And what a view it is. The tandem parapenters take off from a mountain above the South Island's top lakeside resort. They soar 1,000m above a conifer valley then out across town and lake. The Remarkables mountain range and to the left Coronet Peak, in winter two of New Zealand's most popular ski resorts. Queenstown styles itself as the adrenalin capital of the world.
People come from all over to parapente, bungee jump and generally risk life and limb.
Many return to attempt higher and higher bungees. Other daredevils get their kicks from a new activity called fly by wire, where you travel 170kph in a fan-propelled sled suspended between the valley walls by cable. At night, adrenalin junkies come down to earth at the Vudu Cafe, a trendy watering hole serving plates of comfort food, from stir-fries to homemade cakes, for around pounds 3 for dinner. Later on, the crowd moves to McNeill's Brewery for live music and a few glasses of Wakatipu Gold, home brew named after Queenstown's lake, which glistens in the afternoon sun.