Britain must be the only country in the world where you can stand wearing wellingtons, under an umbrella in the pouring rain, for a bus to splash past you with a sign on the side saying 'We're in a drought'.

As summer is on its way, and by on its way we mean way out, we Brits begin dreaming of barbecues, of balmy nights on balconies and lazy days and cool nights. It's not likely that we're the only nation of people that do this when summer rolls round, but we must be the only one that dreams of having all those things, anywhere else but here.

Meanwhile on the other side of the world, New Zealand is slowly rotating its way through autumn, the difference being, when it's supposed to be autumn in New Zealand, it's autumn. That means beautiful hues and shades and tones and tints of green, red, orange and brown and lovely smells of bonfires while crispy dry leaves crunch underfoot.

In other countries, seasons keep their promises.

So, if you happen to be lucky enough to be in New Zealand this May, then you'll need some stuff to do. Here's a look at some of the best things going on this month.

New Zealand Music Month

May in New Zealand is Music Month, what originally started as a neatly written letter to the local radio station asking them to play a few nice ditties has grown into an entire month of gigs, festivals and more gigs.

With a myriad of performances from a range of musical styles and influences, no matter what your particular forte is, you'll definitely be able to find it during NZ Music Month. Head on over to the site to scrawl through the pages and pages of top class performances across New Zealand, you won't be disappointed.

Food Show - Wellington - 11th to 13th

If you're working holiday has so far consisted of drinking, a bit of drinking, looking at some scenery and then just generally getting a bit of drinking done then two things are pretty clear, one you already know that New Zealand has some decent booze and two, you probably haven't eaten all that well.

Well NZ might have some of the best wine but if you're just engorging yourself on cheap takeaway simply to mop up the booze once in a while then you're missing out.

Head on down to Wellington between the 11th and 13th to engorge yourself on some decent food at the Food Show instead. It also happens to be a wine show too so if you're really adamant about the drinking thing then you won't be missing out.

Paint Party - Wellington - 19th

What can possibly go wrong with copious amounts of vodka, a couple of strobing UV lights and enough UV paint to cover an Airbus?

Nothing right?

That's why the Vodka Cruiser Illuminate party might just be the party to be at this month. So if you're in Wellington make sure you head down there to end up causing panicked calls to UFOwatch.com as you drunkenly stumble down the road at 3am whilst glowing luminous pink.

Normally if you missed a party of this magnitude you'd have no other choice but to live in shame for the rest of your life, constantly retreating into a little cell of loneliness every time your friends brought it up.

Thankfully, there will be another party in Hawkes Bay on the 26th of the month which promises to be just as insane, go crazy now otherwise you might do later.

Comedy Festival - across NZ until the 20th May

New Zealand was never traditionally associated with comedy, but then it was never really associated but a scary dance and a furry fruit until Peter Jackson and his 17 friends all called Oscar had their say; now we're finding out plenty about New Zealand.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy showed the world that it had scenery like the English countryside, but good, as well as mountains to rival the Alps and plains that the Americans would never get tired of chasing Indians off of.

And then the Flight of the Conchords got here and showed us the Kiwis know how to have a laugh as well, that just left us wondering why they were so keen on the fruit and the dancing for all these years.

So if you're in New Zealand, no doubt you'll already be blown away by the natural beauty and if you tear yourself away from the scenery for just a minute, you can catch some of the best comedy in the country right now with the New Zealand Comedy Festival.

- Dominic Ladden-Powell is Online Editor with the New Zealand Visa Bureau, an independent migration consultancy specialising in helping people lodge applications for a Working Holiday Visa to New Zealand.

©Visa Bureau 2003-2010

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

While Spring once again shines bright in the UK, taunting everyone that for once maybe it won't chuck it down all summer, on the other side of the world where the weather keeps its promises, New Zealand is cooling down for autumn.

The brief appearance of a warm sun in the UK might mean you can go and sit on the patch of grass in the park in the UK, using the blanket your dog sleeps on to cover up the broken glass, but we all know it won't last.

The average Briton's wait for summer is the same as the average 5 year old's wait for Christmas, a permanent state excitement. However, like Christmas, it lasts for just one day and then your dog drops dead on Boxing Day for sleeping in too much broken glass.

However, around the world in New Zealand, the weather is like a favourite grandparent, always waiting with a giant box of chocolates which you can never get sick of.

