New Zealand is considered a lavish adventure destination due to its diverse landscapes and thrilling activities that cater to all skill levels. No wonder activities such as bungy jumping, kayaking, jet boating, skydiving, ziplining, parasailing, off-road driving, paragliding, hang gliding, and snowboarding have gained immense popularity there.
Kayaking is favoured by adventure lovers who navigate through valleys, particularly in the Marlborough Sounds of New Zealand. Then, savour the excitement of mountain biking, which involves racing past the lush greenery of the hills that provide beautiful canopies of foliage.
Mountain biking is a journey through New Zealand’s diversity, passing flocks of woolly sheep, crossing bridges, blue lakes, dark tunnels, and canyons, and snow-covered peaks. It is a magical experience along the Otago Central Rail Trail.
Start with New Zealand visa formalities. To enjoy all these activities, begin your trip planning from the basics. As for the New Zealand visa from Dubai, citizens of the UAE will not require a visa to visit New Zealand for up to three months if they hold a GCC passport.
However, coverage under the electronic visa waiver scheme, known as the Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA), is essential to be eligible for multiple entries within the two-year period of the visa. For residents and others, assistance from a reliable travel company will be helpful in procuring a visa and planning the tour itinerary accordingly. Generally, the visa application process should start at least two to three weeks before the scheduled trip.
The island country of New Zealand consists of two major islands—North and South Islands. They are separated by the Cook Strait. New Zealand's immediate neighbour is Australia, located about 1,600 kilometres away.
New Zealand features a varied topography with more than 50 volcanoes, some of which are active. Rocky shores, snowy peaks, and pastures create a majestic landscape and a broad theatre for adventure activities.
The vast diversity of the natural landscape, with its unique flora and fauna, draws explorers in droves. Films like The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit highlight the rugged allure of New Zealand, where Queenstown is celebrated as the Adventure Capital of the World.
New Zealand is home to numerous treks and hikes, including the Ball Park Crossing, Abel Tasman Coast Track, Whanganui Journey, Milford Track, and Routeburn Track. The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is famous for its 19.4 km hike, showcasing diverse landscapes that include two active volcanoes. Let us take a look at the top adventures you can enjoy in New Zealand.
This exhilarating water adventure offers a thrilling ride through river gorges, shallow waters, and around rocks and riverbeds. It is one of the most popular activities in New Zealand, both challenging and invigorating, testing your stamina, courage, and endurance. The constant splashing of water on your face adds to the excitement. The best spots for jet boating include the Buller and Makarora areas in the South Island, Queenstown, and Canterbury. Other locations include the Waikato River, Whanganui, and Rangitaiki rivers in the North Island.
Heli skiing is an extreme sport that involves a helicopter ride to the top of a snowy, remote hill, with the option to ski downhill. There are no words to capture the thrill of descending if you know how to ski.
The ultimate New Zealand adventure may be canyoning, which combines an adrenaline rush with stunning natural beauty. The trek through gorges and waterfalls in remote mountain locations, swimming through rock pools to reach the destination, is a challenging sport. In canyoning, you can explore the remote mountain areas around Auckland, Coromandel, Canterbury, Nelson, and Wanaka.
Off-road driving in a sturdy SUV offers unlimited thrills. You will navigate rivers, forests, and sand dunes at locations like Ninety Mile Beach in Northland. In addition to the Range Rover experience, consider opting for a quad bike for moderate excitement. Try off-roading in regions such as Waikato, Marlborough, Ninety Mile Beach, and Canterbury.
This exhilarating adventure takes advantage of the extensive network of caving systems, where you can spelunk or go black water rafting through its diverse channels. Waitomo Caves are renowned for black water rafting and are located in Nelson, featuring providers of guided underground adventures.
In the North Island of New Zealand, the Waitomo Caves are an underground fantasyland. Here, adventure rafting through dark caves is a popular and thrilling activity. One highlight of visiting the Waitomo Caves is witnessing the glowworms that illuminate the ceilings like a midnight sky. Ruakuri Cave is well-known for its glowworms, stalactites, and stalagmites. The Waitomo Caves have an underground river that provides moisture for glowworms to thrive. In Aranui Cave, there are no glowworms, but the captivating cave formations of stalactites and stalagmites leave visitors in awe. The area surrounding the Waitomo Caves is also great for bush walks and ziplining across Ruakuri Scenic Reserve.
