Life as Adventure
It’s easy to see how this country produced an adventurer like New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary, who conquered Everest.
Scrambling up mountains was, and remains, just a normal thing New Zealanders do.
Climbing the world’s highest mountain was only a logical extension. The Southern Alps run the length of the South Island, with several peaks over 10,000 feet. New Zealand's isolated volcanic landmass has no snakes, no bears and no mountain lions. The adventure experience is open to all.
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| Skiers enjoy the Whakapapa ski area on Mount Ruapehu. |
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Even the violent forces that have torn and shaped the land from ancient times are generally so benign they offer temptation rather than terror. The volcanic peak of Mount Ruapehu is also one of New Zealand’s most popular ski resort. The volcano has one of only three crater lakes in the world surrounded by snow and ice. Every year hundreds of thousands of skiers take advantage of the only ski field in the world within 500 metres of an active volcanic crater.
The ski field has a specially designed early warning system set to raise the alarm within 30 seconds of a significant increase of geothermal activity.
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