Looking for a wild adventure holiday somewhere different? Somewhere you can go surfing, snowboarding, bungy-jumping, white-water rafting, climbing, sky-diving, game fishing, sea-kayaking, moto-crossing, go-karting, hang-gliding, paragliding, horse-riding, wine-tasting, snorkelling, jet-boating, trekking, stunt-flying, whale-watching and sheep-shearing all in one day?

Guy spent much of the winter down under, in:

THE ULTIMATE ADVENTURE PLAYGROUND!

New Zealand is to Australia what Ireland is to Britain and Canada is to America. Protected in the shadows of their bigger, brasher neighbour's limelight, their hidden beauty reveals an egoless cool. These cultures that hung back with a sensible patience from a charging West have matured from their coy and timid times into seductive, confident countries, where stressless lives and youthful adventure seem to be the main items on the agenda.

Graphically and socially, these countries have an uncharacteristic wilderness in today's World. For the wonderful Kiwi people the term 'back to nature" doesn't exist because they never left it. Folk from crowded countries living off their home city's electric charge will feel unplugged amongst the vastness of open space, where "the amplification of their own breathing overwhelms the hush of the natural world."

For the European, differentiating New Zealand from Australia is a subtle and harder task than Canada from America and even Ireland from Britain. There are infinite similarities such as variety of landscape, lack of population, eternal coastlines, accents even. However, while the Australian personality can hardly be described as shy and retiring, the typical Kiwi operates on an altogether more lunatic perspective. Like it or not you'll meet some of the wildest characters of your life here. When you see babies sliding round corners in three-wheeled-offroad-prams, propelled by twin engined roller-blading parents, chewing on seed and fruit bars, overtaking on the outside, you'll see where the Kiwis develop their reputation.

"If it can't be done, we'll have a crack at it!" says Dave McPhee, (of obvious ancestry turned Kiwi.) And they all seem to share this relative crazed and care-free nature. Adventures that would scare the living daylights out of a European are regarded as a walk in the park in New Zealand. Which makes the place one incredible adventure holiday destination...

Windsurfing on the North Island.

Taranaki.
All things considered, (wind, waves, sun and scenery) it's not surprising that many rank Taranaki on the North Island's west coast as le numero uno wave-sailing spot in the world. Double mast high vertical walls with less chop than a Chinese take-away peel precisely down the line, sometimes for a kilometre, in cross-off-shore sunny, south-easterly winds at the foot of a 10,000 ft snow-capped volcano with no crowds....

Taranaki (Mount Egmont and the town of New Plymouth), is a giant volcano which juts out from the North Island with 180° of coastline, thus picking up swell from almost any direction, making it one of the best surfing locations in New Zealand, with literally hundreds of breaks to choose from. The south easterly winds kick in regularly, needing only the slightest breath for them to nuke around the mountain and explode directly onto Kina and Pungarehu Roads, the premier Kiwi wave-sailing locations. A telephone wind-line (06 761 8234) is operational from the prime spot and we were often amazed how despite zero wind where we were staying 20 minutes away, it would be howling at the breaks.

At Pungarehu Rd the down-the-line wave riding in cross offshore winds is fast and furious. The swell walls up regularly, often easily over mast high as this is the most western and exposed point. A good shoulder peels beautifully across a face so clean it could be the cover of Vogue, with a peaky lip or two for aerials. Riding here is as good as it gets, but don't expect much jumping.

The hell launch over boulders quickly toughens your feet up as at low tide you might walk for seventy metres on barnacles. Then you've got to waterstart in zero, or at best gusty winds, to make it out before the rip drags you into Bone-crushers, where you'd have to bid your kit farewell. This tends to keep the crowds away and it's rare for more than ten sailors to be sailing. Once out there though, the waves, although monstrous, are clean and easy for anyone who's got the bottle. At high tide it's all somewhat easier, and certainly not beyond the average wave-sailor's capability.

