The ‘Adventure Capital of the World’

Dusky Dolphins

Kaikoura hosts a population of thousands of dusky dolphins, one of the most gregarious and playful dolphin species, making it an ideal destination for dolphin swimming. Duskies are generally curious about humans, and even seem to be entertained by the antics of swimmers. You can go for a boat-based swim with Kaikoura's Dolphin Encounter, which runs daily dolphin swimming and viewing tours all year.

Swimmers and spectators depart on boats and search for pods, which are generally comprised of 100 to 2,000 individual dolphins. On the way, guides will tell you a bit about the dolphins, and teach you to attract them by diving, moving around, and talking to them underwater. Basically, the better the show you put on, the more likely the dolphins are to stick around and watch. Swims usually last around 20 to 30 minutes. Trips start at $130 per swimmer (about $90 USD). Rates are halved if you don't want to swim.

(Photo: Molly Feltner)

Sperm whale

For a change of pace, head to Kaikoura, a town of about 4,000 people on the northeastern coast of the South Island, where you can swap mountain adventures for amazing animal encounters. Kaikoura is renowned for is stellar marine mammal populations, including significant numbers of sperm whales, New Zealand fur seals, and dusky dolphins. There are also albatross, humpback whales, orcas (killer whales), and lots of crayfish (rock lobsters), which aren't exciting but taste better than regular lobsters.

Most everyone comes to Kaikoura for the whales, as the water offshore is one of the few places in the world you can see sperm whales year-round. Sperm whales are the largest of the toothed whales, reaching nearly 60 feet in length and weighing up 45 tons. They come to Kaikoura because the Hikorangi Trench drops off more than 6,500 feet just a kilometer offshore, creating an ideal environment for creatures like the giant squid, which the whales eat.

Whale Watch Kaikoura, a Maori-owned company, operates the only boat-based whale-watching outfit in the area, running up to 16 trips per day in peak season (November to April). Whale Watch Kaikoura sails high-speed catamarans that can reach the whales in minutes, not hours. They use a hydrophone to pick up the whales' clicks and predict where they will surface. Most trips average one or two sperm whale sightings. Trips start at $130 NZ per person (about $91 USD).

Trip planning: One-way flights from Queenstown to Christchurch, which has the nearest major airport, start at $126 plus taxes on Air New Zealand. The drive from Christchurch to Kaikoura is 2.5 hours.

(Photo: Molly Feltner)

Siberia Experience

If you're short on time and can't spare two or more full days to do one of New Zealand's Great Walks (popular hiking routes) you can still get into the backcountry for a remote hike with the Siberia Experience, a half-day trip that departs near Wanaka.

The adventure starts with a 25-minute flight from Makarora in a tiny yellow four-person airplane with Southern Alps Air that takes hikers over the glacier-carved mountains of Mount Aspiring National Park into the Siberia Valley. On the way, you'll get to see things that you'd never be able to see from the ground, such as hidden glacial tarns still brimming with icebergs and glaciers pouring over the edge of high ridges, with electric-blue water falling down thousands of feet. Your plane will land right in the center of Siberia Valley on an impossibly small grass airstrip. No need to hike days into the wilderness to get away from it all.

(Photo: Molly Feltner)

Lake Wanaka

Editor's note: The destinations and activities listed in the story were all given the stamp of approval by Associate Editor Molly Feltner, who recently returned from New Zealand.

New Zealanders will proudly tell any visitor who asks that their country is the "Adventure Travel Capital of the World." They'll insist that anyone who enjoys being active and outdoors and knows any better ought to make coming to New Zealand a priority, even if a 13-hour flight is involved. And the multitude of expats you'll meet who've settled here from Europe and North America will explain how the land and the people in New Zealand made the decision to move halfway around the world easy.

Although this sounds like a lot of national pride talking, the country—with 14 national parks and 9,400 miles of mostly undeveloped coastline packed into a land mass the size of Colorado—more than lives up to its reputation. You could spend months wandering through rainforest, paddling along coastal fjords, tramping over mountains, and observing the exotic wildlife. You could also try a "thrill sport" or 10, as the Kiwis are constantly imagining new ways to get their adrenaline flowing.

Choosing where to go and what to do in New Zealand can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you don't have a long time in the country. To help you out, here's a photographic tour of three worthy New Zealand destinations and some of the top adventures in each.

Trip planning: Round-trip flights from Los Angeles to Auckland, New Zealand's main international gateway, start at $718 plus taxes on Qantas. Flights take about 13 hours there and 10 hours back.

(Photo: Molly Feltner)

Horse trek

A sunset horse trek in mountains is the perfect way to end a trip in Kaikoura. Fyffe View Ranch, a working farm set on Kaikoura's highlands overlooking the sea, runs riding trips for all abilities year-round, plus evening sunset rides October through March. You can go riding all over New Zealand, but the views from the Fyffe View's mountain trails are unparallel: to the East, sweeping vistas of green pastureland rolling down to the beach and out to the ocean and, to the West, views up to the mountains, including the 5,256-foot-tall Mt. Fyffe.

The trip begins at 7pm, shortly before dusk, when you'll be paired up with a horse who's matched to your riding ability. Novices will be given calm mounts who don't mind walking, and more experienced riders will be paired with horses who like to trot and canter. Most groups (which are kept small) are guided by Simon or Linda Pharazyn, the ranch's amicable owners. You'll be lead through pastures and uphill, passing through Tolkienesque woodland and meadows overgrown with wildflowers.