This extreme activity allows you to soar through forests, rivers, and canyons while enjoying breathtaking views and a surreal blend of nature, speed, and adrenaline. The best locations for ziplining include Waiheke Island, the West Coast, and Queenstown. Queenstown Zipline offers a spectacular and exhilarating eco-adventure through the native forest canopy, with the terminal point at the Skyline Gondola summit. Here, you can ride the world's steepest tree-to-tree zipline, descending at a speed of 70 kph. Soak in the breathtaking views of Lake Wakatipu and the mountain range as the zipline glides through the trees.
Zorbing involves climbing inside a massive plastic ball and rolling down a hill. It is best experienced at OGO Rotorua, the largest ballpark in the world. In Zorbing, you will be placed in a clear plastic orb that rolls down a hill. As it gains speed, it spins the individual into a virtual anti-gravity state of weightlessness. Zorbing in Rotorua is famous, with downhill speeds reaching 50 km/h while rotating 360° inside the Zorb. The interior is well-cushioned to support you as you tumble your way down.
New Zealand is recognised as the pioneer of bungee jumping. There are dedicated spots for this sport, along with many unconventional locations, such as the Auckland Harbour Bridge and various river sites. Regardless of the venue, this exhilarating sport has a large fan base. New Zealand was the first country to introduce commercial bungy jumping, capitalising on the demand for adventure and thrill. The top places for bungee jumping include the Kawarau Bungy Site, Nevis—the highest spot; Auckland Harbour Bridge; and Taupo Bungy in the Waikato River.
Whether solo or tandem, nothing compares to the thrill that skydiving offers, and New Zealand is among the best places to experience it. For those brave souls seeking a high dose of adrenaline, prime locations include the Bay of Plenty, Wanaka, Auckland, Queenstown, and Lake Taupo.
1. Which are the best jet boating zones in New Zealand?
New Zealand boasts some of the finest jet boating experiences in the world. Notable locations include Auckland, with the abundant waters of the Hauraki Gulf. Rotorua is renowned for its geothermal wonders, and Lake Rotorua offers a thrilling adventure past iconic landmarks like Mokoia Island, Sulphur Bay, and Kawaha Point. Huka Falls provides a stunning view from the perspective of a jet boat. The Waikato River is perfect for reaching peak speeds of 90 km/h, thanks to its long stretches of water. It promises high-adrenaline thrills and plenty of scenic moments along the way. Hanmer Springs in the South Island is famous for its hot springs, with jet boating on the Waiau River featuring 360-degree spins and more.
2. Where to go for bungee jumping in New Zealand?
New Zealand offers numerous bungees jumping locations. The most exhilarating include the Nevis Bungy in Queenstown, the third highest in the world, providing a 440-foot jump that sends you soaring through the air toward the Nevis Valley floor. The Kawarau Bridge Bungy in Queenstown offers a unique experience where you can touch the water upon landing. The 141-foot plunge headfirst toward the water can be done solo or in tandem. The Ledge in Queenstown is picturesque, allowing you to plunge 155 feet off the ledge. The Nevis Catapult in Queenstown offers the most thrilling catapult experience, launching you 492 feet across the valley. The Shotover Canyon Swing in Queenstown is the world’s highest cliff jump, functioning more like a swing but with a freefalling experience, as you dive 197 feet off the platform into the stunning canyon below. Taupo Bungy, located in the North Island, is New Zealand’s only clifftop bungy, with a fall of 154 feet over the Waikato River.
3. Where can you go for canyoning?
Canyoning is an adventurous outdoor activity that involves travelling through a variety of techniques, including hiking, climbing, scrambling, rappelling, swimming, and even jumping or sliding down natural water features.
Queenstown is renowned as New Zealand's outdoor adventure capital, with most canyoning experiences occurring in natural courses near Lake Wakatipu. The volcanic rock of the Thames Coromandel region also offers an excellent setting for the sport, featuring steep waterfalls and cliff faces.
4. What are adventure tourism activities in New Zealand?
New Zealand is a wilderness playground with a diverse natural landscape for adventure seekers, providing opportunities for activities such as hiking, kayaking, jet boating, bungee jumping, and heli-hiking. A sea kayak trip along the Coromandel coastline to explore Cathedral Cove is among the top activities to enjoy on the North Island. Jet boating in Siberia Valley allows you to speed through even the shallowest waters across the rugged peaks of the Southern Alps toward the glacier-carved Siberia Valley, an exploration into untouched wilderness. Glacier heli-hiking, which involves a helicopter flight to a glacier to explore the icy wonderland on foot, is available at Aoraki/Mt. Cook National Park, home to 19 peaks over 3000 meters.
