Adventure

The beauty of the New Zealand landscape means that wherever you are in the country, you are within hours of getting anywhere else. Aside from the standard transportation options of flying, driving or training, there are a variety of other options available. Whether by vehicle, on foot, by air or over water, the choice is limited only by one's sense of adventure.

In the heart of the King Country (Te Rohe Potae) and nestled in the greater Waikato region of the Central North Island, visitors will find a wealth of natural wonders, many of which lie underground amidst hundreds of caves.

Ingenuity and innovation are characteristics Kiwis are renowned for and the tourism industry in New Zealand is no exception.

Spring in New Zealand is a season of colour, new life, new harvests of food and wine and exciting arts and cultural events.

Some human beings simply can’t get enough adventure. Barely three months after becoming the first double amputee to conquer Mt Everest, and less than two months after surgery to remove five fingertips and more of his legs, Mark Inglis went paragliding over Lake Wakatipu.

With its pure natural wonders, rich Maori culture and adventurous activities, New Zealand holds so much for young travellers. The North and South Islands offer vastly different landscapes – from stunning beaches to snow-covered mountains, mirror lakes to explosive geysers. The country is also an adventurer's paradise, and the home of such thrills as bungy-jumping, jetboating, blackwater rafting and zorbing.

When competing around the globe, world mountain bike champion Vanessa Quinn often thinks of the stunning trails back home in New Zealand.

New Zealander Scarlett Hagen is on top of the world as a mountain biker, but she is happy to scale the heights for almost any outdoor pursuit.

Millions of years before man set foot on the islands of New Zealand, a magnificent array of birds ruled the land.

Curling – the ancient Scottish ice sport where participants manoeuvre 20-kilogram blocks of granite down an ice path, is not a mainstream sport. However, curling has found its way into the blood stream of one Central Otago family – the Beckers.