So here we are in Queenstown , the adrenaline capital of NZ and home to hundreds of people addicted to nutcase sports. This has really been one of the few reasonable sized cities that we have been to since arriving here in NZ, yet it still has the homely feel of a small town that is really welcoming to all visitors. Nestled on the banks of a lake and completely surrounded by the Remarkables mountains it is a beautiful location - hardly surprising that it was used for filming many of the mountain scenes in Lord of the Rings. The main reason for people to come here is to try at least one of the many adrenaline sports on offer. The saying goes that New Zealanders find their country so straight laced that they have championed the cause of adrenaline junkies everywhere and dream up new and more outrageous activies and stunts every week. Some of them are very whacky and only to be attempted by those with a death wish - so what the hell we decided to have a go anyway. Chris, of course, had to prove that he still has what it takes and decided to do the inevitable bungy jump, pioneered by AJ Hackett in NZ in 1988. Not satisfied with the 130ft jump you often see on the TV, from the bridge into the gorge below, he decided that he had to go for the best - a jump from a cable car suspended across a 1,000ft wide gorge, with a 450ft drop to the river below - the highest bungy jump in NZ. Carol of course has her head screwed on and took on the job of official videographer instead, feeling no need to prove herself to all and sundry. The jump is designed to induce fear from the first moment. Whereas other bungy jumps do so from the safety of terra firma (or a least a solid bridge), this one makes you work from the start. The first phase is to look out over a 1000ft wide gorge in the centre of which precariously hangs a gondola of the type you ride in when ski-ing. You first need to take a smaller cable car to the gondola - in itself a bit nerve racking as you swing from side to side. Once at the main gondola, you are treated to a glass floor - with a clear view of the 450ft sheer drop (equivalent to the top of a 50 story building) beneath your feet. As the tension mounts, all goes quiet as the jumpers are kitted up with safety harness. One side of the gondola is open. And then you see it - the ledge from which you will jump on the outside of the gondola - only about the size of a doormat. You are then called forward and sit in the 'jump seat' where the bungy rope is attached and your feet strapped together. You know your time is near. Then you hear the dreaded call - your name is shouted out and you move into the jump position. As you shuffle forward, with tied feet, the enormity of what you've commited to becomes evident as you look at the chasm below you. Standing on the ledge. Toes over the end. You versus the gorge. The time has come. Arms outstretched by your side. Heart pounding. Breathing fast and shallow. A bend of the knees, ready to dive clear of the tower. And then it begins. You're airbourne. Now you cannot go back even if you want to. As you swallow dive from the platform you are treated to eight seconds of free fall - count them, it's a long time. Ground, rocks and river rushing, rushing towards you. When finally the bungy starts to tighten, you are whipped up, almost back to the top and go through the experience all over again. Just for good measure you get to bounce a second time. Only this time you have to have your wits about you as at the moment of weightlessness at the top, you have to reach down to your boot and pull a rip strap which detaches the bungy cord from your feet and flips you into a seated position supported by a second rope. A few minutes of hanging around in this position and the winch begins to take you back to the gondola. With a swing of the feet, you are back in the gondola and are the most relieved and happiest person on earth..........now when's the next one!! Whilst not interested in doing a bungy jump Carol did want to take the opportunity to try something a little more sedate and undertook a tandem handglide off the side of Mount Remarkable, just outside of the town. The harnessing for this jump was a little more extravagant with a full jumpsuit and a full body harness that was attached to the underside of the large wing used for gliding. Training for the flight was also a little more extensive than the "1,2,3 jump" received by Chris. Carol was walked through the hand holds and procedure for take off and landing by an experienced pilot. Within minutes of the glider being assembled from a rolled up pole the harnesses were attached and they were standing on the edge of the mountain with the glider positioned waiting for the right wind. When the call came to run, it was two steps and off they flew across the valley below, swooping and sweeping across the sky. Thankfully there was quite a bit of wind and they were able to get some reasonable height rather than just glide down to the ground. There was also some pretty targetted flying, aiming to get close to Chris whilst he videoed the action (though not close enough to get him to duck). Carol did get a go at the controls for a short time, steering the glider with changes in body weight, enabling the glider change in direction and altitude. The landing was a little rough as you come in pretty fast, to avoid the turbulence, and basically land on your stomach on fairly rough ground. Thankfully the harnesses take most of the wear and tear. The whole experience was fantastic, much better than parachuting and much more in control - definetly something to be repeated in the future. There was one activity that we decided to share together and that was a ride on the shotover jet - a jet boat that navigates the Shotover River, at speeds of up to 85kph. Characterised by narrow gorges and very shallow waters the boat takes people on an adrenaline ride within inches of the rocks. A series of 360 degree turns that see everyone getting wet (particularly those in the front - us!) topped off another very exciting adreneline trip. The boat can only do this because it has a special engine that means it needs only 4 inches of water to operate in. This was a fantastic ride and we were very appreciateive for the sunshine at the end to dry us off. So we have both experienced the adrenaline rush of Queenstown and we are both now ready to get back on the road and experience a bit more of the beautiful scenery that this country has to offer. Next stop will be the glaciers further north.