Activities
Wanaka River Jetboat Journeys
Saturday, November 28th, 2009I’ve written before about experiencing the beauty of New Zealand’s Matukituki valley by car (here). Another great way to enjoy this spectacular valley near Wanaka is a jet boat trip with Wanaka River Journeys.
This company is a small and personal husband and wife operation which takes small groups up the Matukituki River and back, with a walk or refreshment break at the furthest point. Brent, the host on my trip, drives the boat expertly at high speed in impossibly shallow water, and is a wealth of information about the area. Not just tour guide trivia either - he is a maori whose ancestors have lived in the area for centuries, so he conveys real passion for the area as well as his extensive local experiences.
The trip provides the exhilaration you’d expect from a jet boat ride in New Zealand, but also allows time to take in the tranquillity and wilderness values of an undeveloped valley that is well worth visiting.
Since I did my trip with them, Wanaka River Journeys has expanded to include an optional guided forest walk on their regular journeys, plus jetboat trips which incorporate a helicopter flight to the Aspiring Glacier or a hike to the Rob Roy Glacier (as if I needed any more temptation to return to Wanaka). Jet boat trips in New Zealand aren’t cheap, but when comparing “bang per buck” I think the trip up the Matukituki River still compares very well with the Queenstown alternatives.
If the thrill of the jet boat ride itself is all you’re after, then the Shotover Jet at Queenstown can be hard to beat for heart-stopping speed in a narrow gorge (although the one at Hanmer Springs comes close). But if you want your boat ride to include fantastic scenery, a wilderness experience, history and culture plus great people, then I can recommend Wanaka River Journeys.
Links:
Wanaka River Journeys
Topics: Activities, New Zealand (south) | Add Your Comment »
Merredin Town Tour
Monday, October 12th, 2009The Western Australian country town of Merredin looks fairly average at first glance, the sort of place most travellers might stop for food and fuel before moving on. But it’s far from average, and boasts a town tour that is surprisinqly worthwhile.
I stumbled on this little gem while driving around the wheatbelt, a large agricultural region inland from the west coast. Previously I’d only used Merredin, 285km east of Perth, as a brief refreshment stop. Being the largest town for hundreds of kilometres makes it very suitable for that. This time, however, I stayed overnight to explore some of the natural attractions in the area. That’s when I found out about the Snapshot Tour, a town tour run by “Discover the Wheatbelt” late afternoon every day for most of the year.
Normally I avoid organised tours, but as it cost only $15 and would only take up 90 minutes, there wasn’t too much to lose. Curiosity got the better of me.
It didn’t take long to see why this was going to be a good tour. The guy running it, Martin Morris, is a long time Merredin resident who not only knows the place inside out, but is passionate about it. Being a tour guide isn’t just a job - he already has a day job. He leads tours because he enjoys showing off his town, and this enthusiasm makes the tour very engaging. On the surface, a country town’s airstrip and wheat bins may not sound like the subjects of gripping tales, but the stories behind them, as told by Martin, are worth hearing.
The tour uses a comfortable small coach, and takes in points of interest in and around the town. Merredin’s history is talked about, as you might expect, but it’s the focus on the town’s present that left the greatest impression on me. In particular, the way water is harvested and recycled in an arid climate. Examples of waste-water recycling were pointed out, which would otherwise be easy to not notice. The gathering of rainwater from granite outcrops, and the present fight against salinity, are other cases of Merredin’s people adapting to their challenges.
In contrast to most inland Australian towns, which are slowly shrinking, Merredin is actually growing. The tour helps explain what is different about Merredin, and why the growth is not surprising. Martin’s other role as a town councillor allows him to give insights into many of the town’s innovations, and provides a source of many interesting stories about the town and its people.
I felt that the relatively small investment of time and money in doing this tour was well rewarded. Never again will I think of Merredin as just a toilet stop!
Links:
Discover The Wheatbelt
Topics: Activities, Western Australia | Add Your Comment »