The ride is timed so that the sun will be setting as you emerge from the forest and start heading back down toward the ranch. Once the ride is over, you'll be treated to a casual meal of wine and crayfish. Not to be mistaken with the small fresh water crayfish of the southeastern U.S., the saltwater crayfish of Kaikoura are large and similar to lobster, but have a milder taste. Sunset rides cost $75 per person (about $53 USD).

(Photo: Molly Feltner)

Fly by Wire

In addition to bungy jumping, Queenstown offers several other ways to get airborne, including Fly by Wire. This strange but exhilarating experience entails flying around inside a canyon on a small personal jet that's tethered by a wire to a cable spanning the width of the canyon. The concept came to the company's founder (literally) in his dreams, and he built his contraption in a canyon near Queenstown a few years back.

Like bungee jumping, no special skills are needed to fly. After learning how to operate the jet safely, you'll be strapped in and pulled up and back towards the far rim of the canyon. When you reach the top, you'll be released, swooping down into the canyon at more than 100 mph and using your jet engine to soar up the opposite canyon wall and then back down into the canyon, making a figure-eight pattern. The wire that's attached to the cable across the mouth of the canyon is about 300 feet in length, long enough to allow you to get some good height, but short enough to keep you from hitting the canyon wall or floor. The flight lasts five minutes—short, but about 4 minutes and 55 seconds longer than a bungee jump—and you're in control of piloting the craft, so the thrill is quite fulfilling. If you're feeling feisty after your flight, you can try sparring with Oi, Fly By Fire's pet goat. Flights cost $139 NZD per person (about $97 USD).

(Photo: Molly Feltner)

Wilkin River

From the valley floor, you'll cross a stream, still frigid and glowing blue from the glacier it melted off only minutes earlier. You'll hike a short but sometimes strenuous trail through virgin beech forest filled with prehistoric looking ferns and friendly birds who seem unafraid of people (New Zealand birds has no predators before humans came).

In about 2.5 hours, you'll come to the Wilkin River, where a jet boat will pick you up and speed you back to civilization in a mere 30 minutes. A New Zealand invention, jet boats use a water propulsion system to generate speed, not an outside propeller, allowing them to travel on streams just a few inches deep and turn on a dime at speeds of up to 40 knots. Trips start at $245 NZ per person (about $171 USD).

(Photo: Molly Feltner)

NZ fur seal

Seeing marine life from a ship is fun but getting in the water to swim with them is far more exciting. You won't get a SeaWorld-type experience where dolphins and seals do tricks for you—you'll get something better: the chance to interact with wild animals in their natural habitat.

To swim with some the area's 5,000 native New Zealand fur seals, sign up for a boat-based snorkeling trip with Seal Swim Kaikoura, the first company in New Zealand to offer such tours. The company was started 20 years ago by Graeme Chambers, who still guides many of the trips today. When conditions are right (warm weather and higher tides), Graeme or another guide will take snorkelers by boat to one of the rocky outcroppings where the seals like to sunbathe, which surround the town.

You'll swim around the rocks and wait for curious young seals to slip into the water. The seals don't like to be touched, but they will swim right up to you to have a look and do a sort of playful water dance while they investigate the scene.

Trips last around two-and-a-half hours and start at $70 per person (about $49 USD) for boat trips.

(Photo: Molly Feltner)

Kawarau Bridge bungy

The logical first stop for an active traveler in New Zealand is Queenstown, a town of about 17,000 people right in the middle of Lord of the Rings country on New Zealand's South Island. The conditions are perfect for hiking, rafting, kayaking, mountain biking, and many other traditional adventure activities.

But this town is known for taking things far beyond the traditional. Queenstown is where Kiwi extreme sports addict AJ Hackett opened up the world's first commercial bungy jumping operation in 1988. AJ Hackett Bungy now has three sites for taking the plunge in Queenstown, including the Kawarau Bridge, where the world's first commercial jump took place. No experience is necessary to do the jump, you just need to not have any serious medical issues. After getting briefed on safety and roped up, you just step off the platform and plummet 141 feet before the bungee cord kicks in and bounces you around a bit. You'll eventually be reeled in by a boat on the river. Jumps cost $150 NZD per person ($104 USD; see xe.com for current exchange rates).

Trip planning: One-way flights from Auckland to Queenstown start at $189 USD plus taxes on Air New Zealand.

(Photo: Molly Feltner)

Canyoning

Just an hour and a half north of Queenstown, Wanaka boasts a similar array of adventure activities, plus a few extras. It's also a lot smaller and more laid-back than its frenzied neighbor, making it appealing for those looking to get away from the tourist crowds.

If you're fit and looking for a unique full-day adventure, you can try canyoning, which involves descending a steep river canyon by abseiling (rappelling), sliding, and jumping down various cliffs and waterfalls. You can go canyoning in Queenstown, but Wanaka's canyoning outfitter Deep Canyon is one of the most highly regarded canyoning companies in the country and offers more challenging trips.

Deep Canyon's Niger Stream ravine trip is good for beginners but still promises many opportunities for interesting abseils and jumps. After making a steep climb up a mountainside to get to the top of the ravine, you put yourself right into the thick of things with a long abseil down a cliff and then a 30-foot jump off a waterfall into a small, but deep pool. (You can abseil down the falls if you're nervous). From there, your guide will lead you down the ravine for about four more hours, assisting you as you abseil, jump, and slide down various cliffs, waterfalls, and natural waterslides. Trips start at $215 NZD per person (about $150 USD).

(Photo: James Speirs, Deep Canyon)