Style: July 10, 2020

64 STYLE | travel
- RETREAT TO THE FOREST -
ON HIGH
There are people in this world who
have such a way of talking that you
immediately trust them implicitly and
do their bidding without much thought.
Guides Paul and Jess, of Rotorua
Canopy Tours, are two such people. So
much so that you’ll find yourself hanging
upside down with the grace of a cow
after you have said over and over again
that you wouldn’t. And they are very
forgiving should you utter a phrase on
your way down that would make your
mother blush with mortification.
Rotorua Canopy Tours (147 Fairy
Springs Road, Fairy Springs) is a zip-line
and swing-bridge adventure high above
the Dansey Road Scenic Reserve.
You’ll duck and weave your way up the
road, passing farmers on quad bikes
wearing rugby shirts to find where
the ponga, rimu, tawa and silver ferns
have gathered. It is “virgin” forest, says
Paul, untouched by humans and their
chainsaws with some of the trees more
than 1000 years old.
With six 1200-metre long zip lines
and three swing bridges, you can
choose between the Original or the
Ultimate Canopy Tour. We were on
the Ultimate and it included a nifty
tandem zip line, the Back to Earth
controlled descent (the upside-down
flailing cow moment) and the 70-metre
high Rocky Cliff Walk.
It is a truly humbling experience to
look down from a zip line into a vast
ocean of ponga and silver ferns, their
leaves spread as if clasped together in a
bouquet. You’ll laugh for the sheer joy
of it.
General manager Paul Button calls it
“emotional tourism”; stripping back the
layers by immersing you in the forest.
The idea was born when James
Fitzgerald wanted to create the “best
visitor experience in New Zealand”.
He had searched the country but,
turns out, the perfect location was 10
minutes from his house. James asked an
engineering friend from university, Andy
Blackford, if he could whip up a zip-line
course for him. He reckoned he could,
so the two founders set to work and
opened in 2012.
The Inferno Crater Lake at Waimangu Volcanic Valley is almost an other-worldly sight.
“Every piece of wood was carried
into that forest and lofted into the
trees,” says Paul. “James lost 17
kilograms.”
When they extended the course,
due to customer demand, they used
prefabrication and helicopters, but
installed it all by hand.
But this is also a restoration project
of a forest once hauntingly silent of bird
call due to predators. To date, more
than $500,000 of customer money has
purchased traps that see thousands of
rats and possums removed every day.
Native birds, including the long-tailed
cuckoo, tomtit and North Island robin,
have now returned. And, on the tour,
you’ll have the opportunity to feed
birds straight from your hand.
You will be entertained but, more
importantly, experience the sheer
tranquillity of Mother Nature as you
glide high above. canopytours.co.nz
EVENING ADVENTURE
It was like a scene out of Peter
Pan; 28 suspension bridges strung
between century-old redwood trees,
some nine to 20 metres above the
Whakarewarewa forest. Suddenly
around the darkened forest, came
an audible collective gasp. The lights
had been turned on at Redwood
Nightlights (1 Long Mile Road,
Whakarewarewa). Trees suddenly
danced with pink and purple spotlights,
while 30 lanterns, designed by Kiwi
David Trubridge, seemingly floated.
Clever lighting made it appear as
though thousands of fireflies had
descended on the forest. It is the type
of experience where children (and
adults) dream of lands with fairies
and mystical creatures. Go for the
experience, stay for the magic. treewalk.
co.nz/the-walk/redwoods-nightlights
HISTORIC REGENERATION
“It’s a bit like being in Jurassic Park, isn’t
it?” he says.
With bubbling rivers, in lurid colours
of green and yellow, steaming lakes
and expansive views of the forest,
Waimangu Volcanic Valley (587
Waimangu Road) really does feel
other-worldly. We were 20 minutes
in, exploring the world’s youngest
geothermal valley and the stories of the
Mt Tarawera volcanic eruption, during a
roughly two-hour walk.
On June 10, 1886, when Mount
Tarawera’s foul breath of lava
erupted, it decimated the area. Now
regenerated, it has a rather mesmerising
and almost apocalyptic landscape
seldom seen elsewhere. A boat trip
around Lake Rotomahana will see you
marvel at geysers and hear the story of
the acclaimed Pink and White Terraces.
waimangu.co.nz