I don’t care what anyone says – New Zealand has got to be the adventure sports capital of the world. Maybe it’s because they are so far south, or maybe they are just more gutsy than the rest of us, but those Kiwis are just plain crazy! From more run-of-the-mill adventure sports like mountain biking and kayaking to the five totally unusual Kiwi inventions listed below, there is seriously not an adventure sport you can’t try in New Zealand. So, adrenaline junkies, take note: there is plenty of thrill seeking Down Under to satisfy your cravings for the ultimate thrills.

Bungy Jumping

A lot of people don’t realize that this very popular free falling sport originated in New Zealand, when two adventurous Kiwi entrepreneurs adapted the Vanuatu tradition of jumping from cliffs with vines tied to their feet, and made it into a safe and exciting sport. There are several jumping sites in New Zealand, including the original near Queenstown on the South Island, where jumpers leap off of the Kuwaru Bridge Bungy at the AJ Hackett Bungy Centre.

Fly By Wire

This has got to be one of the kookiest, scariest and most awesome Kiwi adventure inventions of all. Here’s how the Fly By Wire Ride works: you are buckled into a small rocket/plane contraption (made out of very safe air jet materials) that is equipped with a small jet engine and suspended from wires that are attached to the sides of steep canyon walls. The tethered jet flies up to 108 miles per hour in a massive circle over a deep canyon near Queenstown, giving the rider a 6-minute jolt to 3 Gs and weightlessness. Um, awesome!

Black Water Rafting

Not at sinister as it sounds, black water rafting is also known as cave tubing because it involves floating through the inky black waters of a dark cave on an inner tube. The first and most well known company offering this unusual activity is the Black Water Rafting Company in Waitomo (not far from Hamilton on the North Island), where a series of caves give visitors the chance to explore either the “Black Labyrinth” or the doomsday-sounding “Black Abyss”.

Glacier Walking

Two of New Zealand’s South Island glaciers provide the chance for this icy blue sport: Franz Josef Glacier and Fox Glacier. Walks range from fairly easy to quite strenuous, taking adventurous types over some fairly slippery terrain, including stairs made of ice and ice caves. All of the walks are conducted by professional guides who really know their way around the ice, but you’ll want to bundle up for this chilly tour!

Zorbing

This has got to be the single weirdest thing that the Kiwis have come up with. Blow up a plastic ball, put a human being inside and roll it down a huge hill. Oh, and throw a little water inside, just for good measure. That’s literally what Zorbing in. Actually, the sport is coming to be known as “globe riding”, as more and more companies are jumping on this bandwagon. But Zorb is the first and foremost in the name of hill-ball-roller-downer-sporting and they are still the best bet, with their original globe riding hill in Rotorua on the North Island drawing plenty of converts and Zorb-addicts every year.