New Zealand is a land of astonishing beauty and when the summer wraps up, the colours come out to play, leaves turn from green to some slightly reddish shade of green (I think it's called 'gred'), to some slightly greenish shade of red and then brown.

While that description may not have done it quite justice, the kaleidoscope of colours which brings out the intrinsic beauty of New Zealand's incredible landscape really needs to be seen to be believed.

ANYWAY, now you've got the idea - your dog's not dead, you know what gred is and you're in New Zealand looking for some stuff to do this April. Here's some of the best things going on across NZ this April.

Royal Easter Show - Auckland - 5th - 9th.

Nobody knows how we got from Jesus on a cross to an egg laying rabbit and that's because when there's chocolate involved, you can get away with anything if you've got a couple of Milky Ways handy:

"Did you kill my wife?"
"Well, I could tell you, or you can have this Crème Egg"
"I never liked her anyway."

So, in line with that, if you're in Auckland over the Easter weekend, head on over to the ASB Showgrounds in Greenlane for the Coca Cola Royal Easter Show. Taking place across the Easter weekend, there's plenty to do including a Carnival, a Circus, fireworks AND '100% Kylie', the world's most FAMOUS Kylie Minogue tribute act (although how much better would the name Kylie Min-faux-gue been?).

The New Zealand International Jazz & Blues Festival - Christchurch 11th - 15th

The word 'jazz' meant cool before 'cool' did. Jazz is so cool it even has an age named after it, the Jazz Age, which lasted from the booming '20s (when J Edgar Hoover was running the FBI in a dress and Gatsby was getting his Great on) right up until the 30s, when the Great Depression struck and ruined EVERYTHING.

However, the spirit lived on and Jazz remains one of the most popular genres of music today (right behind pop, rock, R&B, hip-hop, rap, soul, folk, metal, nu-metal, classical and polka).

If you're a fan, or even if you're not but need to prove to some cooler kids you're cool (or to some jazzier kids you're jazz, right?) then the New Zealand International Jazz & Blues Festival takes place between the 11th and 15th when a new generation of jazz talent will show off their talents as 21st century (or Teeny-Bop Age, no?) updates mix with tributes to Duke Ellington, Miles Davis and Louis Armstrong.

Arrowtown Autumn Festival - Arrowtown - 20th - 29th

Thanks in large part to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, New Zealand's landscape is now almost as famous as New York's skyline, Sydney's harbour or Paris' Shomps Elle-E-zay. Of course, the difference is that New Zealand's is 100% natural and, just like nose jobs, fake tans and wonder bras, we all know natural is better.

So if you want to see the best of New Zealand's landscape, at its best, the Arrowtown Autumn Festival could be for you.

While just standing around trying to see how many different colours you can apply the description "sort of brownish" to might be enough, the festival has a plethora of events to get involved in, everything from 'Arrow Ambles' walking tour with guides Ray, Rupert, Rita and Russell (yes, really) to a stone carving workshop and Blues shows.

There's also a Pint & Pie Festival and a fancy dress pub crawl. Sold? Thought so.

International Comedy Festival - Auckland, Wellington, nationwide - 27th April - 20th May

The Flight of the Conchords did wonders for New Zealand's comedy scene and everyone is waiting with baited breath for the arrival of comedy's next best thing.

Whether or not this will happen is another matter, so no whining for a refund if they're all rubbish. However, with shows in Auckland and Wellington as well as spread across the rest of the country, a trip to the NZ International Comedy Festival could easily land you with a chance of seeing what could be the next big world star in comedy.

This will then allow you to rave to all your friends about the hot new comedy act you discovered, brag when they get big and then be the first to turn on them when they get too successful.

- Dominic Ladden-Powell is Online Editor with the New Zealand Visa Bureau, an independent migration consultancy specialising in helping people lodge applications for a Working Holiday Visa to New Zealand.

©Visa Bureau 2003-2010

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

While the British sun is still trying to make its first feeble appearance, peeking out behind a rain cloud before being blown back in by a bitter wind, New Zealand's summer is still keeping the days long and the nights warm.

