Summer Travel Supplement: Adventures in Queensland

Shrouded in a mystery created by the notion that it just too far away to visit, New Zealand is often seen as Australia’s lesser-known younger brother. This sentiment may distress the Kiwis who call the islands home, but upon closer inspection, the similarities between the two countries appear hardly familial; the pace of life, scenery and even the accent differ greatly between the two. Boasting a population of just a little over four million people and more than 40 million sheep, New Zealand doesn’t have much in common with most western countries.

Queenstown, a resort town of just 10,000 people on New Zealand’s South Island, is considered the ‘Adventure Capital of the World’, a point of pride to Kiwis the nation over. The town’s intrepid moniker shouldn’t surprise anyone who knows about the ingenuity of the country’s fearless citizens. Known as the inventors of most of the world’s extreme sports, the Kiwis have perfected the art of nerve-rattling with activities like zorb globe riding (tumbling down a mountainside in a transparent ball) and black water rafting (tubing through pitch black caves). The residents of Queenstown have ratcheted their countrymen’s adrenaline rush up a notch, offering some of the most death-defying adventures for tourists and locals alike.

Not surprisingly, the originator of commercial bungee jumping was a thrill-seeking Queenstown resident, AJ Hackett. More than 20 years after opening his first plunge site, the man behind the leap has taken the experience to a whole new level, quite literally. His Nevis Bungy is the highest bungee jumping in the country, with a free-fall of eight seconds over 134 long metres. Not content to just go with the force of gravity, Hackett has stepped up his game with the ‘Nevis Arc’. Known as the world’s highest swing, it spans over 300 metres and offers daredevils a terrifying number of swinging options: forwards, backwards, tandem and more.

While the series of AJ Hackett bungees will push your adrenaline levels sky-high, the Canyon Swing provides an experience like no other. The world’s highest cliff jump, the swing sits on the edge of a rock face 109 metres above the rushing Shotover River. As you reach speeds of up to 150 kilometres per hour, the canyon and all its terrifying terrain comes flying toward you in 200 metres of free fall guaranteed to get your pulse racing.

If acrophobia keeps you grounded, Queenstown offers a variety of non-vertical activities for wannabe stunt doubles. In addition to giving a terrifying face-plant nightmare to Canyon Swingers, the Shotover River is the perfect stage for the city’s famous death-defying jet boat rides. Near misses are the name of the game here as pilots of Shotover Jet careen through canyons, narrowly avoiding scrapes with the rock walls before launching the boat into 360 degree spins. The shallows of the river – in some places mere centimetres – help the boat reach speeds upwards of 85kph for the white-knuckled journey.

Web: www.bungy.co.nz, www.canyonswing.co.nz, www.shotoverjet.com