Those Kiwis must be crazy

Those Kiwis must be crazy... if their sense of humour and their penchant for throwing themselves off great heights is anything to go by... You know how much you're going to like a country depending on the reception you get at immigration. The officer at Christchurch airport is friendly, which is a relief after a 17-hour flight (including the layover). When you're bleary-eyed, the last thing you want is some whippersnapper barking off questions that ricochet off your befuddled head. The chatty welcome fits in with the reputation of the Kiwis being a friendly lot. "That's because we have no one to talk to," says our tour guide Matt, roaring with laughter. Their idea of fun is also strangely fixated on the notion that throwing yourself off great heights or swinging across mountains in a make-shift jhoola is the last word in cool. For someone who is terrified of heights, such energetic use of free time is just attention-seeking behaviour. The adventure sports capital of the world, not satisfied with inventing bungee-jumping, has mastered the art of sky-diving, hot air ballooning, jet boating, skiing and caving, among other adrenaline highs. What else is all that natural diversity for, if not to fling yourself off it? If the snow-capped peaks of the Southern Alps weren't enough, South Island has the spectacular Pacific coastline to boast of. The irony is that all this postcard-perfect, natural richness is shared by only four million people and forty million sheep. Envy brews in the bosom. Christmas in July To raise a toast to the Kiwi spirit, they have the good sense to celebrate Christmas in July too. Since New Zealand is floating in the Southern Hemisphere, within kissing distance of Antarctica, their December celebration consists of a barbeque. But July offers the untimely white Christmas and if you head to any bar, you'll find cheerful bartenders grooving to the music dressed in Santa caps. Of course, the other repercussion of living in an upside down world is that the constellations are ulta too! Winter is an interesting experience in New Zealand, and the snow offers plenty of scope for mad, childlike fun. Christchurch Christchurch is the gateway to the South Island, as most international flights land here. Victim to a massive earthquake in February 2011, the city is still coming to terms with the disaster. Parts of the city centre still remain closed to the public. The city is known for its gardens, but since we are traipsing around in winter, it is not the wisest course of action. The plan is to explore the surrounding districts of Canterbury. We head to Terrace Downs, a luxury golf resort, 20 minutes off the Mt Hutt access road. The gorgeous sunset from the balcony is simply relaxing. And it's nice to thaw out, drink some lovely Monteiths dark beer and sample some delicious ostrich meat from one of the local farms! All the relaxation vanishes the next morning when faced with the prospect of jetboating on the Rakaia river. The thrill of jet boating in the chilly, bone-numbing wind is an experience felt more in hindsight. It's only after you've defrosted and been slapped around by your companions a few times, that you can indistinctly mumble about "howblurrygooditwusonthewawer." Articulate appreciation is ambitious, but since your boatmates are stumbling over their words like drunks too, you get the drift. Lake Tekapo The drive to Lake Tekapo is stunning, and particularly easier to enjoy from the warmth of the bus. You have to pinch yourself to believe that the glorious turquoise-blue glacier lake is not a mirage. It has the cutest, pintsized church on its shore which is the most photographed church in New Zealand. Apparently, people love to get married here. Can't blame them, but it will never accommodate a big fat Indian wedding! Our rooms at the luxury Blue Peppers resort give us a partial view of the Lake, which is lovely only if you could not turn into an icicle in the balcony. The next morning, we head to Alpine Springs at the base of Mt John in Lake Tekapo. Apart from the inviting hot pool, the ice-skating rink, snow-tubing and spa are options for visitors. Snow tubing at Alpine springs Having always considered the ability to balance on slippery ice as highly overrated, it seems like a good idea to choose tubing. After all, three years olds can do it. All you have to do is sit on a tyre and someone pushes you down the mountain. Easy-peasy. But when you find yourself on the top of the damn mountain, it seems rather far from the bottom. "Don't touch your bum to the ground," warns the instructor. Good advice, and of course, the first thing you do in panic is... touch your bum to the ground. Not the brightest of ideas. One Chinese girl squeals so loud that she can be heard in her home country. Gulp. It's not too bad as you go zipping down the mountain at breakneck speed. You may have bounced off the side of the mountain, taken wing mid-air and landed with thud after swerving upwards along a wavy mountain wall, but you survive. The feeling of triumph is unparalleled. And you run back up to do it all over again. The next day the front page of the newspaper carries a giant photo of the conveyor belt that carries you up the mountain for tubing: Alpine Springs gets the Magic Carpet. Oh well, breaking news indeed. Mount cook Our final destination is Mt Cook, New Zealand's tallest peak. While we're used to the Himalayas towering over us, Mt Cook (3754 m) is still an imposing presence. Aoraki is its Maori name, and the national park has 19 peaks and the largest glaciers. Our rooms at the Hermitage offer spectacular views of the snowy peaks and this is what you would call instant nirvana. Flying on a helicopter was always on the bucket list, but a heli-ride to the top of Tasman glacier is a life-changing experience. Our pilot flies perilously close to the rocky peaks, which can be a bit distracting from the overwhelming pristine beauty. There's a snowfight on the glacier, it keeps your blood flowing at -10 degrees C. It's so white up here, that without sunglasses, you could return without sight in an eye or two. We return by a ski plane and our pilot displays the wicked Kiwi sense of humour. As attempts to take half-decent photos of the spectacular glacier are being made, he speeds up the propeller. The photographs don't stand a chance. The end result is a white blur of a propeller gone mad, which seems to amuse the pilot greatly even as he claims innocence. "You want me to stop the propeller?" he asks. Very funny. The memory of the trip is peppered with warmth, humour and some healthy jealousy. Returning to a city where we are piled on top of each other, it's hard not to think back with fondness of a country where a traffic jam is defined as two cars stuck behind stupid sheep crossing the road. Tips -New Zealand is an all-year destination. -Summer : December-February, autumn : March -May, winter : June - August and spring : September-November -Air Asia flies to Christchurch with a stopover in Malaysia. Visit the official website for more information.