Considered one of the top destinations for adventure tourism, New Zealand has a wide list of attractions to stimulate adrenaline in its visitors, such as jumping from airplanes, exploring forests, jet-skiing, fishing, skiing and glaciers. Many of the companies that operate these attractions invest in specific equipment to make them accessible to people with disabilities, meeting international safety certifications. Know some options:

Fishing in Coromandel
On the Coromandel peninsula, the Coromandel Fishing Charters Joint Venture and Rubin Jack boats are specially designed for wheelchair users. The company works with the Wish4Fish charity project created by Bryce Dinneen to help disabled people get into the water. Bryce suffered a spinal cord injury and is also deficient.

Parachuting
In Motueka, Nelson’s coastal region, Skydive Abel Tasman offers a service where wheelchair users, people with cerebral palsy or visual impairment can practice the tandem jump, a version of skydiving in which two people jump: the passenger and an instructor.

Motueka is close to Nelson, where there are flights leaving from Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington.

In addition to Motueka, it is possible to do the tandem jump in Ashburton, near Christchurch with the company Skydiving Kiwis, where more than 50 people in wheelchairs have already used the specially developed support for the practice. There is no age limit: as long as it fits into the body support, it is possible to participate.

Ski and Snowboard
New Zealand’s natural diversity includes snow sports, the Ruapehu Adaptive Program sits in the mountains of Mount Ruapehu, an active volcano located on the North Island, and is designed for people with disabilities who want to ski or snowboard.

To get to Ohakune, where the program is, it’s just over four hours drive from Auckland, or three and a half hours from Wellington. The nearest airport is in Taupo, from there, the journey to Ohakune takes an hour and a half.

On the South Island, the Cardrona Adaptive Snow Sports program allows people with physical, sensory or cognitive disabilities to enjoy the snow. Participants exchange their wheelchairs for ski chairs, or they can use supports specially developed for the function.

Cardrona Adaptive Snow Sports is located in Wanaka, just over an hour’s drive from Queenstown, which receives scheduled flights from Australia and major New Zealand cities.

Helicopter flight on the glaciers
Combining altitude with snow, helicopter flights on the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers in the Westland region, and the Tasman Glacier in the Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park are great options. Helicopter Line offers a service for wheelchair users visiting the area surrounded by snow capped mountains and native forest, travelers will experience the experience of landing on a slowly moving river of ice, as well as visiting a glacier on a modified ski chair for this function.

Flights depart from Franz Josef and Glentanner, near Mount Cook. Franz Josef is a two-hour drive from Hokitika Airport.

Tree-climbing
In Hokitika, just over three hours drive from Christchurch, lies the West Coast Treetops Walkway, a 450-meter long trail under a suspended structure 20 meters above the ground. The walk allows visitors to see the forest from a new perspective: at the height of the eyes of the birds, at the top of the trees. The place promotes the integration with nature through a series of ramps and light slopes, being an activity of easy access for wheelchair.

The journey between Christchurch and Hokitika lasts a little over three hours. From Greymouth, the route is only 30 minutes. Hokitika also has regular airline connections with Christchurch and other hubs in the country.

Bungy jumping
Recreational bungy jumping was born in New Zealand, and as a precursor of the activity, became a world reference for the practice of sports. Located at the top of the Queenstown cable car, the Bungy Ledge is operated by the industry pioneer A.J. Hackett and offers people with disabilities the chance to jump safely and without leaving the wheelchair. In fact, getting there is already an adventure, since the ascent is made by cable car.

Shotover Canyon Swing, near Queenstown, also accommodates wheelchair users in a bungy jumping activity, in which the participant jumps and sways from side to side. Auckland Sky Tower, New Zealand’s tallest building, offers SkyJump (bungy jumping) and SkyWalk (back on a narrow circular walkway at 192 meters high) for people in wheelchairs.

Queenstown Airport is well served by domestic and international flights. By car, the journey is three and a half hours from Dunedin and two and a half hours from Te Anau.

Jet boat
Invented in the 1950s by New Zealander Sir William Hamilton as a way to cross shallow waterways, the jet boat has since become a fun and exciting way to follow swiftly through the waters of New Zealand. Shotover Jet in Queenstown takes passengers in wheelchairs for an exciting ride in the curves and canyons of the Shotover River, but you need to book in advance.

Queenstown is New Zealand’s most popular tourist city, and there are direct flights out of Australia and most domestic airports.

Accommodation
The New Zealand Tourism Guide website has a list of accessible hotels and inns, which usually include wider doors, wheelchair access and bathrooms with grab bars.

Source: Tourism Journal
Photo: Reproduction