QueensTown Thrills

A quick flight across the Tasman will land you and your team in a city that has everything you need for bonding, brainstorming and goal setting ... in some pretty spectacular surrounds.

Afun-first approach is often the way to go to bring your team together and get the trip off to a positive start, and you don’t have to go far to make it happen – queenstown is new Zealand’s adventure capital, after all. Along with ski fields located just a half-hour drive from the airport, adrenaline-charged activities abound all year round in this natural wonderland, and a range of corporate incentives are available.

if bungee jumping off a bridge is too extreme on day one, strap your team into a jet boat for a wild ride with Kjet – you’ll skim along the water at speed in lake wakatipu, whizz along the Kawarau and shotover rivers, and get hearts pumping with some 360-degree turns before heading back to shore an hour later. Kjet can cater for 140 people in eight boats, and branding and sponsor logos can be placed around the river during the ride.

Private whitewater rafting charters can also be arranged for groups of 14 or more with Challenge rafting. During the five-hour trip, your team will tackle six rapid sections along the shotover river, with stretches of calm water in between to take in the views or go for a swim. rafting can be combined with other activities through the same company, such as the 109-metre-high shotover Canyon swing, skydiving or a scenic helicopter ride.

Back on land, groups of six can immerse themselves into ‘lord of the rings’ country with a nomad safaris’ off-road 4wD adventure, designed for thrill-seekers and movie buffs alike. half-day tours depart twice daily from your hotel, and the company’s fleet can accommodate large groups.

when it’s time to slow down the pace, impress your team with uninterrupted views over queenstown and lake wakatipu on a skyline gondola ride to the top of Bob’s Peak, where viewing platforms and outdoor terraces provide ideal group photo opportunities. while you’re up there, skyline queenstown can cater for conferences (suitable for up to 350 delegates theatre style or 130 classroom style), cocktail functions and gala dinners for 10-430 guests, all with a spectacular scenic backdrop. A Kiwi haka group celebrating Maori culture can be arranged to greet your team on arrival or to perform during a function.

skyline also operates the luge queenstown, a must-do activity for team members who want to feel like a kid again. You’re in charge of braking and steering as the gravity-fuelled luge carts zip round bends, over bumps and through tunnels to the bottom of the hill, where you can then take a chairlift to the top and do it all over again.

sleep, eat and meet hotel st Moritz, MGallery by sofitel is ideally located for free-time explorations, only five minutes from queenstown’s main boardwalk. There are 134 suites and apartments with Alpine-inspired interiors reminiscient of an upscale european mountain lodge. its dedicated function space, The Den, comfortably caters for 90 theatre style or in a more intimate u-shape for 20, with a postcard-perfect backdrop of lake wakatipu and the remarkables mountain range beyond.

Millbrook resort, meanwhile, is a picturesque corporate retreat set on 500 pristine acres just 15 minutes from queenstown Airport. There are facilities for conferences, banquet dinners, business meetings and teambuilding events, along with an award-

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