"Ashgabat", our guide Dima said slowly, choosing his words carefully between mouthfuls of steaming meat pie, "is paradise".

Fast boats, helicopter views and thundering water - the central plateau provides adrenalin galore, writes Beck Vass.

Saddle up with a friend, your partner, or the kids these holidays. Some of these facilities also offer school holiday camps.

Fifty-seven years after Sir Edmund Hillary scaled Everest, Kiwi sailor Graeme Kendall has knocked another bastard off.

Get your blood pumping with these adventurous activities in and around Auckland.

The power of Krakatoa is awe-inspiring, writes Michael Travers.

Mark Inglis tells of the charity which sees him taking Kiwis to the Himalaya.

City dweller Janna Hamilton gets out of her comfort zone, spending a weekend getting wild in Poronui - albeit with a large dose of luxury.

The 51st Traverse team are treated to overwhelming hospitality as they journey through Tajikistan, writes Rob Gray.

James Russell heads south to the Waikato and a property which offers a range of activities to get the blood pumping.

Ancient caves, deadly snakes and hungry crocs - Pamela Wade experienced it all during a trip to Queensland's Capricorn Coast.

Matt Crook reports on a smack-you-in-the-face adventure.

On a pool table at a Fox Glacier pub, a variety of drinks were arranged alongside the words "RIP Boys", as locals remembered their friends killed in Saturday's plane crash.

Geoff Thomas shares infectious enthusiasm and fishing tales from a neighbouring island.

An island holiday can be more than lying on a beach, discovers a culturally enriched, exhilarated and exfoliated Andrew Stone.

Joelle Thomson has a day of adventure in Auckland's west - all the while managing to stay clean and dry, despite the dreary weather.

Shelley Bridgeman sits in on an Auckland tour group to see what visitors learn about our city and to see it through a fresh pair of eyes.

A man whose daughter died in a bridge-swinging accident is applauding planned adventure tourism regulations but says the Govt should have moved sooner.

You can't legislate for stupidity, freak occurrences or the weather - but the Govt's proposal is a virtual admission current rules are too relaxed.

All risky adventure tourism businesses would have to be registered and pass an upfront safety audit to operate, under a new Government proposal.

A temporary home on wheels provides a delightfully different way to discover new corners of Australia, writes David Dewhurst.

Graeme Lay braves high seas to get a local's perspective of all the best parts of Rangiroa atoll, an hour northeast of Tahiti.

Jim Eagles travels a well worn path through a historic landscape and finds plenty of remnants from its fascinating past still in place.

A skier caught in an avalanche on Mt Hutt has described how he fought to stay on top of the snow.