Adventure

Sir Edmund Hillary’s Everest conquering ice axe will go on display at the Auckland Museum tomorrow (10 January 2009) marking the first anniversary of his death.

With selection of a New Zealand woman to ski to the South Pole in next year’s Commonwealth Women’s Antarctic expedition in the final stages, two Kiwi hopefuls are enduring arduous training in sweltering heat to prepare for life on the ice.

Tourists at the Tasman Glacier terminal face, in Aoraki Mount Cook national park, witnessed a three-metre high wave as a giant iceberg plunged from the glacier into the terminal lake on Tuesday (10.02.09).

Lonely Planet will release its first dedicated guidebook to New Zealand’s adventure-packed South Island in April 2009.

Rare Sir Edmund Hillary memorabilia unwittingly destined for the trash has instead been recognised as a priceless national treasure, and is now safely in the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre at Aoraki Mount Cook.

Visitors keen to experience New Zealand’s great outdoors are being given an added incentive to book early and enjoy a price freeze introduced by the Department of Conservation.

Queen's Birthday weekend could see New Zealand’s first major skifield open for the 2009 ski season – Mt Hutt in the South Island is gearing up to launch two weeks ahead of schedule, for the first time in 10 years.

Freefall fanatics from around the world are preparing to descend on Motueka – in the northern South Island – for New Zealand’s largest skydiving event.

While financial swings have prompted caution and reserve in some industries, it seems New Zealand adventure-seekers are keener than ever to take the plunge and enjoy an adrenalin high.

Work on New Zealand’s national cycleway network is to get a ‘quick start’ this summer at several locations throughout the country.