Adventure

New Zealand is in the grip of a wintry blast that's caused minor disruption on the roads but thrilled the snow sports fraternity who’re currently entertaining some of the world’s elite skiers and snowboarders.

A Kiwi woman now claims something few others can – she has jumped out of a plane 10,000 times.

New Zealand hero Sir Edmund Hillary was famed for conquering Everest but may also have unwittingly knocked off one of the world's greatest mysteries - the existence of the yeti.

A $7.5million centre showcasing the pioneering heart of New Zealand's national identity is scheduled to open at the Hermitage Aoraki Mt Cook in January 2008.

Passengers might be checking in single file on Air New Zealand’s Los Angeles to Auckland flight on October 13 but the return journey could be a different matter if the world’s first Matchmaking Flight works its magic.

Winning or losing aside ... off the field and away from the pressures, New Zealand’s great outdoors has provided some amazing experiences for Rugby World Cup players between matches.

Canadian peace walker Jean Béliveau has completed his mammoth 64-country, 11-year walk around the world – arriving at the tip of New Zealand’s North Island accompanied by local supporters.

New Zealand’s newest adventure attraction, the Shweeb Velodrome, will open in Rotorua in late August 2007.

Not for the faint-hearted, the World Heli Challenge in Wanaka is considered the most exotic snow-based event on the planet and brings the world’s top snowboarders and skiers to New Zealand for the “ultimate challenge”.

Sir Richard Branson – in New Zealand to catch the finals of the Rugby World Cup – has been seen out on Auckland waters testing an innovative form of Kiwi transport.