This is the action playground of the world with every imaginable type of adventure sport (and some you probably wouldn’t even want to think about) on offer. Izzie Knolles takes you on a high-energy tour. Strap on your safety harness, clench those knuckles and let’s get going...
Your key to our ‘rush rating’ of activities
RUSH RATING: 1 – Relax ‘n’ cruise
RUSH RATING: 2 – Ear-to-ear grin
RUSH RATING: 3 – Whoop, whoop!
RUSH RATING: 4 – Knock your socks off
RUSH RATING: 5 – Shake like a leaf
The ultimate challenge
Rush rating: 5
When: All year round, weather-dependent
It takes courage to jump out of an aircraft into thin air. Harnessed to an experienced tandem jumpmaster, expect sensory overload as you step out of the aircraft door and for some 50 seconds plummet towards the ground at 200kph. Then the expert on your back opens the parachute and you have a more down-to-earth experience. Operating in Queenstown for 15 years, the company has taken more than 85,000 passengers tandem skydiving and is said to maintain an excellent safety record (and won one of NZ tourism’s top awards last year).
Kids: Under-18s require parental/guardian’s consentPrice: starting from £95
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Only for high fliers
Rush Rating: 5
When: All year round, weather-dependent
Do it at least once, just to tick the box. The first commercial bungy site opened at the Kawarau bridge site in Queenstown in 1988, 43m above the crystal waters of the Kawarau River. AJ Hackett Bungy now offers five bungy experiences in Queenstown alone. If the original isn’t high enough for you, try the urban bungy from the top of the Skyline Gondola, a breathtaking 400m freefall over the city. Or really take the plunge with the 134-metre Nevis Highwire bungy – takes your breath away with 8.5 seconds of fall time.
Kids: minimum weight is 35kg, minimum age is 10 years; min age 13 for Nevis, min weight 45kg, max 130kg. You need secure, covered footwear.
Price: starts from £56 per adult
Real-life roller coaster
Rush rating: 4
When: Every day of the year bar Xmas day
Climb aboard this 85kmph jet boat that twists and turns you through narrow canyons in as little as 10cm of water – eek! More than two million passengers have hurtled through the spectacular and fast-flowing waters of the Shotover River Canyons since 1970. Life jackets, spray jackets and photo’s of the experience are provided. Make sure you bring sunglasses (whatever the weather) a warm hat, jacket, and gloves.
Kids: children above 3 years if accompanied by an adult
Price: start from £42 Gripping adventure
Hang out on the Rungway
Rush Rating: 3
When: All year round, weather-dependent
Hang out on the Rungway, the Southern Hemisphere’s only via ferrata, with 12 routes snaking up the rocky cliffs and grassy ledges of Queenstown Hill, towering over the city. These ‘iron way’ routes constructed of rungs, ladders and wire ropes, offer climbs of varying difficulty accessible to anyone of moderate fitness, guided all the way. For the more skilled, there’s also abseiling, rock-climbing and mountaineering.
Kids: eight years minimum for rungway and abseiling (all you need are good, sturdy outdoor shoes)
Price: starts from £55 per adult
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Take me even higher
Rush rating: 4
When: All year round, weather-dependent
If doing a head-first bungy is too daunting, there’s another way of getting into the swing of things – strapped into what’s said to be the highest swing in the world. Secure in your full body harness, either jump or be released from a purpose-built cliff-mounted platform 109m above the spectacular Shotover River, then freefall 60m into the canyon before the ropes smoothly pendulum you at 150mph into a giant 200m arc. You can choose how scary you want it.
Kids: 10 years minimum, upper weight restriction
Price: from £65 per adult
Serious fun river surfing
Rush rating: 3When: September through to May
Think of bodyboarding on a river, in this case the Kawarau River. Hawaiian surfer Jon Imhoof found it a good alternative to the ocean when he set up this company in 1988 after visiting New Zealand and missing his surfing fix. The trip begins in calm water with an introduction to the equipment and technique basics (wetsuit, fins, lifejacket, helmet and bodyboard are provided), then it’s time to jump in and bodyboard on the standing waves of the infamous Chinese Dog Leg section, graded 2-4 (the grading has 1 as easy-peasy, and 6 as death-defying), and the Roaring Meg section, 6km of fast-flowing, intense rapids, graded between 2 and 3.
Kids: children of eight years upwards can join in the fun
Price: from around £59 for a half-day trip
www.riversurfing.co.nz
Incredible journey
Rush rating: 4
When: October – April
The wonderfully-named 12-mile Delta is an area of coastline around the stunning Lake Wakatipu, and the best, most exciting way to savour it is after you’ve tackled the ancient canyon – slide, scramble, zing along the zipline wire cable, jump and abseil your way to a truly rewarding vista. And all in a morning (or afternoon). No special skills required, and there’s a guide every step of the way.
Kids: minimum age is 10
Price: prices start from £45 for a half-day
www.canyoning.co. nz