While summer may be starting to wind down, there's still plenty to do across the country, here's a couple of things going on this month:

Gee-Gees

Chances are you're a fan of fashion, horses, posh stuff or money so why not head on down to Ellerslie Racecourse in Auckland this weekend and indulge in all four? Auckland's most popular racing site hosts three of the poshest, most stylish and most lucrative races south of Hong Kong during March, and you could be there to stick a dollar or two on each way.

First up this Saturday (the 3rd) is Derby Day which features three races, including the NZ$750,000 (£400,000) Telecom New Zealand Derby. Next up is one of New Zealand's most prestigious events: the Auckland Cup Day on the 7, March. The Auckland Cup hosts more people with more money than most countries' deficits, although there are still plenty of general tickets still on sale for us commoners.

Lastly is the Diamond Day which needs no explanation as it couldn't sound more ridiculously exclusive if it was called the You'll Never Be Good Enough to Get in Here Day. The advertised tickets range in price from NZ$10 (£5), for people with two jets or less, to NZ$200 (£105) for those who get to eat the horse if it doesn't win.

Hee-Hees

Everyone likes a laugh, whether it's a joke you just told or a person you hate getting punched repeatedly in the face, it always brightens your day. If you want 11 days brightened this March, head on down to Dunedin on the South Island for the Dunedin Fringe Festival between the 15th and 25th.

Spread across the city the festival takes in everything from internationally renowned comedy acts to bizarre experimental stuff which could cause you to have an epiphany and change your life for the better by moving to the underside of a bridge somewhere and asking everyone to call you 'Whelp'. Or it could just be something worth seeing for its weirdness.

Row-rows

If you're British, rowing is the sport of people who aren't rich enough to do nothing at all with their lives but too rich to risk ruining their coif with a contact sport. Everywhere else however, rowing is a fun, team sport where you don't need to be Oxford educated to know how to put a stick in some water.

The Wellington Dragon Boat Festival is the perfect example of this egalitarian event which everyone can enjoy and not just wish they'd worked harder in school at. Taking place over the weekend of the 17th and 18th, the festival not only involves races with up to 75 participants but includes plenty of things to do on shore including food stalls, games and music.

Top Shows

Show me a person who doesn't love David Attenborough and I'll show you a liar or a freak (but most likely just a lying freak), the man could explain to you the subtleties of paint drying while a supermodel narrowly escapes a six car pileup in the background and you'd still come out listing the fascinating differences between the viscosities of emulsion and gloss.

So now we've established that you're a diehard Attenborough fan, if you're in Auckland on the 8th, head on over to Henderson for a documentary entitled 'Death of the Oceans' which, as David Attenborough is narrating, will leave you in no doubt the errors of humanity's ways.

Rock shows

Festivals are to family camping holidays what unrestricted internet access is to the Beano; an unadulterated and uncontrolled weekend of craze where no one sleeps, everyone is best friends and no one remembers anything - you DON'T remember right?

So, if it's been a while since you got your last festival fix, WOMAD New Zealand could be just the dose you need. Taking place from the 16th to the 18th in Taranaki, WOMAD has acts from all over New Zealand and Australia as well as Europe, Africa, the UK and America.

Nose goes

If you're one of the poor unfortunate souls who are permanently bunged up then not only are you missing out on the most evocative of sense, but everybody hates you for your continuous sniffing as well. If you know your bouquets from your buckets though, your lemon zests from your orange zests and your Shiraz from your chardonnays then New Zealand is the place for you.

New Zealand is almost as famous for its wines as it is for its rugby team, its Lord of the Rings scenery and its citizens' annoyance at people always assuming they're from Australia so why not indulge in New Zealand's most sophisticated of exports at the Hilltop Wines Sunset Concert?

Held at the Hilltop Vineyard in Hamilton on the 24th of March, the concert not only offers the chance to sample some of New Zealand's most delectable delights but also enjoy some relaxing jazz and blues music while the sun goes down. What else do you want from an evening sniffy?

Swimming-oes

If you've indulged perhaps a little too much on your travels, the backpacker diet of nothing and beer hasn't quite taken its toll just yet then maybe a little exercise is just what you need.

The New Zealand Ocean Swim series holds its next event on Saturday 10th March in Mount Maugnaui, one of the most idyllic places in the world to push yourself to the physical limit and swallow too much saltwater, or just have a nice relaxing swim round one of the country's most beautiful bays.

