New Zealand, One of the Top Adventure Destinations in the World

New Zealand is one of the top adventure destinations in the world. At first, I was stunned when I was informed by my colleagues that my vacation in New Zealand would include skydiving from a height of about 15,000 ft and also the world’s highest cliff jump from about 109 m.

Though I do not have the athletic body, a bit fat, still I love to indulge myself in adventure sports because it makes me feel alive and rejuvenated. I realized that why this beautiful country is called the adventure capital of the world when I reached the Queenstown, which is a resort town in Otago, located on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, overlooking the breathtaking view of snow covered Southern Alps.

My initial introduction to the world of adventure at this pleasant was quite pleasant, with a Skyline gondola (cable car), which takes you up the hill offering you a fantastic view of Queenstown and the adjoining mountains, a glance into the Maori traditions, which was followed by a 800 m luge race down through the trees.

The Skydive

But the more thrilling and the heart exhilarating part was still to come. I sensed its commencement when I met Derek Melnick from NZONE Skydive at this office in Shotover Street.

I was surprised to see so many Indian honeymooners queued up to jump off the plane, sensing which Derek explained, “We are very much popular among the Indians. The day before, a six year old girl from Bangalore jumped from our plane.”

It is one thing to hear stories about the enjoyment and thrill about jumping off a plane from a great height and completely a different thing to do it yourself. My jump guide Sasa Jojic, who is a 6"4' Serb and a pro with 25,000 jumps, said that I was trembling as we jumped off the plane.

The jumping off the plane was a bit difficult part, but as we were in the air, the experience was completely invigorating. The 60 ft plummet at 200 km per hour, looking over the blue lake, the clouds and the mountains and the successive glide in the air seemed to have stopped the time in its tracks. The feeling of tranquility had taken place of the initial adrenalin rush, as I was taking in the awe-inspiring views from the top.  

The Jump

The jumping part of a cliff jump, scared the daylights out of me, although it is as safe as houses. I was introduced to Ana Bajurin from the Shotover Canyon Swing, at her office on a cliff top 109 m above the alluring Shotover River.

The Shotover Canyon Swing was created by passionate rock climbers Hamish Emerson and Chris Russell over 10 years ago, and it offers 70 types of jumps. At one of the jumps, Richard was tied to a tricycle and I was fastened to a slide. In another type of crazy of this place, a person is tied to a chair and pushed off the cliff backwards.

Once I went off the cliff, I had a 60 m free fall passing the rocky cliff faces into the canyon before I found myself wobbling into a 200 m giant swing at 150 km per hour.

Ana explained to me, "The Shotover Canyon Swing operates with maximum safety measures. You swing on two independent ropes, each having a breaking strain of 2.8 tons".

The Shark

The nest thing in the adventure list in Queenstown was the recently added adventure activity called Hydro Attack, is a two-seater submersible watercraft, which is shaped like a shark.

It is a boat with a length of about 5 ft and it accelerates from 0 to 80 km per hour in 3.9 seconds. It then throws you out of the water up to a height of about 18 ft and dives up to 5ft below water. The boat also does 90 degree rolls and a few doughnuts to give you a heart pounding roller coaster ride experience.

The Scenic Part

Between the exhilarating jumps and skips were the sights and sounds that make New Zealand a complete tourist destination.

We travelled to one of the most popular destination of the country, Milford Sound, a fiord 15 km from the Tasman Sea and about 300 km from Queenstown, a fiord 15 km inland from the Tasman Sea. Thousands of visitors come to this place throughout the year.  

We cruised for around three hours through the Sound courtesy Southern Discoveries, which is over 50-year-old premier tourism company and explored the scenic waterfalls, spotted dolphins, the seagulls lazing around, being given a guided tour of the Milford Discovery Centre and Deep Underwater Observatory.

Another picturesque destination that we visited is Mount Cook, which is New Zealand's highest peak. I also got to taste some excellent wine at the striking Gibbston Valley Winery and also had a memorable time watching the stars and the Milky Way at Mount John Earth and Sky Observatory.

Meandering through Tekapo Lape, we reached the Tekapo Springs Hot Pools and Spa, where I Got a chance to reenergize my tired  limbs and then we headed towards Christchurch for a trip to the International Antarctic Centre, another popular destination among the Indian tourists, where a snow and ice experience and the penguin encounter were simply fun.

Food

Most of the hotels in New Zealand are a vegetarian's delight, and even provide Jain food. As for the meats served in some of the hotels, the globally renowned New Zealand lamb, venison, rabbit, fresh salmon and various kinds of seafood, are items that you should try.