On the Land

Bungy Jumping

Bungy jumping was made famous by Kiwi AJ Hackett’s 1986 plunge from the Eiffel Tower, after which he teamed up with champion NZ skier Henry van Asch to turn the endeavour into a profitable enterprise. And now you can get crazy too!

Queenstown is a spiderweb of bungy cords, including AJ Hackett’s triad: the 134m Nevis Bungy (the highest); the 43m Kawarau Bungy (the original); and the Ledge Bungy (at the highest altitude – diving off a platform 400m above Queenstown). Other South Island bungy jumps include above the Waiau River near Hanmer Springs, and Mt Hutt ski field. On the North Island, head to Taihape, Rotorua, Auckland and Taupo (arguably the prettiest place in NZ to have a near-death experience). Varying the theme, try the 109m-high Shotover Canyon Swing or Nevis Swing in Queenstown, both seriously high rope swings: swooosh …

Caving

Caving (aka spelunking) opportunities abound in NZ’s honeycombed karst (limestone) regions. You’ll find local clubs and organised tours around Auckland, Waitomo, Whangarei, Westport and Karamea. Golden Bay also has some mammoth caves. Waitomo is home to ‘black-water rafting’: like white-water rafting but inside a pitch-black cave! Useful resources:

Wellington Caving Group (www.caving.org.nz)

Auckland Speleo Group (www.asg.org.nz)

New Zealand Speleological Society (www.caves.org.nz)

Hang Gliding & Paragliding

Suspend yourself below an enormous fake wing – either rigid (hang gliding) or frameless (paragliding) – and set sail from a hillside or clifftop. Check out those views! Tandem flights happen in Queenstown, Wanaka, Nelson and Te Mata Peak in Hawke’s Bay, or after a half-day of instruction you should be able to do limited solo flights. The New Zealand Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association (www.nzhgpa.org.nz) rules the roost.

Horse Trekking

Unlike some other parts of the world where beginners get led by the nose around a paddock, horse trekking in NZ lets you really get out into the countryside, on a farm, in the forest or along a beach. Rides range from one-hour jaunts (from around $60) to week-long, fully catered treks.

On the North Island, Taupo, the Coromandel Peninsula, Waitomo, Pakiri, Ninety Mile Beach, Rotorua, the Bay of Plenty and East Cape are top places for an equine encounter.

On the South Island, all-day horseback adventures happen around Kaikoura, Nelson, Mt Cook, Lake Tekapo, Hanmer Springs, Queenstown, Glenorchy, Methven, Mt Hutt, Cardrona, Te Anau and Dunedin. Treks are also offered alongside Paparoa National Park on the West Coast. For info and operator listings, check out the following:

100% Pure New Zealand (www.newzealand.com)

True NZ Horse Trekking (www.truenz.co.nz/horsetrekking)

Mountain Biking

Aside from the New Zealand Cycle Trail, NZ is laced with quality mountain-biking opportunities. Mountain bikes can be hired in major towns or adventure-sports centres like Queenstown, Wanaka, Nelson, Picton, Taupo and Rotorua, which also have repair shops (as do most NZ towns of any size).

Rotorua’s Redwoods Whakarewarewa Forest offers famously good mountain biking, as does the 42 Traverse near National Park Village (close to Tongariro National Park), the Alexandra goldfield trails in Central Otago, the Queenstown Bike Park, and Twizel near Mt Cook. Other North Island hot spots include Woodhill Forest, Waihi, Te Aroha, Te Mata Peak in Hawke’s Bay and Makara Peak in Wellington; down south try Waitati Valley and Hayward Point near Dunedin, Canaan Downs near Abel Tasman National Park, Mt Hutt, Methven and the Banks Peninsula.

Not feeling so energetic? Various companies will take you up to the tops of mountains and volcanoes (eg Mt Ruapehu, Christchurch’s Port Hills, Cardrona and the Remarkables) so you can hurtle down without the grunt-work of getting to the top first.

Some traditional tramping tracks are open to mountain bikes, but the DOC (Department of Conservation; www.doc.govt.nz) has restricted access in many cases due to track damage and the inconvenience to walkers, especially at busy times. Never cycle on walking tracks in national parks unless it’s permissible (check with DOC), or risk heavy fines and the unfathomable ire of hikers. The Queen Charlotte Track is a good one to bike, but part of it is closed in summer. Resources include the following:

» Classic New Zealand Mountain Bike Rides (see www.kennett.co.nz) Details short and long rides all over NZ.

