Andrenaline Junkies

New Zealand is almost certainly near the top of every outdoors/adrenaline junkie's destination wish list. In addition to the spectacular scenary made famous by Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings triology in 1994, a pair of New Zealanders invented the world's first Bungy Jump in 1986. And today, Queenstown is known as the Adventure Capital of the World.

Kiwis have tried or invented nearly every type of outdoors activity possible. There are all the usual suspects: Mountaineering, whitewater rafting and kayaking, rock climbing, canyoneering, spelunking, sailing, mountain biking, diving, surfing, hunting, fishing, and tramping. And then there are the less common crazies: Sky-diving, canyon swinging, bungy jumping, luges, river boogie-boarding, jet-boating, and underground blackwater rafting. And in addition to that, Kiwis looking to offer tourists something really unique will take a shot at inventing random activities such as "Zorbing," which involves rolling down a hill in a rubber ball, or "Killer Prawn Golf," which involves hitting a golf ball at a field of prawns, in attempts to kill one. (Seriously. And this one had me reminiscent of Wisconsin Dells.)

The main national sport is Rugby, and symbols from the national team - the All Blacks - is seen everywhere in New Zealand. I had the opportunity to watch a few games, and concluded that rugby separates the men from the boys!

Nearly every Kiwi I met had done some sort of extensive international travel or partakes in one (or several) of the country's many outdoor sports. "It's what we Kiwis tend to do," they say with a smile. New Zealand has a national non-litigation policy, which means that if you fall off a cliff and become permanently disabled, you're not allowed to sue. (And you get free health insurance for life, eliminating the need to sue.)

For visitors, this means that we experience a freedom and responsiblity on guided adventure tours that I've never experienced in the U.S. The guided glacier hike I did was fairly technical and there was no hand-holding. I pictured Americans complaining and demanding their money back if they couldn't do it. In New Zealand, you're SOL and would rightfully receive looks of "Well what were you thinking? It's a glacier not a sidewalk." This meant I had to be responsible for myself and know my own limits. The big news while I was there was that an English girl died river-boarding.

I gathered that some of the adventerous New Zealand spirit is surely influenced by the Maori culture. The Maori were the first settlers of New Zealand and arrived from Polynesia. I had the opportunity to visit a marae for a welcoming ritual, song and dance, and dinner, and throughout my trip learned about the history of the Maori and see lots of traditional wood and jade carvings.

I had the opportunity to do a bunch of cool stuff: Hike up Franz Josef glacier, abseil 30m into the glowworm-infested Waitomo Caves and blackwater raft through underground rivers, sea kayak and hike in Abel Tasman National Park and Fiordland National Park, and best of all paraglide over Queenstown!