Month: January 2007

For those unfamiliar with New Zealand, Queenstown is like the adrenaline activity hotspot for New Zealand.

For Australia, it might be Cairns.
For Chile, it’s Pucon.
For Argentina, Bariloche.
For New Zealand, it’s Queenstown.

A little history
AJ Hackett first came up with the idea of Bungy jumping here things have been on the up and up since.

Rafting, fishing, heli-biking pretty much any activity you can think of goes off here.

Although there is too much to go into detail in this blog. The main ones you can find of interest and originality to Queenstown are:-

Jetboating
As well as the standard adrenaline junky fare, Queenstown lays claim to being the originator of some unique Kiwi technology.

I order to navigate the rivers, often empty and full of stones, a clever Kiwi had the idea of removing the propeller and replacing it with an internal jet engine.
That way they could travel the length of the rivers even when the water levels were low without smashing up the power prop.

The Kiwi’s love this and have turned into a tourist industry. Jet boating.

Bungy Jumping
As the town where Bungy first reared its bobbing head, the town has a number of sites scattered around it’s peripheries.
The main ones are Nevis, the swing and Karawau, the original.

Routeburn Trial
Probably the most famous walking route in New Zealand originates in the peripheries of the town.
Anyone serious about hiking, or with a couple of weeks in the itinerary should consider this trial as a once in a lifetime experience.
Bring your tent.

Weblinks: Jetboating – Shotover
Weblinks: Bungy – AJ Hackett
Weblinks: Routeburn – Routeburn