» New Zealand Mountain Biker (www.nzmtbr.co.nz) A mag that comes out every two months.

Cycle Touring

OK, so cruising around the country on a bicycle isn’t necessarily ‘extreme’, but it is super-popular in NZ, especially during summer. Most towns offer bike hire, at either backpacker hostels or specialist bike shops, with bike repair shops in bigger towns.

If you’re not after altitude, the Otago Central Rail Trail between Middlemarch and Clyde is a winner. The Little River Rail Trail in Canterbury (en route to Banks Peninsula) is also fabulous. For an off-the-beaten-highway option, try the Southern Scenic Route from Invercargill round Tuatapere to Te Anau. For more detailed touring info, see Lonely Planet’s Cycling New Zealand .

Online resources:

Independent Cycle Tours (www.cyclehire.co.nz)

Paradise Press (www.paradise-press.co.nz) Pedallers’ Paradise booklets by Nigel Rushton.

Mountaineering

NZ has a proud mountaineering history − this was, after all, the home of Sir Edmund Hillary (1919–2008), who, along with Tenzing Norgay, was the first to reach the summit of Mt Everest. When he came back down, Sir Ed famously uttered to friend George Lowe, ‘Well, George, we knocked the bastard off!’

The Southern Alps are studded with impressive peaks and challenging climbs. The Aoraki/Mt Cook region is outstanding; other mountaineering areas extend along the spine of the South Island from Tapuaenuku (in the Kaikoura Ranges) and the Nelson Lakes peaks in the north to the rugged southern mountains of Fiordland. Another area with climbs for all levels is Mt Aspiring National Park. To the south in the Forbes Mountains is Mt Earnslaw, flanked by the Rees and Dart Rivers.

The Christchurch-based New Zealand Alpine Club (www.alpineclub.org.nz) proffers professional information and produces the annual NZAC Alpine Journal and the quarterly The Climber magazine. Professional outfits for training, guiding and advice can be found at Wanaka, Aoraki/Mt Cook, Lake Tekapo, and Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers.

Rock Climbing

Time to chalk-up your fingers and don some natty little rubber shoes. On the North ­Island, popular rock-climbing areas include Auckland’s Mt Eden Quarry; Whanganui Bay, Kinloch, Kawakawa Bay and Motuoapa near Lake Taupo; Mangatepopo Valley and Whakapapa Gorge on the Central Plateau; Humphries Castle and Warwick Castle on Mt Taranaki; and Piarere and Wharepapa South in the Waikato.

On the South Island, try the Port Hills area above Christchurch or Castle Hill on the road to Arthur’s Pass. West of Nelson, the marble and limestone mountains of Golden Bay and Takaka Hill provide prime climbing. Other options are Long Beach (north of Dunedin), and Mihiwaka and Lovers Leap on the Otago Peninsula.

Raining? You’ll find indoor climbing walls all around the country, including at Rotorua, Whangarei, Auckland, Tauranga, Taupo, Wellington, Christchurch and Hamilton.

Climb New Zealand (www.climb.co.nz) has the low-down on the gnarliest overhangs around NZ, plus access and instruction info.

Skydiving

For most first-time skydivers, a tandem skydive will help you make the leap, even if common sense starts to get the better of you. Tandem jumps involve training with a qualified instructor, then experiencing up to 45 seconds of free fall before your chute opens. The thrill is worth every dollar (around $250/300/350 for an 8000/10,000/12,000ft jump; extra for a DVD/photograph). The New Zealand Parachute Federation (www.nzpf.org) is the governing body. Ask your operator if it has Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) accreditation before you take the plunge.

On the Water

Jetboating

Hold onto your breakfast: passenger-drenching 360-degree spins ahoy! On the South Island, the Shotover and Kawarau Rivers (Queenstown) and the Buller River (Westport) have fab jetboating. The Dart River (Queenstown) is less travelled but also good, while the Waiatoto River (Haast) and Wilkin River (Mt Aspiring National Park) are superb wilderness experiences. Try also the Kawarau River (Cromwell), Waiau River (Te Anau), Wairaurahiri River (Tuatapere) and the Waiau River at Hanmer Springs.

Jetboating down Shotover River
ALEX E. PROIMOS/GETTY IMAGES ©

On the North Island, the Whanganui, Motu, Rangitaiki and Waikato Rivers (Huka Falls) are excellent for jetboating, and there are sprint jets at the Agrodome near Rotorua. Jetboating around the Bay of Islands in Northland is also de rigueur.

