A land of mountains, canyons, rivers and ravines, New Zealand is a paradise for outdoor adventurers and daredevils form all over the world. The country has more than enough places where you can enjoy a hair raising bungee jump or the adrenaline frenzy of a white-water raft ride during your holiday. The breathtakingly beautiful Skippers Canyon near Queenstown is one such place which you will find if youre heading south during your days travelling this amazing landscape.
You can reach Skippers Canyon by travelling away from Queenstown along a mountain road for about 30 kilometres. Generally when you hit the trail to the Skippers Canyon, privately hired vehicles are not allowed as special shuttles and 4-wheel-drive rides are organized to brave the rugged terrain along the way. This fascinating mountain landscape was named after the prospector Skipper Malcolm Duncan, who found gold in the canyon in 1862. What followed was one of the biggest gold rushes in the history of New Zealand. The Skippers Canyon gold rush brought into life places like Charlestown and Skippers Point along the canyon road.
Nowadays only a few old buildings are still left standing to remind visitors of these once active towns, but the Skippers Bridge still reaches over the gorge high above the Shotover River, providing a platform for daredevil bungee jumpers. The place is only reachable by 4WD ride, and the bridge is maintained in top condition so that you dont have to worry about anything apart from the rate of your own heart pumping rapidly as you freefall from the bridge to the roaring water below. Theres also a special Full Moon bungee which you can book where you jump from the bridge at midnight when the canyon and the hills are bathed in moonlight. If bungee jumping is too over the top for you to try out, you can go Jetboarding down in the ravine at blinding speeds enjoying the rush of the river, or you can always try out mountain biking or a sightseeing hike along the canyon trail if you are in a mood to play it safe. Whichever adventure you choose, the wilderness adventure of Skipper Canyon is bound to be one of the best on the lower side of the world.
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Queenstown hotel is the most convenient and comfortable place for you to stay if you are planning to take on the adventure of Skippers Canyon. Best of the hotel deals in Queenstown you will find at any
hotel on Frankton Road ; conveniently located in peaceful surroundings away from the heart of the city, such as the Millennium Hotel Queenstown. When there is a fine place to rest your body and soul for sure after adventuring in Skippers Canyon, you will be coming back to lose yourself in this wilderness escapade time and again whenever you visit southern New Zealand.
