ADVENTURE LAND

01 — Jet Thrills

02 — Christchurch Adventure Park

Adrenaline fixes ADVENTURE LAND

03 — Skydiving Kiwis

Are you looking for adventure? Then you’re in the right place! Christchurch and the greater Canterbury region is a thrill-seeker’s paradise.

Whether you’re looking for a back-to-nature experience riding the rapids with some sweet white-water action, tackling some hardcore mountain bike trails, or to throw yourself off a bridge with a world-famous bungy jump, there are white-knuckle adventures aplenty, alongside some gentler offerings for those with less explicitly high-octane inclinations.

At the Christchurch Adventure Park (the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere) you’ll find much more than a downhill mountain bike bonanza. While mountain biking is one of the popular venue’s main attractions, the park also features the country’s longest chairlift at 1.8 kilometres, a world-class custom-built zipline and

05 — Rangitata Rafts some of the best views in and of the city. It’s worth noting it only costs to ride the chairlift up, so walkers can enjoy some exercise then ride the chairlift down for free.

Harness the power of the wind and go blokarting (land yachting, yes, it’s a thing) with Velocity Karts in Bexley, or go for the batterypowered option and feel the drift with one of their front-wheel-driven driftkarts. For some good old-fashioned combustion engine action, get your dose of speed go-karting at Supa Karts in Sydenham or Action Kart Raceway’s unique indoor dirt track in Harewood, or take on the big-boy cars with a high-octane V8 SuperDrive at Mike Pero Motorsport Park.

If heights are more your thing, freefall at speeds of up to 200 kilometres per hour over Canterbury and Christchurch on a tandem skydive with Skydiving Kiwis, or for a more 06 — Parapro tranquil aerial experience, get your float on and join the team at Ballooning Canterbury in Hororata for some hot air ballooning action, in which breathtaking views join the timeless romance of this form of travel. The team at Parapro will help you reach new heights paragliding over Banks Peninsula.

Test your mettle and build your confidence as you make like Tarzan some 20 metres above the pine forest floor with the high wire obstacle/flying fox/traversal course at Adrenalin Forest near Spencer Park. For indoor climbing, try super safe local invention Clip ‘n Climb at the YMCA Adventure Centre, which also features various climbing challenges, or the flash bouldering walls at Uprising.

Hit the greens at the Christchurch Golf Club and soak up the lush views. Once you’ve finished your round of golf, head on in to the Links Café.

For world-class white water, just a couple of 04 — Ballooning Canterbury

07 — Uprising hours south of the city in the Rangitata Gorge, Rangitata Rafts can offer up to grade 5 white water – you’ll tackle some of the South Island’s biggest rapids. Or experience even faster water travel and go jetboating on the Waimakariri with Alpine Jet Thrills in Springfield or along the Waiau River near Hanmer Springs with Hanmer Springs Attractions – they’ll also throw you off the historic Ferry Bridge as well, if you ask nicely (after first attaching a bungy cord to you, it is important to note).

For saltwater encounters, the team at Dive HQ offer scuba diving along with a spearfishing and breath-holding course, while Aaron (Lockie) Lock and the team at Learn to Surf in Sumner will have you hanging ten like a pro. And shoot ‘em up at the Christchurch Paintball Park, Kamikaze Paintball, First Strike Airsoft or The Ultimate Game, all based in McLeans Island.