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02.12.2020 23:09 •  Английский язык

Would you jump off a bridge with just a cord to save you? Millions of people already have – especially in New Zealand, the home of bungee jumping! Mitchell Walker, 21, comes from Queenstown in New Zealand. It’s a small town on the South Island next to the deep-blue Lake Wakatipu and surrounded by mountains. Adrenaline junkies will find everything they need here.

On his 13th birthday, Mitchell got an unusual present. He won a radio competition, and his prize was a bungee jump from Kawarau Bridge – the world’s first and most famous jump location. “It was just awesome,” Mitchell remembers. Mitchell says he was a little scared. “It’s something many people never experience. Flying through the air, falling towards the river below – that makes you feel free.”

Land: Park life

With 14 national parks, New Zealand is filled with wonderful plants, wildlife and hiking trails. Flyn Hocart-Saunders, 21, loves the outdoors. “I have a great respect for nature,” he says. In summer Flyn, from Opotiki, works in the North Island’s Te Urewera National Park. Flyn takes tourists through the park’s wild forests. “We spend three to four days with our groups – telling them about the trees, animals and Maori legends.” The park is almost completely covered in vegetation, even on some of the highest mountains.

In winter Flyn works on Mount Ruapehu, a volcano and the North Island’s best skiing area, in Tongariro National Park. Flyn’s motto is, “Respect the mountain, and hope the mountain respects you.”

Sabine Jahn, 16, from Heilbronn in Germany, loved visiting Tongariro National Park. Last December, during her year at school in Auckland, Sabine spent a week hiking, cycling, swimming and white-water rafting at Taurewa Camp. Sabine noticed that the weather in the park can change very quickly. It can even be cold in summer, so wearing the right clothes is important.

Water, water everywhere

Under the sea, a new world is waiting. And 18-year-old Shayni Hawkins wants to take you there. “It was a childhood dream of mine to be able to breathe underwater,” says Shayni, who’s been scuba-diving for more than a year. When she was at school, she began working for the company Dive Tutukaka. “My day starts with cleaning the boat and preparing lunch,” she says. “We check the diving gear before we welcome people onto the boat. The skipper tells everyone about the trip and safety on the boat.”

Shayni lives in Tutukaka, a town on New Zealand’s north-eastern coast. Diving tours take people to Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve – one of the world’s best places for diving. Shayni says, “The current brings subtropical fish from Australia. The Lord Howe coral fish has yellow and black stripes. It’s really beautiful. There’s also the ugly scorpion fish, which is poisonous! It’s hard to see when it changes colour to look like coral.”

Shayni feels very lucky to have her job. “You meet lots of people. About half of the visitors are from other countries. It’s nice to learn about other places. I really want to dive overseas,” she says.

Safe at sea

New Zealand’s Waitakere beaches, near Auckland, are famous for their spectacular scenery, huge waves and black sand. One of the most famous beaches is Piha. It’s three kilometres long, with black and gold sand. This area is Jessica Waterer’s home. In the summer, Jessica, 19, works as a lifeguard at Piha beach. More than 3,000 New Zealanders spend their summers working as lifeguards. They’re extremely important for the safety of the swimmers at New Zealand’s many beaches. “It’s such a cool job,” Jessica says. “I work outside in the sun, on the beach. I save lives and get paid for it!”

1. an area of land that is beautiful to look at …….

2. a thick strong string or rope ……….

3. someone who is addicted to the thrill of extreme sports …….

4. a large area of beautiful countryside that is protected ………

5. an old traditional story ………..

6. trees, plants and bushes ………

7. someone or something that has lived in an area for a very very long time……

8. a slang word for special clothes and equipment you need for a particular activity ………

9. the boss on a boat; another word for captain …….

10. when a plant or animal contains something that can hurt or even kill you it is ……..

11. someone whose job it is to save a swimmer who is in danger ………