Many dive stores offer equipment rental and support facilities. Charters with a skipper and crew can be hired to sail around the coast or as far as the Pacific Islands. Excursions to the remote maritime reserves in the Bay of Islands, Hauraki Gulf and Marlborough Sounds are also possible. Windsurfing is particularly popular around Wellington, Taupo, Auckland and the Bay of Islands while kayaking is widely practised on rivers throughout the country. New Zealand offers good skiing and snowboarding , with ideal conditions from June to October.
Resorts tend to be less crowded than European ones.
Glacier skiing and glacier walking can be enjoyed at the Tasman, Fox and Franz Josef glaciers in the Southern Alps. Climbers are advised to hire a commercial guide or contact a local alpine club before setting out. The Waitomo Caves , whose 'Lost World' cave can be abseiled into through shafts of sunlight, are the most visited. Cycle helmets are compulsory and most buses, if not all trains, allow bicycles on board. New Zealand has over 400 golf courses.