Ladies and gentlemen, fasten your seat belts and welcome to Queenstown – Adrenaline Central, Thrillsville, New Zealand – the adventure capital of the world. You are perhaps studying this guide in your hotel room, or perched in your hostel bunk, with a pained expression trying to decide which of the 150-odd activities to try and, more importantly, how your wallet can possibly cope? But first things first: look out of the window. Where else in the world do you have such accessible scenery? And all that is free.
Queenstown has come a long way since gold secured its destiny in the 1860s. It is now the biggest tourist draw in New Zealand and considered one of the top (and almost certainly the most scenic) adventure venues in the world. It simply has so much to offer. Amidst the stunning setting of mountain and lake, over one million visitors a year partake in a staggering range of activities from a sedate steamboat cruise to the heart-stopping bungee jump. You can do almost anything here, from a gentle round of golf to paddling down a river in what looks like a blow-up carrot. Add to that a superb range of accommodation, services, restaurants and cafés and you simply won’t know where to turn. And it goes on year-round, day and night. In winter the hiking boots are simply replaced by skis, the T-shirt with a jumper and, after sunset, the activity guide with the wine glass, knife and fork. It just goes on and on.
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