The State Sand to Surf includes the 'I'm Going Long' event which is over 2.5km long and is for the most competitive while the 'Give it a Go' 300m course is for those who quite fancy taking a stab at ocean swimming.

- Dominic Ladden-Powell is Online Editor with the New Zealand Visa Bureau, an independent migration consultancy specialising in helping people lodge applications for a Working Holiday Visa to New Zealand.

©Visa Bureau 2003-2010

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

What's the point in February? The shortest month of the year, still cold and broke from Christmas, the only thing of note in February is Valentines Day, and that's hardly great. If you're in a relationship you have to spend more money for a Hallmark holiday on soppy pink stuff that won't see March and if you're single you have to stomach couples rubbing their happiness in your face everywhere you look.

So just what is the point? Well, if you happen to find yourself in New Zealand during February then, single and lonely or involved and bored, there's plenty to do this month. 

Here's a look at some of the best things going on. 

Taking place until the 12th of February, New Zealand's largest sporting event with over 6,000 participants, the New Zealand Masters Games has already been underway for a few days but there are still plenty of events left in the biennial event including archery, basketball, snooker, ice hockey and clay pigeon shooting as well as the closing ceremony on the last Sunday.

If you're in Auckland on the 15th then you can get involved with a bit of beer tasting, that's right, you heard correctly - beer tasting. 

Auckland's newest brewery, located right in the heart of the city, offers you the chance to come and enjoy beers for a range of tastes and styles and learn how to sound like a massive show off as you explain to people the subtle differences between Carlsberg and Carlsberg Export.

If you like beer but you can't make it to Auckland, or if you REALLY like beer and are prepared to get to Christchurch by the 19th of February then the Belgium Beer Festival should be plenty to getting on with.

While the range of Belgian beers on tap might be enough to lure most people, the festival also has plenty of Belgian chocolate, fritters and the king of food full stop, Belgian waffles (yes they are).

Just because you may be about as far away from the Edinburgh Fringe as it's possible to get, that doesn't mean you can't still enjoy everything the festival represents in New Zealand.

The New Zealand Fringe Festival between the 10th February and 3rd March offers punters the chance to enjoy everything from to experimental dance, theatre to jungle music; the only rule is, there are no rules.

Well, there are plenty of rules, including no wearing bowler hats, no combining socks and sandals and no sideways looks at other people's food, but any SHOW can be put on at the Fringe, that's the whole point - it's on the fringe!

If you prefer a more relaxed atmosphere in your leisure time, perhaps a more refined way of life then Devonport Food, Wine and Music Festival in Auckland between the 18th and 19th is definitely for you.

Held on the edge of Waitemata Harbour in Devonport, north of Auckland's centre, the festival boasts wines from over 20 New Zealand wineries as well as a plethora of different foods. And while you're enjoying your delicious cuisine and looking out over Auckland's CBD, you can be entertained by some of New Zealand's top music and comedy acts.

- Dominic Ladden-Powell is Online Editor with the New Zealand Visa Bureau, an independent migration consultancy specialising in helping people lodge applications for a Working Holiday Visa to New Zealand.

©Visa Bureau 2003-2010

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

Doubtful Sound is the deepest (421 metres) and second longest (40 kilometres) of the South Island's fjords. It is quite untouched by the modern world – with rare corals, plants and sea animals calling the fjord their home. It is not as accessible as Milford Sound, but joining an overnight excursion onboard a boat will see you dine on fresh crayfish scouped out of the water in front of your eyes while passing ancient glacier carved valleys, high mountain peaks and spectacular waterfalls. 

According to Maori legend, the sounds in Fiordland in New Zealand were created by the god Tu-Te-Raki-Whanoa as a safe place from the stormy seas.

When he split open the earth to form Patea (Doubtful Sound) four young sea gods helped him by using their adzes to cut the four arms of the sound – Deep Cove, Hall Arm, Crooked Arm and First Arm. Doubtful Sound is 10 times the area of the more well-known Milford Sound, and is the playing ground of bottlenose dolphins, fat New Zealand fur seals and the Fiordland crested penguin to name a few.

The fiord was originally named Doubtful Harbour by Captain James Cook, who sailed past it in 1770. He didn’t sail into the inlet because he though it looked a bit tight for safe manoeuvring (hence the name). It was later named Doubtful Sound by whalers and sealers, although technically it is a fjord.

