New Zealand - Something for Everyone!

A friend enthused: Just past Australia, you'll find places people travel the world over to visit. I'm talking about the fjords of Norway, the glaciers of Alaska and the Alps of Switzerland. And let's not forget Scotland's moors, Italy's alpine lakes, Peruvian-style walking trails and beaches more glorious than any on the French Riviera."

It sounded like a New Zealand Tourism promotion, but the friend in question was as understated as he was well-traveled, so on little more than his recommendation and an impulse, we - my two mates and I - decided to take our World Tour on NZ's South Island.

Equipped with one language, a modest budget, and 10 days leave, my kakis and I happily put away our foreign language phrase books, threw out our jetlag tonics (just 4 hours ahead of Malaysia!) and bought a ticket each to Christchurch.

Once there, how would we explore this island of natural wonders? In NZ, it's simple to choose in what 'style' you want to go exploring: rent a car and stay at B&Bs, bus it around and stay at cozy youth hostels that are really more like little hotels, or rent your own "house with a handbrake" - a motorhome.

The neighbours suggested we round off our travel experience with a couple of 'veeerrry scenic' train trips, and their son had so much action-packed advice, it had us dizzy just listening to it.

It seems that more than a million tourists visit New Zealand every year, and many come to take part in many of the thrilling soft (and not so soft)-adventure experiences on offer. Your pick: whitewater rafting, hang gliding, bungee jumping or racing a speedboat up a narrow canyon.

We decided to play it safe and leave any break-necking adventures to others. So after a night and a day in Christchurch, the Kiwi arts capital, we took the five-hour train trip across the Southern Alps on the Tranzalpine Express -one of the top 10 scenic train journeys in the world. At times, we thought we were in Switzerland...

At Mount White Bridge, the train stopped in the middle of an alpine meadow where the three of us jumped off, much to the puzzlement of the tourists in the open observation car.

We were staying the night at a mountain lodge called Grasmere - our side-trip to Scotland and, in money terms, a big treat (due to the weak NZ dollar, the Ringgit does very well). The owners picked us up in a Land Rover and took us to their highland retreat. Grasmere, like so many of the lodges in New Zealand, has spectacular views from every side.

Our highlight was exploring the surrounding wilderness by horseback, knowing that a five-course dinner and a roaring log fire awaited us back 'home'.