Queenstown – the birthplace of adventure tourism
This region has always been a magnet for adventurers and entrepreneurs and these pioneers
became the mainstay of Queenstown's adventure tourism industry. World-first innovations such
as commercial jet boating and bungy jumping have forged Queenstown’s enduring reputation as
the ‘Adventure Capital of the World’.
Visitors have been flocking to Queenstown since the 1860s when gold was first discovered in the
Shotover River. When the gold finally ran out some years later many of those early prospectors
decided to stay, captivated by the beauty of the surrounding mountains and rivers.
Around the turn of the century, it was the region’s many walking trails and tracks which first created
the early beginnings of the tourism industry. People would come from around New Zealand and
other parts of the world during the summer months to experience the magnificent walks, including
the Milford, the Routeburn and the Hollyford Tracks, which have become famous in their own right.
In winter though, Queenstown virtually came to a standstill as locals hibernated until the start of the
summer walking season.
Over time, as better roads and facilities were developed, the town became a picturesque overnight
stop for coach tours to Milford Sound, known as one of the seven natural wonders of the world.
In 1947, Sir Henry Wigley, of the New Zealand tourism and transport operator Mount Cook Group,
showed the foresight he was famous for by opening a commercial ski area at Coronet Peak, thus
developing Queenstown into a year-round resort.
Sir William Hamilton (who later developed the modern jet boat) was called upon and used technical
knowledge, determination, and more than a smattering of good old Kiwi ingenuity to build a rope
tow for Coronet Peak from scratch. “The final concoction of driving drums, pulley trains, sprockets
and other obscure parts were bought together and the ski area was born.”
With good access, reliable snow and a nearby airport, skiers flocked to Queenstown and it became a
thriving winter ski resort, prompting new development and the construction of several new hotels.
Queenstown's first real taste of adventure tourism came with the establishment of commercial jet
boating in 1960. The jet boat, a New Zealand invention, had just been developed by South Island
high country farmer Bill Hamilton who had long been prevented from accessing many areas of his
property due to the shallow braided rivers. The extensive manoeuvrability of the boat and its ability
to travel in less than 3cm of water allowed for obvious commercial applications to be developed in a
place like Queenstown and before long Kawarau Jet and Shotover Jet had established a thrilling ride
taking visitors through the spectacular canyons on the Shotover River.
White water rafting was to follow quickly on the heels of the success of jet boating with Kon Tiki Raft
trips, as it was then called, starting New Zealand’s first commercial rafting in 1974. The two nearby
rivers the Shotover and the Kawarau were ideal for giving visitors a taste of the thrills and spills of
this new activity and it wasn't long before new operators were scrambling to keep up with the
demand.
1988 saw the arrival in town of two entrepreneurs by the name of AJ Hackett and Henry Van Asch
and it was their operation that cemented Queenstown as the “world's Adventure Capital”. The pair
had spent two years working with the University of Auckland developing a special cord made up
entirely of individual rubber strands which, when attached to the ankles, could be used to bungy
jump from a fixed platform. They originally got the idea from watching native tribes in Vanuatu who
used forest vines to leap from man-made towers.
AJ had received world wide publicity some months beforehand with his daring jump in the early
hours of the morning from the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Now, AJ and Henry’s plan was to use the historic
Kawarau Bridge (43m above the river) on the outskirts of Queenstown as the location for the world's
first ever commercial bungy jumping site. Many locals were skeptical of the venture, believing that
the activity would last only a few months before folding. However, it wasn't long before visitors were
flocking to Queenstown in their thousands to experience this newest of adventure activities that
everyone was talking about ... and so the bungy phenomenon was born! The company has since
developed numerous sites in Queenstown and around the world to keep up with demand. It is
estimated that more than 350,000 visitors have bungy jumped in Queenstown alone since that first
commercial jump in 1988.
The wave of interest in adventure was to create an environment for a host of other activity
operators to follow, further reinforcing Queenstown’s reputation as “The Adventure Capital of the
World".
Tandem Paragliding was pioneered in Queenstown by the late Bruce Grant. This involved attaching
the passenger to the pilot and running off the edge of a mountain with the canopy rising above,
creating a sensation like a bird gliding to earth. Paragliding has become so popular that now it’s an
iconic sight to see dozens of canopies a day floating off Bob’s Peak into downtown Queenstown.
NZONE Skydive became New Zealand’s first operator to commence commercial tandem skydiving in
1990 and the first to introduce freefall photography. The company now employs over 70 highly
skilled personnel and is involved in development of skydiving skills through its unique XLR8 free fall
training program. More than 170,000 people have since experienced the multi-award winning thrill.
Other innovators and entrepreneurs have followed in the wake of these early pioneers and
Queenstown now offers a huge range of adventures from river surfing, parasailing and canyoning to
abseiling, ziplining, kite skiing and surfing.
A short history:
 Coronet Peak ski area 1947
 Kawarau Jet 1960
 Skyline Gondola 1968
 TSS Earnslaw (1912) begins scenic cruises 1969
 First incarnation of Shotover Jet 1970
 Kon Tiki Rafting 1974 (shortly after it became Value Tours Rafting. In 1987 the company was
bought and became known as Kiwi Discovery Rafting but finally, after an amalgamation of
four rafting operations, it became Queenstown Rafting Ltd in 1996)
 Cardrona ski field 1978
 The Remarkables ski field 1985
 AJ Hackett Bungy 1988
 Serious Fun River Surfing 1989
 NZONE Skydiving 1990