There are people - and I'm one of them - who would rather part with their life savings than jump out of a plane attached to some bold brute of an expert or from a bridge attached only to a stretchy rope. But since you are AwimAway readers, I assume you do not share my pathological fear of such activities.
If there's one place in the world where you can mercilessly subject your body to the forces of gravity, speed, extreme temperatures and unnatural physical configurations, have the air sucked out of your lungs and your heart almost out of your chest, it's the Queenstown area of New Zealand.
ADVENTURE RESORT TOWN
This resort town is, I grant you, glorious. It sits on the shores of crystal-clear Lake Wakatipu and is surrounded by majestic mountains of the Southern Alps. From any part of this former gold-mining camp, you'll get stupendous views of the bay and the range beyond.
The town itself has a compact centre with a buzzing caf and bar scene, excellent shopping, plentiful and sophisticated nightlife and the chance to rub shoulders with filmmakers, wine buffs, Hollywood stars and US presidents. The region enjoys four distinct seasons, so there's no time when you can't go and find a celebration or two or three going on.
Queenstown, home to the world's first commercial jet boating, bungy jump and river surfing, has acquired a well-deserved reputation as a place to experience every kind of exhilarating adventure, from the mild to the wild, on water and land and in the air.
BUNGY JUMPING
Let's start with bungy jumping. You've probably heard horror stories of bungy accidents, but the activity is infinitely safer now that operators have acquired experience and the equipment has been refined. For example, the bungy itself now has elasticity, so there's no huge force on your body pulling you up with a thump as you fall to its full extent.
The world's first and most famous of bungy leaps is off the Kawarau Bridge, 43 metres above the Kawarau River. Here you can bungy forwards, backwards, by yourself or with a friend, and it's also the only bungy in Queenstown where you can choose to bob above the water, touch it or get fully immersed. A bit nervous about taking the leap? The instructor-supervisor's gentle push in the small of your back as you stand on the brink will soon take care of that.
ZIPLINE ADVENTURE
What else would you like to do? If you're attracted to flying through the air, there's flying fox, aka zipline. iptrek Ecotours is hoping to open its first operation of this kind in New Zealand this year.
What's zipline, you may ask? Well, you get into a climbing harness and are then attached by a two-wheel pulley to a zipline cable, which is a steel cable anchored between two points, usually between two treetops. Once you're secured, you step down the stairs from the aerial launch platform until you feel the tension of the tethers holding your weight. Then you simply (haha - that's a matter of definition, isn't it?) pick up your feet, step off the platform and soar as you glide down the cable. The zipline could be up to 600 metres long and 60 metres or more above the ground. And you could be picking up speeds of over 80 km/hr (50mph). Want to enjoy the view? Take advantage of your secure position on the line to turn yourself any which way you want, even upside-down, to increase your speed and the amount of adrenaline pumping through your veins.
SKYDIVING ADVENTURE
Then there's skydiving. It takes a certain kind of person to jump out of an aircraft into thin air. You don't need or get any training. You hardly get any preparation. And you can have no idea of what it's like until you do it. Harnessed to an experienced jumpmaster, you step out of the aircraft door and plummet about 5,000 metres towards the ground at 200 km/hr (125 mph).
Some of the operators send a jumping photographer with you to take pictures of you screeching through the air. 'Smile,' he'll suggest. 'Spread your arms like the wings of a bird.' Never mind that all the breath has been punched out of you the second you hurl yourself from the plane and that skin of your face is flapping up into your eyes. Try and smile anyway. The pictures will impress your friends, no doubt about it.
PARAGLIDING ADVENTURE
And while we're talking to air addicts, we must also mention paragliding. Coronet Peak, about a thirty-minute shuttle-bus ride from Queenstown, is the highest of the flying sites in Queenstown. Get strapped into a harness and then you gradually rise 200 metres into the air, for some of the most breathtaking views of the magnificent scenery all around. Your tandem pilot will give you some guidance, if you want it, and soon have you flying the glider yourself under supervision.
HANG-GLIDING ADVENTURE
Scary or serene, challenging or charming, the choice is yours. Hang-gliding goes with that territory and a lot of companies offer both paragliding and hang-gliding as alternatives or as a combo deal.
If you like to have your feet firmly on the ground rather than dangling above it, how about skiing? Again, Coronet Peak is the site to aim for, with 420 metres of vertical skiing, a skiable area of 280 hectares and the longest run stretching for 1.8 km.
Apart from the relative lack of crowds and sky-high prices, Coronet Peak could be a medium-sized resort in the European Alps.
WATER BASED ADVENTURES
Finally, water. Take a jet boat ride lasting a full three hours under the tender care of your driver who negotiates the shifting, shallow braided channels of the splendid glacier-fed Dart River, adding spice to your enjoyment with thrilling Hamilton jet spins. The scenery is unforgettable and you can also have the option of a short walk from the river bank to
hidden rock pools deep in Mount Aspiring National Park.
Canyon swinging, whitewater rafting, heli-skiing, the challenges of Queenstown are endless. It's not just the expansive natural environment that forms the backdrop for all kinds of superb activities; it's also the atmosphere of the place and the locals' imaginative, daredevil, try-anything attitude. Why not? the Queens owners seem to say. Why not, indeed? I could give you some reasons.
Harish Kohli, 30-year adventurer, explorer and paratrooper, is a free-lance writer and runs an adventure company that offers Adventure and eco-friendly holidays Worldwide. Check for Australia holidays
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