Like other fjords in the area, Doubtful Sound contains two distinct layers of water that don't mix: the top few meters is fresh water, fed by runoff from the mountains, and below is a layer of salt water from the sea.

The top layer is darkened by the forest tannins, which makes it difficult for light to penetrate. So many deep-sea species such as red and black coral, colourful sponges and sub-tropical fish live in quite shallow depths in the sound. The rare corals can be found 10 metres deep here instead of the usual 30 metres that you will find elsewhere.

Some 10,000 years ago a mighty ice-age glacier extended over the region, and its grinding power as it slid towards the sea sculpted the landscape’s deep valleys. As a consequence there are some amazing waterfalls in Doubtful Sound as rains on the piecing mountains plunge down to the sound, particularly during the wetter seasons. In the Hall Arm, the Browne Falls cascades 619 metres; Helena Falls at Deep Cove tumbles 220 metres.

Tours to Doubtful Sound depart from Manapouri and involve a very scenic bus trip across Wilmot Pass. When you reach the fjord, you can explore in a sea kayak or join a water cruise with one of the local operators.

-  Learn more about getting a New Zealand Working Holiday Visa.

©Visa Bureau 2003-2010

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

Just twenty three kilometres off New Zealand’s Tutukaka Coast are a cluster of islands that are a top international site for diving as well as snorkelling and kayaking. Despite their name, the Poor Knights Islands are anything but, and should be on every keen divers' to-do list.  

The islands are washed by warm currents swept south from the Coral Sea and are part of a complete marine and nature reserve - and pending World Heritage Site. The islands have an astounding Maori history and their 11 million year old volcanic origins provide spectacular drop offs, walls, caves, arches and tunnels to explore. 

The whole area is full of unique plant and animal life both above and below the waterline. Over 125 species of fish can be found in the waters off the islands along with soft corals, sponges, vibrant anemones, large kelp forests, sting rays, gorgonian fans and many others. The islands’ famous arches are fascinating to explore, with countless animals competing for space on the walls and in the warmer months, squadrons of stingrays can be seen in the waters of the archways.

Diving the Poor Knights can truly be called a once-in-a-lifetime experience as the area is very different to other diving coral reefs or even the nearby New Zealand coast. Many of the subtropical fish living in the marine reserve are found nowhere else in New Zealand.

Nursery Cove and some of the shallower parts of South Harbour are great venues for novice divers but experienced divers can find spectacular and challenging dives all around the islands.

If you are not a diver there are still plenty of ways to explore islands, including a simple sightseeing cruise or a combination cruise of sightseeing along with snorkelling and cave explorations. A number of charter dive boats operate from Tutukaka Harbour, which is 30 kilometres from Whangarei.

The Whangarei Official Tourism Website can help with more information. Visit: http://www.whangareinz.com/

- Get started on your gap year by applying for a New Zealand Working Holiday Visa!

©Visa Bureau 2003-2010

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

The first of New Zealand’s ‘Great Rides’ - a national cycle trail showcasing some of the country’s most spectacular landscapes – is now open. The St James Cycle Trail passes through an iconic South Island backcountry conservation area, near the tourist town of Hanmer Springs, in Canterbury's Southern Alps. So grab your bikes peeps, there are some awesome stuff to see just off the beaten track.

NOT FOR THE FEINT HEARTED The 64km St James Trail offers iconic scenery and a mix of trail standards, down spectacular river valleys, past high-country lakes, through beech forest and grassland valleys in an important conservation area. Of the 18 nationally promoted cycle trails, it requires the greatest level of experience to complete. Experienced mountain bikers are expected to complete the full trail in roughly 10 hours, but if you prefer to take your time and break up the trip into a number of days there are four huts along the way that you can book a space in. You can also camp beside the river. A good soak in the Hanmer Springs hot pools on the way home wouldn’t go astray either. The cycleway mainly follows the Waiau River, and the full trip is designed for experienced mountain bikers but the entry tracks to the Waiau River along Edwards valley or over Maling Pass (and to Lake Guyon) are suitable for intermediate level cyclists. Local native vegetation includes red, mountain and silver beech / tawhairauriki / tawhairaunui forests, mānuka / kānuka and matagouri scrublands, alpine and tussock species, and a vast expanse of native grasslands. Some 430 indigenous species of flora and 30 native bird species have been identified – so keep an eye out for some pretties. Check out more details about the St James trail here.