Parasailing & Kiteboarding

Parasailing (dangling from a modified parachute that glides over the water while being pulled along by a speedboat or jet ski) is perhaps the easiest way for humans to achieve assisted flight. There are operators in the Bay of Islands, Bay of Plenty, Taupo, Wanaka and Queenstown.

Surfer at Manu Bay (Click here)
PAUL KENNEDY/GETTY IMAGES ©

Kiteboarding (aka kitesurfing), where a mini parachute drags you across the ocean on a mini surfboard, can be attempted at Paihia, Tauranga, Mt Maunganui, Raglan, Wellington and Nelson. You can tee up lessons at most of these places, too. Karikari Peninsula near Cape Reinga on NZ’s northern tip is a kiteboarding mecca.

Scuba Diving

NZ is prime scuba territory, with warm waters in the north, brilliant sea life and plenty of interesting sites.

Up north, get wet at the Bay of Islands Maritime and Historic Park, Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park, the Bay of Plenty, Great Barrier Island, Goat Island Marine Reserve, the Alderman Islands, Te Tapuwae o Rongokako Marine Reserve near Gisborne, and Sugar Loaf Islands Marine Park near New Plymouth. The Poor Knights Islands near Whangarei are reputed to have the best diving in NZ (with the diveable wreck of the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior nearby). Stay tuned to see whether the MV Rena, grounded off Tauranga in 2011, will become a dive site.

Down south, the Marlborough Sounds Maritime Park hosts the Mikhail Lermontov, the largest diveable cruise-ship wreck in the world. In Fiordland head for Dusky Sound, Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound, which offer amazingly clear pseudo-­deep-water conditions not far below the surface. Invercargill, with its Antarctic waters, also has a diving club.

Expect to pay anywhere from $180 for a short, introductory, pool-based scuba course, and around $600 for a four-day, PADI-approved, ocean dive course. One-off organised boat- and land-based dives start at around $170. Resources include:

New Zealand Underwater Association (www.nzu.org.nz)

Dive New Zealand (www.divenewzealand.com)

Sea Kayaking

Sea kayaking is a fantastic way to see the coast, and get close to wildlife.

Highly rated sea-kayaking areas in NZ’s north include the Hauraki Gulf (particularly off Waiheke and Great Barrier Islands), the Bay of Islands and Coromandel Peninsula; in the south, try the Marlborough Sounds (Picton) and along the coast of Abel Tasman National Park. Fiordland is also a hot spot, with a heap of tour operators in Te Anau, Milford, Doubtful Sound and Manapouri. Also try the Otago Peninsula, Stewart Island and Kaikoura down south; or Waitemata Harbour, Hahei, Raglan and East Cape up north. Useful resources:

Kiwi Association of Sea Kayakers (www.kask.org.nz)

Sea Kayak Operators Association of New Zealand (www.skoanz.org.nz)

White-Water Rafting, Kayaking & Canoeing

There are almost as many white-water rafting and kayaking possibilities as there are rivers in NZ, and there’s no shortage of companies to get you into the rapids. Rivers are graded from I to VI, with VI meaning ‘unraftable’. On the rougher stretches there’s usually a minimum age of 12 or 13 years.

Popular South Island rafting rivers include the Shotover and Kawarau Rivers (Queenstown), Rangitata River (Christchurch), Buller River (Murchison) and the Arnold and Waiho Rivers on the West Coast. The grading of the Shotover Canyon varies from III to V+, depending on the time of year. The Kawarau River is rated IV; the Rangitata River has everything from I to V.

On the North Island try the Rangitaiki, Wairoa, Motu, Mokau, Mohaka, Waitomo, Tongariro and Rangitikei Rivers. There’s also the Kaituna Cascades near Rotorua, with a 7m drop at Okere Falls.

Canoeing is so popular on the North Island’s Whanganui River that it’s been designated one of NZ’s ‘Great Walks’! You can also dip your paddle into northern lakes like Lake Taupo and Lake Rotorua, as well as freshwater lakes on the South Island. Many backpacker hostels close to canoe-friendly waters have Canadian canoes and kayaks for hire (or for free), and loads of commercial operators run guided trips.

Resources include:

New Zealand Rafting Association (www.nz-rafting.co.nz)

Whitewater NZ (www.rivers.org.nz)

New Zealand Kayak (see www.kayaknz.co.nz)