Oceania
New Zealand
About
It’s a long journey for many to get to New Zealand but worth it for drop dead gorgeous scenery where you can explore and play disc golf in picture perfect landscapes from fjords to ancient forests.
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Why Visit?
When winter hits the Northern Hemisphere, a summer down under in New Zealand beckons. There's so much to see in Middle Earth from geothermal parks, rivers, lakes, beautiful coastlines to snow-capped peaks.
Adventure tourism is a big part of a any trip to New Zealand, a country that turned bungy jumping into a global travel trend. It's a case of two different islands when you travel to the land of the long white cloud from the big smoke of Auckland in the North Island down to the adventure capital Queenstown, set against the high mountains and deep lakes in the heart of the South Island. In between you can hike volcanoes, kayak to impossibly beautiful beaches and drive through scenery so stunning it makes your eyes hurt.
Things to Do
Auckland, known as the City of Sails, is the country’s largest city and located on the Waitemata Harbour. So get out on the water, take a ferry out to Waiheke Island to sample some wines at its vineyards and relax on the beaches or head to the extinct volcanic island of Rangitoto and hike, or tramp as the locals call it, up to the crater for great views back to the city and across the islands dotted around the harbour. There's some beautiful coastline to explore north of Auckland, like the Bay of Islands, 90 Mile Beach and up to the remote Cape Reinga lighthouse, the northern most point for the Te Araroha hike that tracks from Bluff at the bottom of the South Island up to the top of the country. Coromandel, is where many Aucklanders head for their summer vacation. It's a pennisular that has secluded coves and remote stretches of white sand beaches like New Chums and Cathedral Cove or Hot Water Beach where you can dig your own private hot pool in the sand. The central North Island in Rotorua is a perfect place to experience the Maori culture or relax in the natural hot springs and Hobbiton or Matamata is where you can tour the Shire, the film set from the Lord of the Rings movie franchise. Taupo on the shores of the volcanic crater lake is where you can walk amongst the geysers or head off to the volcanic plateau and walk the Tongariro Crossing, considered one of the best day hikes in the world. Wellington, the New Zealand capital, is where you can tour Weta Workshop - the famous movie special effects and design studio. Catch a scenic passenger and car ferry across the Cook Strait to the South Island from Wellington.
Head to the Abel Tasman for a multi-day hike or kayak in the national park or head to Kaikoura to experience the sea life of whales, dolphins and seals. Stop off at the famous roadside cafe Nin's Bin for fresh crayfish or the classic Kiwi meal of fish & chips. Queenstown is where you'll have to dig deep into your wallet to experience the high adrenaline activities like bungy jumping, shotover jets or helicopter rides to the glaciers. You can hike the Ben Lomand track for stunning views across to the Remarkables mountain range and up Lake Wakatipu then finish at the Skyline Gondola for a beer and an easy ride back down the hill. Try a delicious Fergburger if you can wait out the queues or head out to the dozens of wineries and vineyards for lunch.
Where to Play
New Zealand has more than 130 courses across the North and South Islands. In Auckland, several good courses are on the west side of the city, so if you're heading out to the wild West Coast black-sand beaches like Piha or Muriwai you could play them on the way. Oratia Orchard Disc Golf course is a pay to play course where you can gorge on plums while you play through the orchard trees in summer. Woodhill Disc Golf has a mix of open and wooded holes and is located in a sheltered park with mountain biking next door. If you've been in the Coromandel and then taken a tour through Hobbiton, just out of Tauranga is the beautiful course with a lot of elevation changes, McLaren Falls disc golf park. In Rotorua, there’s Scion Nursery disc golf - a course that plays through trees and towering Redwoods. Out of New Plymouth is Inglewood Disc Golf Course a very scenic flat track with great views to Mt Taranaki. Taupo's Spa Park is New Zealand's premier course and the only one that's not in Europe or the US to feature on the world's top disc golf courses. It’s a favourite among many of the international touring professionals who make the trip each year in January and February for the Tour Down Under. Christchurch, in the South Island, has the highest number of disc golfers in the country and an active scene over the eight courses. You can play right in the centre of town at Hagley Park on a pay to play course that runs out of a golf club. Across town near the sea is Bottle Lake disc golf park, a mostly wooded course in a working pine plantation. Three hours south of Christchurch in the small town of Waimate is Knottingley Park Disc Golf Course - set in a beautiful park with fun challenging holes.
Queenstown has the short but very picturesque and fun Queenstown Gardens disc golf course in the city. Or you could venture out to the Shotover River and Play Tucker Beach - a flat course that’s mostly open and runs alongside the river.
