Adventure Activities in Queenstown

Bungy Jump in Queenstown. Photo courtesy of eyeintim via Flickr.

Trying to choose between adventure activities in Queenstown is like trying to choose a show on Broadway; with so many options it can be difficult to know where to begin.

Regarded as New Zealand’s adventure activities capital, Queenstown is the type of adventure center that offers up activities 365 days out of the year. In the long, warm summer months when the sun hangs above the shores of Lake Wakatipu until nearly 10pm, visitors to Queenstown can stuff an entire day full of activities ranging from jet boating to skydiving to simply hiking in the surrounding mountains.  You can even scuba dive in a river and be carried downstream on a fast-paced, underwater speed-swim classified as the “fastest scuba diving in the world.”

Of all of the adventure activities in Queenstown, however, none are more notorious or popular than strapping your ankles to a bungy cord and throwing yourself out into the abyss.  While extreme options such as the Nevis Highwire Bungy offer daredevil Queenstown adrenaline-junkies the opportunity to jump from platforms as high as 440 ft (134 m), most Queenstown bungy jumping customers find themselves free-falling over the turquoise waters of Kawarau Gorge at the original AJ Hackett bungy center. Considered to be the father of commercialized bungy jumping, the AJ Hackett center outside of Queenstown is officially known as the place where commercial bungy first began. Even if you aren’t jumping it’s a great place to grab a hot dog and sit out on the viewing platform to watch outdoor extremists fly off the bridge in death-defying and popular fashion.

Despite the wealth of warm-weather adventure activities, Queenstown is much more than just a summer hot spot. Once the snow eventually starts falling Queenstown changes gears and offers adventure activities involving the mountains, the snow and whatever is strapped to your feet. Situated right at the base of The Remarkables ski resort, Queenstown is similarly within easy striking distance of alpine parks around the Wanaka region where snowboarding, skiing and tubing punctuate the multiple winter highlights. Tucked away in its own corner of the Pacific, the slopes and backcountry ridgelines of the mountains surrounding Queenstown offer the best winter adventure activities of almost anywhere in the entire southern hemisphere.

- Kyle Ellison

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