Adventure Travel to Australia and New Zealand - 5 Best Adventure Destinations

Top Australia Adventure Travel Destinations

Kangaroo Island Australia Adventure

Kangaroo Island is known as the Australian "Galapagos" because of its rich diversity of wildlife. Take a guided night tour to see the little penguins march out of the sea to their homes along the coastline. Stop in at the Seal Bay Conservation Park where you'll see the rare Australian sea lion. A hike through Flinders Chase National Park will get you up close to kangaroos, possums, echidna, koalas and platypus in the wild.

The Australian Outback Adventure

This is the rugged interior of Australia and home to red hills, fiery sunsets and a dramatic sense of spaciousness. Here you can hike the Aboriginal Dreaming Trail with an Aboriginal guide to experience the local culture and history. You can also hike, bike, take a scenic flight or 4-wheel drive tour of the breath-taking landscapes of gorges adorned with aboriginal art, mountains, caves, waterfalls and canyons. Here you'll also see plenty of wildlife in their beautiful natural settings.

Top New Zealand Adventure Travel Destinations

Auckland New Zealand Adventure

Bungy jumping is a tradition that has been practiced in the South Pacific for hundreds of years as an initiation ritual. But commercial bungy jumping was first developed in New Zealand in 1986 and continues to be a national tradition there.

You'll find opportunities to indulge your need for this heart-stopping thrill just about everywhere. In Auckland you can bungy jump from one of the many bridges over the bay, or try New Zealand's highest jump - 209.9 yards straight down from the top of Sky Tower. While you're staying in the "City of Sails" you can also indulge in first-class food and wine, cultural events and shopping.

A calmer adventure that you could take the whole family on includes seeing the magical Waitomo Glowworm Caves. A guided tour takes you through limestone chambers and includes a silent boat trip through the glowworm grotto. You'll marvel at Mother Nature's light display as you glide beneath the lights of thousands of glowworms suspended from the cave ceiling.

Queenstown New Zealand Adventure

From crystal clear Lake Wakatipu across to The Remarkables mountain range, Queenstown's environment is majestic, awe-inspiring and almost unbelievable. A great way to start your vacation and get an overview of the landscape is to take the gondola up Bob's Peak.

Exploring Queenstown's Skippers Road is an adventure in itself. Hand carved out of solid rock, the road twists and turns around steep cliffs with magnificent views. Because the road is so dangerous, it is only accessible by guided tour. The area hosts a number of adventure sports. Depending on your appetite for thrills, you can take a ride on the flying fox, go white water rafting or get a vertical view of the canyon attached to a bungy. Less terrifying options include blasting along the Shotover River in a jet boat, walking across a historic pipeline or a visit to Winky's Museum.

Some of the other outdoor adventures in Queenstown that will have you playing on the edge include:

    * Heli-skiing, skiing and snowboarding
    * Bungy jumping
    * Canyon swinging
    * Hiking
    * Rock climbing
    * Mountain biking
    * Horse riding
    * Sky diving
    * Hang gliding
    * Parapente, or para-gliding
    * Jetboating
    * Kayaking
    * Sailing
    * Golfing
    * Gold panning
    * Canyoning

Rotorua New Zealand Adventure

Rotorua sits squarely on the Pacific Ring of Fire, and is home tribal home of the Te Arawa people, who settled in lakeside geothermal areas more than 600 years ago. Geysers, boiling mud pools, marae stays, hangi feasts, an authentic pre-European Maori village and indulgent spa therapies will provide plenty of activities to write home about. Refresh your spirit with a day outdoors trout fishing, kayaking, waterskiing, swimming, hiking or mountain biking. And if it's excitement you crave, you can challenge your spirit with adrenalin-charged extreme activities such as sky-diving, jet boating and zorbing.

These are just a sampling of some of the outdoor adventures available in Australia and New Zealand. There's also world-renowned white water kayaking, some of the best diving in the world on The Great Barrier Reef, and a multitude of hiking, biking, ballooning, canoeing and other adventures to be had.

Springboard Vacations specializes in creating authentic travel experiences that are out of the ordinary to Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific. For more insights on "off the beaten path" destinations, as well as "must see" sites and attractions, visit http://www.springboardvacations.com. Sign up for the newsletter to keep posted on all promotions and deals and get a $50 discount on your next vacation. We currently have three great adventure packages that include both Australia and New Zealand -- see them at http://www.springboardvacations.com/promotions/index.html.