Lots to see and do in New Zealand. She would enjoy the trip!
The South Island is absolutely beautiful. The area around Queenstown is very scenic with the mountains and the large lake. Lots of tourist activities besides hunting. The wines are supposed to be quite good (not sure as I am not a wine drinker). The trout fishing is supposed to be top notch. We were only there at the very end of the fishing season (last day was our first hunting day there), so I didn't get a chance to try for a brown trout; something that is still on my bucket list. And the people are super friendly. Air New Zealand was a pleasant flight and service. Even a non-Nozzle Head will enjoy the overall experience!
And if she likes to hunt and/or fish, even better!
The red stag are amazing on the farms, and there is free range hunting too. The roar is very cool. Not the same as our elk bugling, yet a very cool thing to experience first hand...watching it on tv does not do it justice!
The fallow deer are beautiful animals and a lot of fun to hunt. You got to go for the "croaking"...I've seen it on tv, but we missed it on our hunt. Definitely going to hit it next time! (Hopefully in 2026 or 27; with my daughters wedding next fall, 2027 is more likely)
Sika deer are another species I would like to try for on my next trip.
I would also like to hunt the rusa deer and sambar. Sambar are only found on the North Island.
And of course, there are the tahr and chamois too. The helicopter hunt seems like a great adventure, and would save the legs and lungs from the long climbs from the bottoms! But for those in better physical condition and with more energy than I, all the more power to you!
My wife really enjoyed the hunt for the Arapawa Rams in New Zealand, and with her mobility issues has decided since she is very unlikely to get a mountain sheep, she will try for the other sheep species wherever we may go on hunting trips.
She has expressed a desire to hunt the Black Hawaiian Ram in Hawaii, along with other sheep species in Texas, Argentina, and other places, such as the Corsican ram, Dall ram, 4 horned ram, etc. I know that I would like to hunt Mouflon and Red Sheep.
And on a hunt in Hawaii, I could go for axis deer, as she tries for her ram, and then we both could also go marlin fishing which is high on both of our bucket lists!
The daydreaming continues....
But hey, I dreamed of hunting New Zealand and Africa for more than 30 years, and both have become reality! So Hawaii, Texas, and Argentina are still quite achievable!