Fifteen minutes south, Kina Road is usually a bit windier and better for jumping. The wave riding, although giant and peaky, doesn't have the perfect shoulders of Pungarehu. As an all round spot for jumping and riding, or if the wind is light or from a wintry north westerly, Kina goes off.

Weld Road is best in a south westerly and offers both classic jumping and riding. An easy launch (so long as you know where), makes it suitable for all standards; but watch out for the boulders, the size of cars, bursting through the waves. On its day it gives some of the best wave-sailing anywhere in the planet.

Then there's all the top surf spots like Stent Rd, which in a north easterly is going secretly off. If you get into surfing (and Taranaki is the ideal place to learn), you'll probably be in the water six days a week here, which compared with the English winter is enough to make any self-respecting windsurfer consider emigrating....

Northland
The beautiful Northland area has West, North and East coast potential all within an hour's drive of each other; one shore will always have surf. The air and water temperatures are significantly warmer in the sub-tropical climate than down south. Winds are inconsistent though and windsurfers almost non-existent. Be prepared to sail alone or with dolphins, but do go; Spirits Bay was one of our favourite places in all of New Zealand.

'Shipwrecks' is one of New Zealand's most treasured surfing spots, renowned for eternally long left-handers at Ahipara, the southern end of Ninety-Mile Beach. Rumour has it that the wave sailing in a south westerly is epic...

Takao Bay on the East Coast has unreal and dangerous potential. We waited two days for the swell to get small enough to go out! With a mile of mast high shore break we didn't dare risk it. The wind was cross shore and reefs peaked and peeled consistently, but the big sets were suicidal. By the third day it was small enough but with no wind, so I chanced a lone surf. Waves always look smaller from the beach - I wasn't out for long.

The Takao Bay camp site was typical of many in the north; empty with no marked bays or any regimentation other than cold showers and toilets. Situated under cedar trees on the banks of a river, deep into Maori land, this was also one of our favourite places in New Zealand. The estuary is rife with flounders, butter clams and oysters, making our camp fire cooking gastronomic heaven. Living costs were £2 per person camping, £4 per day fruit/veg, £4 vino, free sea food and heating.

Wellington.
The city of Wellington on the south of the North Island is the cultural, social and wind capital of New Zealand, boasting an average of 188 days of strong wind per year, often gusting to 40 mph and showing an outrageous 41 days of 60 mph! In Spring time (October to December) you can sail virtually every day in over 25 knots, wave or slalom. This city is so windy in fact that once a passenger train was blown off its tracks and in 1989 there were gales recorded on 152 days!

Mostly it's slalom sailing in the harbour, with a variety of places to launch from depending on the wind. Typical of New Zealand is the fantastic nature of the locals and I'd strongly recommend a visit to Adventure Sports South Pacific, Oriental Bay Tel 04 384 1010 for further information. Half an hour out of town is Plimmerton where there's perfect jumping conditions regularly and fifteen minutes south is the extremely gnarly Lyle Bay for the intermediate to expert wave sailor.

As well as great wind stats, Wellington is the friendliest, liveliest city to visit, with the cosmopolitan spice and energetic social pulse of any major city, but without the drab pollution or traffic indigestion. With only three hundred thousand inhabitants and everywhere in walking distance, it won't seem much of a big city if you're from London!

So, if you can control your adrenalin addiction through just windsurfing, then New Zealand North Island has the fix for you. But if you want to broaden your junkie habit, New Zealand's South Island offers every other buzz you can think of, and quite a few you will probably never have considered. In next month's article we do a whole lot more windsurfing in mind- blowing scenery, and also pay a visit to the infamous Queenstown; adrenalin addict's ultimate paradise.

Auckland
The "Solent" of New Zealand, full of an enthusiastic sailing fraternity, but was otherwise not a particularly great city to visit. However, it'll probably your landing pad from any international flight and a delightful five hours drive from Taranaki. The nearby Coromandel Peninsula has outstanding scenery and the Northland area is also relatively close.

