Nowdays, Youth Hostels Associations worldwide have opened their doors to independent travellers of all ages and the Youth Hostels Association of New Zealand follows this trend in catering for the budget backpacker. They have a network of more than 50 hostels throughout New Zealand, many of which offer 5-star accommodation and you don't even need to be a member of the association to stay at one their hostels, although members benefit from a discount.
Read a great review of one of Queenstown's hostels written by Angela Walker. The review also covers some of the adrenalin charged activities on offer, in the region that bills itself as the world capital of extreme sports.
Everyone likes swings, right? However, as you might have guessed, Canyon Swings are just a little bit bigger than your average garden swing and now someone plans to build a monster. Big Daddy Adventures Ltd are to build a 200m high and 1000m long Canyon Swing at John Bull Creek, near Tarras, Otago, New Zealand. Currently, the world's highest swing is also in Otago, it is the Shotover Canyon Swing at Queenstown. This swing is only half the height of the proposed John Bull Creek swing, but sitting 109m (360ft) above the Shotover River participant can reach speeds of nearly 150kph (that's about 90mph). Co-owner Hamish Emerson said with a mischievous grin, "The greater the initial terror, the feeling you're going to hit the dirt, the greater the resultant joy when you realise you're going to make it after all!"
Set up a hairdryer to blow your hair, put on some soiled underpants and this end of week video from adamdpage, taken on the Shotover Canyon Swing, should give you a fair idea of what it is like to ride a Canyon Swing.
Currently, the world's highest swing is also in Otago, it is the 
