Vegas – both of which were really great for us as they gave us the opportunity to spread the word on diving in New Zealand. This year we have also decided to go to the Sydney dive show to try and educate a few Aussies of the amazing diving right on their doorstep. The Sydney dive show will be held 12-14 September, and as part of the show we will be conducting slide/video shows of just how good the diving is. If you are going to be in the vicinity, make sure you get it in your diary early, come along, and chat to us about getting to NZ.

Winter walking

It seems a bit funny talking winter in the middle of the summer season, but always thinking ahead we are getting a number of enquiries regarding walking tours during our cooler months. All the southern tracks are closed during the winter months because of the weather, but there are still great walks available such as the Queen Charlotte track which can be done as a freedom walk during the winter months, or the Tongariro Crossing (see below), plus plenty of other short walks.

Just ask for more information.

Taupo bungy milestone

On his second tour with First Light Travel, a good friend of ours became the 150,000th jumper to leap with Taupo Bungy. Brazilian Leo Chaves was back in New Zealand for a one-week dive/canyoning/ballooning/rafting trip with friends and wouldn’t miss the opportunity to leap.

Taupo Bungy, one of New Zealand’s most spectacular bungy sites is situated 47 metres (154 ft) above the crystal clear waters of the Waikato River. Since commencing operations in 1991, Taupo Bungy has gained a world-wide reputation for its safety standards and professionalism.

The company holds the NZ safety standard for bungy jumping and has maintained an accident-free record. The highly trained crew offer a variety of jump options including solo jumps and tandem jumps, and they specialise in water touches - made possible by river depth and customised technology.

As this month’s special offer, book a tour before the end of March that travels through Taupo and receive your Taupo Bungy free.

Photo left – Leo (front) with the Taupo Bungy crew – lucky #150,000!

Show and tell – the Tongariro Crossing and 42nd Traverse

Well, for something completely different, it’s time for a bit of “show and tell” from me (i.e. what I got up to last weekend). On Friday night we set off with a few friends down to the mid-North Island to do the Tongariro Crossing and to cycle the 42nd Traverse.

At 18km (12 miles) long and not overly mountainous, the Tongariro Crossing is an excellent day walk, usually taking about 5-6 hours for someone of average fitness. Often described as New Zealand’s best one-day walk, the Crossing takes you over a plateau near Mt Ngauruhoe, which is right next to the North Islands primary ski fields at Mt Ruapehu and within sight of Lake Taupo. For the more adventurous, the northern circuit encompasses the majestic sister mountains Mt Tongariro, Mt Ngauruhoe and Mt Ruapehu, and camping is available in the four huts along the route. Once on the track, the scenery is absolutely breathtaking, earning the Tongariro area a well-deserved place on the World Heritage Area list.

Anyway, it seemed like a great idea at the time to run the crossing rather than walk – and it was. Attached are a few snaps from along the way (1-yours truly near the top, 2-Del on her way down with Lake Taupo in the background). A great weekend was had by all, and running or walking the Tongariro is a must do.

The 42nd Traverse the following day was an awesome ride – one of the best rides I’ve ever done. Not overly technical or steep, depending on your “attitude”, how many stops you make, etc, the ride will take you between 2.5-5 hours. Sorry no photos – ran out of memory in the digital camera, but we’ll get something up on the website soon.

For anybody interested in doing either of these we can arrange accommodation and pickups at either or both ends (both are one-way journeys), plus a bike if you need it.

Anyway, better get back to work.

Cheers!