Bungy Jumping
(Note: many English-speaking nations spell this sport as bungee jumping, but in New Zealand it is spelled bungy jumping!)
Bungee jumping traces its history back to the South Pacific island of Vanuatu, but New Zealand claims to be the first country to invent modern bungy jumping. Though the history is not totally clear, New Zealand was definitely the first country to turn Bungy jumping into a public sport. It may seem strange that anyone would want to voluntarily jump off a bridge, but every year in New Zealand hundreds or thousands of people do just this. Commercial bungee jumping became famous when New Zealander, A.J. Hackett, bungee jumped off the Eiffel Tower as a publicity stunt. He was arrested for doing this, but his company has since made millions of dollars. His name can be found on many different bungy jump sites in New Zealand. The first place in the world that people could pay to go bungee jumping was the Kawerau Bridge Bungy Centre near Queenstown, on the South Island of New Zealand. The jump is 42 metres off an old bridge over a fast-flowing river filled with rocks. |
Bungy jumping became extremely popular in New Zealand, and you can visit many famous jumps. This highest bungee jump is the AJ Hackett - Nevis bungy, 134 meters high, meaning bungee jumpers fall for almost 9 seconds!
Star gazing
New Zealand has some of the best places in the world to see stars. The MacKenzie Country district, in particular, is famous for its night sky. The Lake Tekapo area recently became the world's first World Heritage Site for star gazing.
Trekking/Hiking
In New Zealand, there are many famous and popular hiking tracks that take several days to complete. The most popular of all is the Milford Track. It starts at the head of Lake Te Anau. The area might be familiar to you, because it was featured in the movie The Lord of the Rings. In fact, most of the Lord of the Rings movies were shot in New Zealand, despite Tolkien basing the books on the English countryside!
The track from Lake Te Anau takes about three or four days and goes through some of the most beautiful countryside and mountains in the world. There are several huts where you can stay along the way. The track is open from late-November to mid-March, when the weather is best. There is still a chance that it will rain however, and night time is very cold.
The walk is very long and goes up and down mountains, so it can be quite hard for many people. You have to carry a bag full of your water, food, change of clothes, any medicine you might need, and even a tent. Some people even hire a guide to carry their bags for them!
There are also many, many sandflies. In fact, the track ends at a place called Sandfly Point. Sandflies are like mosquitoes, but bigger, and their bites are even more itchy and annoying, so be sure to take a lot of insect repellant! It is an amazing trek!
The walk is very long and goes up and down mountains, so it can be quite hard for many people. You have to carry a bag full of your water, food, change of clothes, any medicine you might need, and even a tent. Some people even hire a guide to carry their bags for them!
There are also many, many sandflies. In fact, the track ends at a place called Sandfly Point. Sandflies are like mosquitoes, but bigger, and their bites are even more itchy and annoying, so be sure to take a lot of insect repellant! It is an amazing trek!