Cable Bay Adventure Park – Skywire Experience

We had the opportunity to spend three incredible weeks in New Zealand, experiencing amazing adventures in both the North and South Island. But one attraction stood out amongst the others and that is the Cable Bay Adventure Park.

Having seen their Skywire Experience on social media, we knew it was something we desperately wanted to do. As we drove along the Northern coast of the South Island towards Nelson, we decided to book online last minute and head to Cable Bay. We’ll ruin the surprise now by telling you that this is one of the best things we have ever done in our lives. Although we’re pretty scared of heights, it was the most outstanding thrill ride and something we’d love to do again someday. Because of that we want to bring you our experience of Cable Bay Adventure Park and more specifically the Skywire, because that’s why most people visit.

Where and What is Cable Bay Adventure Park?

Cable Bay Adventure Park is a 15-minute drive from the centre of Nelson and only a couple of minutes off state highway 6. You will see signs along the way but it’s always best to use Google maps. Their address is.

194 Cable Bay Road
RD1, Nelson 7071

The park has almost 400 hectares of native forest and is seen as a mini national park like area, offering a range of activities and facilities. Within the forest is a wide range of New Zealand trees, including gigantic Matai, Totara and Kahikatea, with some being over 1,500 years old. We loved discovering about the natural flora and fauna of the forest area during our drive up to the Skywire.

Adventure Park allows public access so that people can explore the forests walking trails. But there is also a trail for mountain bikes which you can use once you’ve purchased a day pass. We saw lots of bikers during our time there and the trails looked like an adrenaline junkies dream.

As with many communities in New Zealand, Adventure Park has a strong connection to Māori traditions. They have a responsibility of Kaitiakitanga which means guardianship, protection or preservation, basically that there is a deep relationship between people and the natural world. Because of this they care for the forest with environmental projects and by planting trees native to the South Island.

Booking the Skywire Experience

As we mentioned above, our booking of the Skywire experience was very last minute, in fact it was an hour before our time slot. We wouldn’t recommend this because popular attractions such as Skywire can book up fast. We’re incredibly grateful that there were slots available. But we also understand that for some of you who suffer with nerves, you may prefer to book last minute. So, if you’re ok with the risk of missing out, then there is an option that you can prebook online just before you head over, or even book when you arrive at the park.

If you’re booking in advance, then head to the site and choose the activity you wish to do. You will be asked for the number of people, the date and time of when you want to enjoy the experience. We paid 110 New Zealand Dollars (2025) each which is around 50 British Pounds, and in all honesty knowing what we know now it was worth every penny.

If you wish to book any of the other activities then you will find that the process is pretty much the same.

Arriving at Cable Bay Adventure Park

The entrance is clearly signed and there’s a large car park for visitors which is free. After parking up, we headed over to the reception building to sign in. Once we had signed in, we were told to fill in a participant agreement or waiver form, which is normal when you’re involved in activities such as this. Information is completed on a touch screen tablet, and they will ask for emergency contacts and some medical information. There is also a section to read and sign, so they can ensure that you understand the activity you are about to do.

We get it, reading and signing information such as this is quite scary, especially when you’re already nervous. Just take your time and provide as much information as you can, because once that is done its all fun from there.

Your meeting spot for the experience is just outside the reception building, so make sure you’re there before the time slot (we think they recommend 10 minutes before).

Base Café at Cable Bay Adventure Park

You’re probably going to need the toilet before you head off for the experience, although there is one up there. So, your next stop is the Base Café which had toilet facilities, but it’s also a great spot for something to eat and drink. Even if you can’t imagine eating before because of nerves, you may afterwards.

The café is open every day with their usual hours being 9am to 4pm, but there are extended hours throughout the Summer. Base Café has plenty of seating including comfy couches, with amazing views of the fields and mountains all around.

If you are hungry then you’ll be pleased to hear that they have lots of home-made options including pies, sausage rolls, scones, muffins and other sweet treats. There is an Al-a-Carte menu and daily specials board which includes a weekend roast, home-made burgers and all-day breakfast, to name a few. All the menu items are available for takeaway, and they have a number of Vegetarian, Vegan and Gluten Free choices.

Because we were nervous, we didn’t eat, but we did have a drink and thankfully Base Café is a licensed bar, so they have craft beer, wines and lots of non-alcoholic options such as tea and coffee.

