World’s adventure capital

QUEENSTOWN–The long trip to this New Zealand alpine resort was worth it. The city is known as the world’s adventure capital where bungee jumping was invented in 1988.

Commercial jet-boating brought Queenstown its reputation as a tourist destination for adventure seekers in 1970. More tourists took an interest in Queenstown when the city offered whitewater rafting as an attraction. Nature trippers and environmentalists joined the bandwagon as the city caught the attention of travelers looking for a paradise lost.

Today, Queenstown is widely touted as "the world’s greatest adventure playground." There are enough thrills to keep one’s adrenalin pumping from sunup to sundown. Among the attractions are river surfing the Kwarau, high speed jet-boating, heli-skiing the Harris Mountains, bungee jumping, experiencing New Zealand’s challenging ski slopes, tandem paragliding, kayaking, flight-seeing, luge riding, mountain biking, skydiving, rafting and anti-gravity hand-gliding.

For less daring visitors, the attractions include strolling along the peaceful shores of Lake Wakatipu, cruising aboard a vintage steamship to a high country station, discovering the fabulous local wineries and marveling at panoramic views, especially the spectacular Remarkables mountain range, on a breathtaking gondola ride.

First to inhabit Queenstown were Maori overlanders more than a thousand years ago. But they chose to roam here only during the summer. The pioneer permanent settlers were led by William Rees in 1860.

More and more settlers invaded Queenstown when news of a gold strike broke out in 1862.

Of course, no trip to Queenstown is complete without taking a tour of the Middle Earth where the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy was filmed. "New Zealand is middle earth," said Elijah Wood. "It has every geological formation and geographical landscape you can imagine and some you can’t."

Tours of the Wakatipu basin, Glenorchy, the road to Mordor, the forest of Lothlorien and the camp of Ithilien are easily arranged out of hotels and agencies. A half-day or full-day "Safari of the Rings" is a top seller among movie buffs who are guided to the "Lord of the Rings" filming sites.

It’s no wonder New Balance chose the city as the staging area for an annual running event.

Now on its third year, the New Balance Queenstown Marathon has become an institution.

"Queenstown would have to be one of the most spectacular places in New Zealand and the world," said New Balance Asia-Pacific regional manager Darren Tucker. "It is blessed with breathtaking scenery which is spectacular all year round. Queenstown has a very cosmopolitan lifestyle with many nationalities residing and working here. The Queenstown area is world-renowned for being the capital of adventure and action."

According to New Balance’s Jason Cameron, the biggest New Zealand race is the 41-year-old Rotorua Marathon that attracts over 3,000 runners every May.

But the New Balance Queenstown Marathon, with its three events, is undoubtedly a much-awaited happening for runners because of its scenic location. Besides, it offers the largest marathon prize pool in New Zealand.

Queenstown is ranked No. 14 among the world’s best cities and was named because "it was fit for Queen Victoria."

Planet Sports, the Philippines’ No. 1 sports retailer with over 50 outlets, made this trip possible. It is New Balance’s Philippines exclusive distributor. Company president Anton Gonzalez said what distinguishes New Balance from other sports apparel, footwear and accessories manufacturers is its commitment to the consumer. Function over fashion is New Balance’s working philosophy as it invests more in research and technology to provide the best products for users than in endorsement hype.

"We don’t spend money on huge celebrity endorsements," said a New Balance spokesman. "We don’t make products to fit an image. We make products to fit everyday athletes of all shapes and sizes. At New Balance, being an athlete isn’t about being an MVP. Or an All-Star. Or a Hall of Famer. It’s about looking at the guy in the mirror and seeing the person you’ve always wanted to be–but better."

New Balance, established in Boston in 1906, has a full range of footwear for running, triathlon, tennis, indoor sports, basketball and cross-training. In the Philippines, it has two stand-alone boutique shops at Glorietta in Makati and Festival Mall in Alabang. New Balance products are available in 70 outlets all over the country.

Long distance runner Rio de la Cruz and I began our journey on a Singapore Airlines flight from Manila to Singapore last Wednesday afternoon. Then, we boarded a flight that took nearly 10 years to Auckland.

From Auckland, we flew to Queenstown on an Air New Zealand flight that was about two hours long. In all, the trip took 20 hours, including layovers.

For some reason, New Zealand airport policemen kept stopping us to inspect our travel documents. Were we suspicious-looking? We were stopped just after disembarking from the airplane by a uniformed policeman who told us not to worry. "We’re not worried." I said. Clearing immigration was no problem. But as soon as we stepped out of the immigration counter, another policeman–this time, a lady–stopped Rio. I went over to Rio but was rudely told by the policewoman to move on. Rio later confided he had difficulty understanding the New Zealand accent. We were again stopped before leaving the customs area.

Other than the interruptions, our trip to New Zealand went smoothly.

New Balance billeted us at the plush Heritage Hotel which has 178 rooms, indoor and outdoor heated swimming pools, a fully-equipped gym, sauna and spa. Balconies in each room look out to Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables mountain range.

Coordinating the visit of New Balance’s Asian participants was Asia-Pacific regional marketing manager Qing Ni of Hong Kong.

On our first night here, Qing brought our group–made up of two Indonesians, one Chinese, two Koreans, two Taiwanese, two from Hong Kong and two Filipinos–to the Lake Hayes Winery for a cocktail reception.

If Queenstown is a gauge, New Zealand–with a population of only four million people–is a beautiful country to visit.