IF THE ONLY roller-coaster ride you can think of is the stock market, you need some real adrenalin. Happily, it’s what New Zealand-based specialist travel firm Adventure Junkies offers.
Its 10-day Adrenalin Trip is a non-stop lurch from one unnatural high to the next, all along South Island. The trip starts in Christchurch, then moves on to Lake Coleridge, for a jet-boat ride, followed by a rugged mountain hike.
Next day you make your way down the island’s only grade-five white-water-rafting route. Before you’ve even had a chance to dry off it’s time for an air safari over Mount Cook and its glaciers, stopping for afternoon tea along the way.
After fording rivers and hiking glaciers, there’s a full day’s rock climbing at Treble Cone, outside of Wanaka. From there it’s a half-day’s heli-biking – dropped off by helicopter, returning by bike through Cardona Valley.
By then you’ll have arrived in Queenstown, the adventure capital of New Zealand. Thrills here include a 3,650m skydive over Lake Wakatipu, followed by a bungee jump. Downtime is filled with optional canyoning, hang-gliding or river surfing.
Finish with two days of sea kayaking around Doubtful Sound, before finishing off with a downhill mountain- biking extravaganza. Collapse on to your steamship and cruise back to Queenstown, wondering how long before you can do it all again.
The tour-only price for total exhilaration (or exhaustion) is 4,950 New Zealand dollars (€1,995).
www.adventure-junkies.com
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