A recent ranking of the top adventure travel destinations placed New Zealand below the US, France and Australia. Photo / ChristchurchNZ
Some say New Zealand is the best country for adventure travel.
They would be wrong, according to a recent global ranking.
New Zealand is not the best, the second best, or fifth best - rather, it is the seventh best country to visit on an adventure holiday.
In fact, if you want adventure, you’re better off visiting France, Australia, Japan or the US, which was rated the best by a study from Slingo.
However, as with all “rankings” it all depends on the metrics.
In this instance, Slingo tallied the number of adventurous features including the number of Holocene volcanoes, national parks and waterfalls over 152 metres, the total coral reef area and the height of the tallest point to produce an “Adventure score”.
This score, according to the company, indicated how suitable a country is for an “adventure holiday”.
With 162 Holocene volcanoes, 3770sq km of coral reef, a 6190m high mountain, 69 waterfalls over 152 metres and 62 national parks, the US had an impressive score of 9.44 out of 10.
Meanwhile, little old New Zealand, was in seventh place with a score of 7.34, behind Australia (8.25) and France (8.09).
Naturally, the ranking falls short in several areas. Largely, as it measures the number of natural features but not necessarily their quality, or ability to be experienced. The US may have the most waterfalls over 152 metres but that doesn’t mean they are all accessible or can be rafted along like you can in other countries.
Additionally, when it comes to travel, proximity can be a hugely important factor. It’s all well and good to have many tall mountains to climb if they all take a plane ride or a long car drive to reach them.
Yet, in New Zealand, much of the appeal lies in the ability to have mountains and waterfalls, beaches and ski fields often within a short drive’s distance.
When there's nothing as far as the eye can see, you may appreciate the company.