| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 04/09/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 39 |
| Copyright: Other |
Activities by Matt Bond
Abercrombie and Kent’s 14-night Active New Zealand tour starts at £3,500. It offers several activities ranging from white-knuckle jet boating to more sedate kayaking. Below is a review of three popular activities included:Jet boating: takes visitors through water, close to rock faces, at high speed
Jet boating: takes visitors through water, close to rock faces, at high speedDo the wacky races to find your natural high
Growing demand for adrenaline sports
Recent figures from the New Zealand Tourist Office suggest that the promise of an adrenaline fuelled holiday is attracting a growing number of UK thrill-seekers to the country.UK arrivals have increased 13% since July last year from 162,555 to 183,478 and for the first time the number visiting the country for a holiday has now overtaken the traditional visiting friends and relatives (VFR) market.
The New Zealand Tourist Office believes that every one of these arrivals will take part in some form of activity while on holiday, making adventure tourism a key target market in its promotional efforts.
Operating under the successful 100% Pure banner, the new brand – 100% Adrenaline – has been adopted and will begin to feature in New Zealand marketing over the next three years.
It is part of a wide reaching campaign by the tourist office to re-position the country as a destination offering more than just coach tours for middle-aged couples, and will be joined by three other brands – 100% Warmth and Hospitality, 100% Escapism and Freedom and 100% Indulgence.
New Zealand tourist office marketing manager Rachel Piggott said: “New Zealand has been seen as clean and boring but over the next three years we want to offer it as a more balanced destination.”
At present the 100% Adrenaline brand is only being used internally in the UK although it is hoped that it and the other brands will feature more in UK advertising in future.
High demand: most tourists will take part in activities
Adrenaline pursuits
Bungy jumping, kayaking, jet boating, trekking, mountain biking… been there, done that and got the T-shirt?
No matter how experienced your client is when it comes to adventure activities, there are undoubtedly a handful of gut-churning pursuits left for them to try out. As one of the top adventure spots in the world, New Zealand is responsible for creating some of the wackier activities available to tourists including the following:
The Nevis Highwire Bungy: the idea may not be new but the creators of the first bungy jump in the 1980’s, A.J Hackett and Henry van Asch are continually looking for ways to make this activity scarier. The Nevis Highwire Bungy opened in July this year and is the world’s first dedicated bungy gondola.
It is New Zealand’s highest bungy and involves an awesome 440ft plunge and eight seconds of free fall from the gondola suspended above a river gorge. Half of the thrill is getting to the gondola itself. After a four-wheel-drive journey, jumpers and spectators are ferried up to the jump pod, which can hold up to 20 people, by cable car. Prices for the ride are from £50.
Queenstown Fly by Wire: opened in June 1998, it has clocked up speeds of 106mph, making it the world’s fastest ride. But what exactly is it? It is described as the world’s first adventure ride offering full-pilot control of a high-speed tethered ‘plane,’ 340ft above ground. Riders lie face down with the control panel in front and a propeller behind them. The ride gives the pilot a full eight minutes ‘flying time’ as the plane spins around a canyon reaching heights of 320ft. Reached by a four-wheel-drive journey, the site is located in a spectacular canyon 20 minutes from Queenstown, although there is now another fly-by-wire site situated at Paekakariki, 25 minutes drive north of Wellington. Prices for the ride are from £30.
n Prices from Tourism New Zealand.
On a roll: zorbing is available in Rotoura