We loved Base Café, it was the perfect spot to compose ourselves before heading off on our experience. Make sure you have enough time before or after to spend a little time there and grab something to eat or drink.

What Activities are Available at Cable Bay Adventure Park

Before we go into the main activities, we thought it would be easier to summarise the type of things you can enjoy at Cable Bay Adventure Park.

• Skywire Experience – One of the world’s longest flying foxes,
• Quad Bike Tours – Farm Forest Ride / Bayview Circuit,
• Paintball,
• Mountain Biking and Bike Hire.

What we love is that there’s pretty much something for everyone, even if the thought of heights fills you with absolute dread. Cable Bay Adventure Park offers activities such as feeding animals and even if the weather doesn’t go your way, they have waterproof clothing to avoid getting drenched. There are some options where they will pick up groups from nearby towns, but we’d recommend contacting them for further information.

Skywire Experience

As it got closer to our time slot, we stood outside the reception office until a member of staff called out our time. The first step in your experience is to get to the Skywire platform and this involves jumping into a shuttle bus and driving for about 15 minutes (it’s around 4km). Now the terrain up is a little bumpy and at times we did wince at how close to the edge the bus got. But we felt safe in the driver’s hands, because they’ve done this route a million times. As we drove, they provided us with stories about the wildlife in the area, the history of the trees and how the park came to be. We will admit that as we climbed higher and higher the views got more beautiful, but we also kept thinking ‘surely this is high enough, you can stop now’.

When we did reach the top the view was breath-taking, but a little frightening knowing that we were about to fly across the tree canopy. There is a type of base camp up there with toilets and an information centre, so make sure you pop in before heading around to the Skywire itself.

Skywire can only be described as a zip wire or flying fox, and it is 300 meters above the base café. Because of this you have incredible views of Cable and Delaware Bays, the western ranges and north towards D’urville island. But for those of you who don’t know a lot about the geography, the main thing you’ll notice is the vast number of trees, because the entire area is just densely green.

A hen party had arrived before us, so we had the opportunity to watch them do the Skywire and ask how it was. It was then our turn, luckily for us there was a nice group who had travelled up with us and some of their party joined us on the Skywire, but the others filmed us using our mobile phone. Unlike many other experience days, Cable Bay Adventure Park doesn’t offer photograph or video packages, so you have to do it yourself or ask other groups if they would.

You will probably be weighed before you get into the ‘flyer’, mainly so the staff member can work out the best way to put you and any others on. It of course needs to be balanced and as such you may be asked to sit in a specific place.

Steps are placed under what can only be described as a framed dome, and you step up and sit in one of the four ‘flyers’ seats. Although it’s hooked up, you will find that the frame will wobble a touch as you and the other guests sit down. The next part is strapping yourself in with the 5-point harness, which can be a little confusing, but the member of staff will help you out to make sure it’s all safe.

Once you’re strapped in then final checks will be done, and you’ll be unhooked. The gate which is across for safety will be slid open and you will be moved forward. This is when the nerves will really kick in and you’ll be wondering why on earth you booked this in the first place. That sheer expanse of forest is pretty daunting, especially when you cannot see the entire length of cable because there’s so much of it. But suddenly away you go at quite a speed, in fact Cable Bay Adventure Park state that you have around 1000 meters of gravity assisted freewheeling, with speeds reaching up to 100 kph. This is followed by about 600 meters at a more leisurely pace, providing plenty of time to look around and enjoy the scenery. You can feel the speed as you fly across the canopy of trees but aside from it being a touch windy, it doesn’t feel too much or extreme. We quite enjoy fast rollercoasters, so this wasn’t too much for us, but it did go on for some time. This is great because you can enjoy everything around you, but not so great if you’re eager to get it over and done with.

Stupidly we assumed that the ride would be one way, alike many other zip lines or wires. But nope, you’ll do it all again but this time it’s backwards. Now you’re starting to see why the price is a bargain, because you cover quite a distance. Going backwards isn’t too severe but because we could see the ground beneath our feet, you could gauge how fast it was going; let’s just say it was fast.

At this point the nerves had settled a lot and we focused more on enjoying the scenery, which was incredible. Again, it felt like we were moving backwards for quite a while and then suddenly we were at the platform, hooked back up and the gate was moved across.

