New Zealand might be known for its extreme sports – bungy-jumping anyone? – but you don’t have to go hard-core to experience an adrenaline rush in Aotearoa. If plunging from a platform or falling from a plane is a bit too heart-in-mouth, when you’re planning your next Kiwi holiday, consider stepping out of your comfort zone with these soft-adventure alternatives you can do with the whole family. Zip lining eco-adventure Satisfy the conservationists and the thrill seekers in the family on an eco-adventure through ancient native forest.
Rotorua Canopy Tours combines forest walks, tree-top platforms, swing bridges and zip lines with intimate interactions with native birds, thanks to their conservation work eradicating introduced pests. Equally as exhilarating as swooping down a zip line and skimming the treetops is having a tomtit dart on to your hand for a worm. Admire the majesty of 1000-year-old trees, the delicate beauty of ephemeral fungi and the melodic calls of bellbirds and tuis.
The daring can zip backwards or upside down but everyone will be enchanted by the reverence of the prehistoric forest. Minimum age 6 years. canopytours.
co.nz Jet boating jaunt Combine the power of a jet boat with the grandeur of nature for a wet’n’wild experience that will have you alternately screaming in fear and whooping with delight. Shotover Jet outside Queenstown barrels down towering canyons up to 90kph, swerving within a hair’s breadth around rock walls and bouncing over ra.
