Yesterday we talked about a journey we have made. As a follow-up to it, here's an idea for our next holiday: Destination New Zealand, a short National Geographic video clip.
Self-study activity:
Watch the video and answer the questions below.
The activity is suitable for intermediate students.
1 What adventure sport was invented in New Zealand?
2 What expression is used to describe the mountain resort of Queenstown?
3 What does 'sixty days' refer to?
4 Why were jet boats invented in the first place?
5 What does 1994 refer to?
6 Which two requirements are necessary to enjoy the adventures shown on the video?
You can check your answers by reading the transcript below.
Hello everyone, I’m Patty Kim.
Today we’re heading off to New Zealand, well-known as a thrill-seekers paradise. This is the country that invented bungee jumping of all things. And that’s just the beginning.
Get ready and pack your sense of adventure as we escape to this rugged, South Pacific nation.
If you are looking for an adrenaline high, there may be no easier place to find it than New Zealand.
After all, this is the country that invented commercial bungee jumping. Pioneered right here at the Kawarau Bridge.
For more ways to just feel glad you are alive, wander into the mountain resort of Queenstown, New Zealand’s epicenter of adventure.
"You know we quite proudly call ourselves the adventure capital of the world, there are so many adventure activities to do here, in fact we worked it out that if you did one of every type of activity you'd be here for sixty days."
It’s tough enough to jump at Kawarau but at other site in Queenstown the drop is enough to make adventure seem like lunacy.
"The people who have to really try hard to jump are the ones that get the most out of it."
At least that’s the theory.
“How was that?”
“ I'm never bungee jumping again."
To see Queenstown’s rivers from another perspective, try roaring down one in a jet boat.
“Nothing like it!”
Jet boats were invented to navigate New Zealand’s shallow rivers, but it turned out that they were just as effective scary the living daylights out of customers paying for the privilege.
Queenstown has enough adventure activities to easily fill a week and you can often get your thrills on a budget by booking several adventures at once.
And while Queenstown offers one-stop adventure shopping, there are plenty of other places in New Zealand that get your pulse racing.
On the North Island the volcanic area of Rotorua is home to geysers, great hiking and an odd orb called the Zorb.
"Just rollin' around, not knowin' which way you're goin', slidin' over and under each other."
David Akers, his brother and another New Zealander invented the Zorb in 1994.
“Here we go!”
"For some people, this is their bungee jump. They're never going to do anything more adventurous than this and it's terrifying for them.”
David Akers, Zorb Inventor
"It seemed like a good idea at the time. I'll tell you at the bottom."
First-timers often feel anxious as the Zorb heads down hill, but just about the time you think this is an activity better suited to hamsters than humans, the Zorb literally knocks you off your feet.
You can’t steer it or stop it. Yet you can’t help but enjoy it.
So if you’re headed to New Zealand and you got a little spare cash and a fairly strong stomach, you too can do something crazy and live to tell the tale.
