Staying Above It All Down Under

From gentle hikes to bungee jumping, riding jet boats, river rafting and tandem skydiving, New Zealand offers a wealth of diverse scenic beauty and more ways to get your adrenaline pumping per mile than most countries I know.

For budget travelers there are hundreds of independent and internationally affiliated hostels, many at key tourist sites, and backpacker bus services to help you get around economically. Now there’s a new source to find out about all the opportunities. The “Let’s Go” guidebook series, researched annually by Harvard Student Agencies, has introduced a 335-page edition covering New Zealand. The beginning of “Let’s Go: New Zealand” ($14.99, St Martin’s Press) introduces readers to the researchers’ favorites sights, restaurants, cafes, nightspots and places to stay.

About 30 minutes from Wellington, on the Kapiti Coast, one researcher found Fly By Wire, “a patented thrill ride in an open-air rocket-like get-up . . . the contraption has a motor and a steering wheel and is attached to a central wire. After being cranked up the hillside and releasing the clutch you have six minutes to figure out how to do figure-eights and circles at speeds approaching 75 mph and distances as close as 5 feet from the ground.” The $77 fee includes a video of your adventure.

The researchers found one of the most memorable places to stay was Juggler’s Rest Backpackers (8 Canterbury St., Picton), where the owners are three professional jugglers who give free workshops daily. As an added bonus, fire-eating lessons are offered. Beds in dorm rooms are $8.40 to $9 per night (you’ll need a sleeping bag) and twin or double rooms with linens are $22. The researchers point out that if you do manage to juggle five balls you get a $1 discount, and if you do it 10 times you get a free dinner with the owners.

“Let’s Go: New Zealand” also mentions more traditional sites, such as the new National Museum, which is due to open in Wellington on Feb. 14.

You also can get help locating low-cost lodging in New Zealand through a free 42-page booklet published by Budget Backpacker Hostels (BBH), which provides information on 200 locations. The hostels, which list beds available for less than $12 per night, must meet minimum standards to be included in the booklet, including having fully equipped kitchens, laundries and blankets; 24-hour access; and free excess baggage storage. The average overnight fee is $7.80 to $8.40, ranging from dormitories (more than four beds per room and shared facilities) to single, double and twin rooms with private bathrooms.

You can pick up a free copy of the booklet at tourism information desks at the Auckland and Christchurch airports and from Visitor Information Network offices throughout New Zealand. For more details contact Rainbow Lodge Backpacker Hostels, 99 Titiraupenga St., Taupo, New Zealand; telephone and fax 011-64-7-377-1568. Or call Foley Towers Backpacker Hostels, 208 Kilmore St., Christchurch, New Zealand; tel./fax 011-64-3-379-3014.

For information on New Zealand, including a listing of Hostelling International-affiliated youth hostels contact the New Zealand Tourism Board, 501 Santa Monica Blvd, Suite 300, Santa Monica, CA 90401; tel. (310) 395-7480. This office also can provide free copies of the 1998 YHA Hostel guide.

Izon is a Toronto-based freelance writer. She can be reached at https://www.izon.com.