- Get started on your gap year by applying for a New Zealand Working Holiday Visa!

©Visa Bureau 2003-2010

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

Ever had a bungy jump? Been blasted down a whitewater river in an inflatable boat? What does it feel like to roll head-over-heels down a hill inside a giant plastic ball? When it comes to adrenaline pumping crazy stuff, New Zealand is the place!

BECOME A HUMAN YO-YO Perhaps what first springs to mind when you think of New Zealand is the bungy jump (pun intended). Bungy was invented in New Zealand! Inspired by the land divers of Pentecost Island and daring leaps made by the Oxford University Dangerous Sport Club, New Zealander A.J. Hackett turned bungy jumping into a business in 1988. Today he has jumps in Auckland and Queenstown, including the wickedly-scary Nevis Highwire - an 8.5 second free-fall above the Nevis River. Put your Platinum Card to good use with a half price bungy jump with Taupo Bungy, one of the country’s leading bungy operators. They are only 10 mins walk from the main centre of Taupo and they have New Zealand’s highest water touch bungy. But there is more than just bungy jumping if you are after some fresh air. Taupo Bungy also have a extreme cliff swing dropping down 38 metres or so before barrelling up again. You can swing seated, in a lay-back style or completely upside down for the full head rush! Queenstown has the Shotover Canyon Swing, which is a bit like being in a playground that’s 35 storeys off the ground; and the Mokai Gravity Canyon in the Manawatu region has a giant bridge swing - a mind-blowing thrill that begins with a 50-metre freefall.

ALL THE RIVERS RUN Surrounded by ocean and riddled with rivers, New Zealand is a fantastic place for water fun. If you are after some serious whitewater action than Queenstown is the place for you – and Queenstown Rafting is who you want to speak to! Queenstown Rafting have two courses, Shotover River and Kawarau River, so you can choose just how rough you want to trip to be. Shotover River is the big daddy – with numerous rapids to get the adrenaline going and a 170 long tunnel to paddle in darkness before a final cascade of rapids to end. Kawarau River is ideal for the first time rafters and adrenaline seekers alike – there is time to sit back and enjoy the spectacular scenery along the way before the unforgettable 400m dog leg rapid to finish. Queenstown Rafting offers 20 per cent discount for Platinum Card holders – so you could do both! In Taranaki you can try dam dropping - a plunge down 30 metres of rushing water. This particular kind of madness is a form of river sledging, where you conquer white water rapids armed only with a body board, helmet and flippers. In Eastland you’ll find another kind of river fun at Rere Falls. Here you can slide down a 60-metre natural water slide - "Woohoo!" doesn’t begin to describe it.

GOING DOWNHILL Try travelling down a hill inside a large, inflatable ball – yep, zorbing! Warm water is often added to make the experience even more fun. Rotorua is the place for some great zorbing. Dune surfing is great on the giant sand hills of Cape Reinga and the Hokianga. The walking up is the hard work, but the zooming down is a total blast. Heliskiing is all about no compromises. It’s for adventurers who are seeking pure adrenalin and pure freedom. New Zealand’s World Heritage alpine parks offer all these ingredients, plus the added benefit of breathtaking scenery to fill those few idle seconds at the beginning and end of each run.

NEED FOR SPEED Propelled by a water jet system that was invented by a Kiwi, jet boats can navigate shallow, fast-running rivers at amazing speeds. These ridiculously fast boats can do full 360˚ spins, and are one of the essential Kiwi experiences for travellers to New Zealand. Shotover Jet in Queenstown is one of the best with over two million people having caught the canyons with them since 1970. Best yet, Platinum Card holders get 40 per cent off on a jet boat ride with Shotover Jet! Reach parts of New Zealand that can’t be reached by road on a quad bike safari! Zoom through the forest, along beaches and across farmland – all while on a serious bike beast. Top quad-biking areas include Northland’s Ninety-Mile Beach, the Woodhill Forest and Muriwai Beach in Auckland, the Gannet Colony at Cape Kidnappers, and Hanmer Springs in the South Island.

- Check out the Visa Bureau Platinum Card site for the full discount and offer details for crazy New Zealand Activities like these and enjoy your New Zealand working holiday!

©Visa Bureau 2003-2010

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.