Queenstown: Adventure Capital of N.Z.!

Queenstown is a really cool place in New Zealand and I was really excited to get here. I had a few things planned for my brief stay and that included taking a day trip to Milford Sound one day and also enjoying my free boogie boarding trip down the river just outside of Queenstown on my second day.

Now, Queenstown doesn't get its name 'adventure capital of New Zealand' for nothing. This place is swarming with activities. And, although most places in New Zealand are known for all their adrenalin pumping activities - I think Queenstown was the place the kicked off the craze. Name your activity: rafting, skydiving, bungy jumping, jet boating, hang gliding, river boating (what I get to do for free!), Lord of the Rings tour, skiing ... the list goes on and money pile goes down.

River Boarding in Remarkable Queenstown.

Queenstown is probably one of the most social places in New Zealand and I think that is because it has such a sweet location in the mountain range known as The Remarkables, plus there is a really young crowd here working all the activities. It would be like the New Zealand Banff, but more bars that stay open all night. Seriously you could still hear people outside at 6am. I think North America is one of the few places that stops selling liquor between 12-2 am. Most of the places I have been to on my trip sell liquor all night. So - for those that have lots of money and have the energy to stay up - the world is your playground.

So, on my first day I hit up beautiful Milford Sound which is a 5 hour drive from Queenstown. And, my second day took me to river boating - basically boogie boarding down a river. The activity itself was pretty fun we got all suited up in our wetsuits and headed for the tropical water - about 15 degrees and apparently the warmest of all months of the year (ouch). We learned how to properly navigate the boards in the strong river current - then with the navigation of our river guides - about 18 people took to the river rapids. We went down the river for about 7km. It was pretty intense at times - as there were giant waves, rocks, whirlpools throwing you all over the river. Plus, there were a few people that were not the best swimmers in our group - seriously they'd fly into the back of your head, be on your back with their board, plow into you right as you were preparing for a giant wave to hit you. I think the randoms on the river were the biggest hazard. But, it was cool to head down a refreshing river in N.Z. and check out the scenery at the same time. My favourite part of the activity was at the very end when we got towed around on the jet ski and could go down a giant slide into the river. Both were scary and fun. You just can't be afraid of having a few 'sips' of water along the way.

I would love to spend some more time in Queenstown when I return to N.Z. someday. I feel like I only got to experience the tip of the iceberg.