No paddles needed up this creek.

The Shotover River Canyons in Queenstown, New Zealand, appear to be wet, wild and incredibly beautiful. Apparently, they’re also a big blur as the boats take the twists and turns at high speed. Sounds dangerous, but in an awesome sort of way.

This post is a Wordless Wednesday entry which I decorated with a bunch of words. It’s like art, hence the pretentious post title.

Photo by Alex E. Proimos via Flickr.

Abel Tasman beach

The car window’s rolled down, clean air tousles my hair, a favorite CD blares while majestic scenery’s revealed at every turn with nary a car in sight. Where am I? Road tripping on the wild, west coast of New Zealand’s South Island. Travel along with me on a 5 stop itinerary:

Nelson

Let’s start in the north and go south. The artsy town of Nelson makes a good beginning. We’ll take a day or two to explore the vineyards and artist enclaves. Don’t forget a hike on the beach combined with a walk in the rain forest on a day trip to Abel Tasman National Park.

Hokitika

On the way to the west coast town of Hokitika, we’ll stop by Paparoa National Park for a walk along the coastal path at Punakaikai Pancake Rocks and Blowholes. Later, we’ll arrive at Hokitika in time to tour the jade factory and browse the galleries of woodworkers, jewelry makers and glass blowers. Let’s stop for a fine French meal at Cafe du Paris before turning in for the night at Kapitea Ridge.

Franz Josef

It’s glacier time! The small alpine village of Franz Josef will be our headquarters for treks to Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers. Our hikes will take us through the rain-forest to a glacier’s terminal moraine. A helicopter tour provides an aerial view. Of course we could don crampons to accompany a tour out onto the glacial ice.

Taking the plunge

Wanaka

After traveling over Haast Pass on a drive through Aspiring National Park, we’ll arrive in the lakeside town of Wanaka. A jet boat ride up the Matukituki River provides thrills combined with the scenic beauty of Mt. Aspiring. Our Maori guide and driver stops to lead us on a walk as he entertains us with Maori legends.

Queenstown

Today, our journey takes us on Crown Ridge Road. We’ll travel through gold country before dipping down into the Gibbston Valley for wine tasting. At our final destination, bungee jumpers, paragliders and speedy jet boat drivers prove that Queenstown really is the queen of New Zealand adventure.

With our road trip adventure at an end, what did you think of the one-lane bridges and round-abouts? How many cars did you count on our travels? Are you ready for another New Zealand road-trip?

Review by Donna L. Hull, My Itchy Travel Feet
All photos courtesy Donna or Alan Hull

New Zealand’s answer to South Africa’s dominance of big game safaris has been to go in the other direction. South Africa has Kruger Park and the unbeatable Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino), and now New Zealand has the Small Five – the smallest and most endangered of its indigenous species.

Yellow-eyed Penguin

New Zealand’s Small Five list, cooked up by Tourism New Zealand, includes the Kiwi, Hector’s Dolphin, the Yellow-eyed Penguin, Tuatara, and the Kea.

Kiwi – New Zealand’s national icon, and the best place to observe the Kiwi is the beach of Mason Bay on Stewart Island.

Hector’s Dolphin – Only 1.4m in length and the world’s rarest marine dolphin. Can be found in Akaroa Harbour on Banks Peninsula, or Porpoise Bay in Southland’s Catlins district.

Yellow-eyed Penguin – Also known as the Hoiho, and just as comical as any other penguin, only much more rare. Can be found strutting around in Coastal Otago.

Tuatara – Left behind by evolution, the Tuatara is the only beak-headed reptile left in the world. The rest of the lot decided to go extinct 65 million years ago. Around 30,000 of them enjoy the good life on Stephens Island in the Marlborough Sounds. Zealandia, a wildlife park near Wellington is the best place to gawk at the Tuatara.

Kea – A parrot found in the forests of South Island, the Keas are prone to be cheeky and too curious for their good, and will disappear with anything that the naive tourist leaves around unguarded. 

If you don’t want to go to all the trouble of planning out a trip to New Zealand for the aforementioned E-listers (endangered), then leave it in the capable hands of UK based Discover the World, which is offering a 17-day Small Five tour of New Zealand.

Photo by Christian Mehlführer