-	Outdoor Activities

New Zealand is often described as the "Adventure Capital of the World". It's a thrill seekers paradise.

Within this small country, there's millions of places to see, plenty of things to do and a massive variety of thrills to be had.

You can go sea kayaking in almost every corner of the coast a fantastic way to enjoy the beauty of the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea.

For the horse riding enthusiast, the possibilities are endless? from one hour rides to multi-day treks. You can go on bush rides, beach rides, mountain rides or ride amongst the thermal pools on North Island.

Jet boating and scenic flights have become very popular here. They?re a great way of seeing this unique landscape from a different perspective. Most of the main rivers now have a jet boat trip available. Four wheel drive tours have also become very popular.

There are literally thousands of cycling and walking options to choose from here; from multi-day cycle tours to shorter day and half-day mountain bike excursions. Just choose your location and you?re sure to find a tour operator. You can go bushwalking all over both the North and South Islands. Treks range in difficulty and duration from one hour to half-day strolls up to multi-day adventures.

In the Bay of Islands, Whakatane, Kaikoura and Milford Sound you can go swimming with dolphins, whales and seals.

New Zealand is the birthplace of bungee jumping, Queenstown in particular. You can also do it in Taupo and Hanmer Springs.

If this isn't intense enough, you could try a free-fall skydive from 3500m, strapped to an instructor. The experience starts with a scenic flight, and then comes ? the free fall. You jump out of the plane and rapidly accelerate to 200km per hour! Tandem skydives operate at Taupo, Nelson, Queenstown, Parakai, Bay of Islands and Wanaka.

Tandem hang-gliding or tandem paraponting is a lot less intense, but the views are excellent. You can fly over the spectacular landscape of Queenstown, Nelson or Christchurch. The instructor takes the controls and steers the glider or chute for you.

New Zealand has hundreds of adventure tour companies operating all over the country. The adventure sector's own national body works to maintain standards in order to ensure your maximum comfort, safety and enjoyment.