That feeling after you get off is pure exhilaration, the adrenaline rush was incredible and the pride of having done something which filled us with dread was immense. So, you’ll probably spend the entire drive back smiling from ear to ear and rightfully so. If we have the opportunity to go back to New Zealand, we would definitely head to the Adventure Park and do the Skywire again. We felt incredibly safe and had the most amazing time, whether it was the funny stories on the drive up by the member of staff, or the actually Skywire itself which was thrilling.

Once you’re back at the reception area then it’s time to say your goodbyes and off you go, or you could head to the Base Café for a celebratory drink.

As you can imagine the Skywire is weather dependent, so if its windy or there is heavy rain then they may have to cancel. The overall experience takes about 90 minutes, but this includes the drive up and back.

There are a few specific requirements including children under 14 years of age must be accompanied by an adult. Child rates apply to anyone 15 years of age and under. The minimum height is 1.2 meters, there is no age limit, but there is a combined weight capacity of 400kgs.

Quad Bike Tours

We didn’t have the opportunity to do the Quad Bike Tour, nor did we see anyone on them when we were in the park. So, we’ll have to simply provide you with information from the site and other reviews.

We’ve mentioned already about how beautiful the area is, so imagine getting to see the native forest, as well as incredible coastal views on a self-drive quad bike. Cable Bay Adventure Park offers two different tours, the Farm Forest Ride and the Bayview Circuit. The first is 1.5 hours and the second is around 2.5 hours, both offering incredible views and excitement. The shorter quad bike tour is currently (2025) 135 New Zealand Dollars which is about 60 British Pounds and the longer is 190 NZD which is about 84 British Pounds; again, an amazing price for what you are getting.

If you’re interested in the Farm Forest Ride, this follows the forest trails up to the Skywire so you can enjoy the views before heading back down to the farm. Once there you will travel around the flats, through the river and back to the base. The longer Bayview Circuit explores over 14km of forest trails which includes riding past the Skywire and the Bayview lookout which overlooks the Delaware Bay. Then you head back to the farm where some light refreshments are included.

Drivers must be a minimum of 16 years of age, as such you will be required to show identification with a proof of your date of birth. As you can imagine you will be given a full safety briefing before you begin the tour and a chance to practice on a track before you head out.

Paintball

Cable Bay has a paintball playing field, which offers plenty of obstacles for a fun environment. Again, as with the other activities there will be waivers to sign and health and safety briefings for all visitors to the paintball site. You will be provided with equipment including overalls and full face non fogging masks. This activity isn’t something that you could just book and head over like the Skywire. Reservations are needed and there must be a minimum of 10 players. The park recommend that you arrive at least 15 minutes before the start time and most games last about 1.5 hours. The price at the time of writing (2025) is 35 NZD which is about 15 British pound.

Mountain Biking and Bike Hire

As we drove up to the Skywire platform we crossed paths with a number of mountain bikers, sometimes quite literally as they flew in front of our shuttle through the forest. Cable Bay began as a place for bikers, offering incredible trails for the experienced and beginners. You can bring your own bike or hire one to use when you’re there.

Access to the park can be done via yearly membership or through purchasing a day pass, with the day option being a mere 20 NZD (2025).

Should I Visit Cable Bay Adventure Park and the Skywire Experience?

The answer to this question may seem pretty obvious, but it’s a resounding YES! We had such an incredible time during our trip to New Zealand but honestly Cable Bay and the Skywire was such a standout activity. We’ll remind you that we are terrified of heights and when we say that, we’re not exaggerating. So, we have no idea what got into us that day, we can only think it’s because we booked so last minute. Thank God we did, because it’s an experience which changed us, in fact the day after, we zip lined somewhere else; albeit that was shorter and closer to the ground.

The crux of it is, if you’re scared of heights and you can push through those fears, then this is the place to do it. Because you’re in the domed structure, it feels safer than the usual zip lines and more like a rollercoaster at a theme park. The only exception is that the height and length of the line is immense, then add in the views of endless greenery; honestly, it’s breathtaking.

As with most attractions in New Zealand, we found the cost of Cable Bay Adventure Park’s activities to be quite cheap. Add in the great crew members who made our time fun, the Base Café and their incredible range of food and drinks, and finally beautiful scenery, the likes of which we came to expect from this amazing country.

The journey from Nelson is incredibly short, but if you don’t have transport then contact the park because there are options available if you book for enough people.

If you visit Cable Bay Adventure Park and try any of the experiences there, especially the Skywire, then please tag us on Instagram. We love to see what our followers are doing as they tick off items from their bucket list.