The Wave Haven
In all our world-wide windsurfing travels, the Wave Haven in Taranaki has been unquestionably the most hospitable, friendly accommodation yet. Returning from a day at the beach is like returning home to a family. Perfectly situated with views of the ocean, the Wave Haven's the closest accommodation to all the top surf spots. With rooms to suit all types for any length of stay, travelling surfers and windsurfers are welcomed from all over the world. Living with the characterful handful of permanent residents, who run the show at a typically South Pacific pace, all the necessary local knowledge including secret spots, is found right here at the heart of Taranaki, two minutes from Weld Road.

In our long stay we saw guests from all over the world come and go, but invariably stay for much longer than planned. Not just for the incredibly consistent conditions, but for the social scene, and the wide range of other alternatives on offer. The Haven has a climbing wall for all abilities, kayaks for the nearby rivers; (novice to expert), mountain bikes, volley ball court, beer dispenser, video/TV, even a speed boat for fishing and wake boarding! If this isn't enough then the walk straight up Mount Egmont from behind the hostel will take you through an unbelievable variety of fauna and flora, including a forest where trees stretch to the clouds. To reach the highest peak you'll need ice-picks and serious weather proof clothing, but falling short of that will still be a rewarding achievement, climbing summits with unreal views.

Contact Al or Jono at the Wave Haven, 1518 South Rd, RD4, New Plymouth, New Zealand. Tel/Fax: 06 752 7800 or by E-mail: Wave.Haven@taranaki.ac.nz

Surfing
New Zealand has endless uncrowded surf with a super friendly atmosphere in the water, and it pumps throughout the summer. The west coast of both islands picks up the most swell but it can develop from a few directions, so sometimes gets a bit confused. Whereas when the east coast gets swell, it's consistent clean lines peeling in super fast sometimes, in places like Kiakora on the south island.

The top spots are Raglan, Shipwrecks, Gisbourne and Taranaki on the North Island and Klakora, Westport and the Catlins on the South Island. Beware, much of the surf is way faster and gnarlier than back home. Oh and there's the occasional great white around the south of the south...

Transport
Although caravans and cars are expensive to rent, hiring a campervan must be the best way to explore New Zealand. Try to arrange a roof rack or at least a rear door for your kit though. Roof racks are usually only found in the ski season. Expect to pay £300 per week.

For longer stays buying a vehicle is a better bet. We paid £330 for a semi-reliable rust bucket and travelled over 10,000 km in it. (If either of us had known even the first thing about mechanics, we'd have probably bought something else...) Auckland is a good place to buy and sell cars quickly at the auction or in the exchange and mart. A semi decent van starts at around £500. Fuel is half the price of Britain!

New Zealand has the highest road kill per capita in the world and Taranaki the highest in New Zealand. The dangers are nothing compared with renting a moped in Bali or a car in Miami, but beware. Road works aren't as well sign posted as in Britain, so you might find your tarmacked road suddenly turns to gravel and you're doing 90mph sideways. Many of New Zealand's roads are indeed gravel or dirt. Don't be surprised to meet lorries or buses at blind corners. Driving is on the left, but a drastically different road regulation one must be aware of is, "when turning right off a main road, cars turning left from the opposite direction, must give way." So when you're about to filter left off your road, beware of someone trying to cut in front of you from the opposite right - it'll come as quite a shock!

Accommodation
All kinds of tourists are catered for, backpackers and caravanners especially. The hotels and motels get fully booked quickly in the cities so it's best to book ahead for those. Otherwise there's always room at camp-sites, many of which also have cabin or self catering accommodation.

We lived out of a tent for about two months solid before being tempted out of the cold into the cabin accommodation. Mostly we didn't stay on campsites, but we rarely stayed anywhere for more than a couple of nights.

Temperature
Sailing in shorties or spring suits, surfing in spring suits or steamers. The Northland area is the only place you'd contemplate surfing in shorts. Daytime temps usually insist on shorts, however there's always the chance of a bad spell as the weather is so changeable. It's basically like a really good British summer, not the south pacific climate you might imagine.