South Island Day 10: 5-4-3-2-1-Bungeeeee!

We woke up to rain which was apparently a good thing on account of the fact it meant there was water in the river. Well yeah I can see how that would be a benefit and anyway, out of all the things to do in Queenstown when its raining I reckon white water rafting has got to be one of the best.

One Of The More Exciting Parts Of The Rafting

In all honesty the rafting was cool but not as intense as we wanted it to be. There was a lot of calm bits where we just floated down the river with only the guides to entertain us, in fact there were probably too many of them moments. I'm glad I did it but I think I'll try and do it again somewhere else with more or better rapids.
By the time we were out of the river my hands were so numb I couldn't undo any of my zips or clasps, I struggled like I'd never seen a zip before in my life before caving in and asking for help from a bloke who looked at me like I was a bit special. Fair enough really. After a hot shower to get the feeling back into our extremities we were driven back to the town centre to wait for the bus that would take us to the bungy.

Waiting. That's the worst bloody part of it. We had to wait half an hour for the bus then it was a 40 minute drive to the site, not to mention being sat 134m above the ground waiting for your turn. I was glad I hadn't cut my nails this week, it gave me something to chew on.

Its The Waiting That's The Worst Part

AJ Hackett

The bungy is the highlight of anyones trip to NZ, its compulsory to complete at least one or you'll be labeled a pussy by your peers and you won't be able to use the DVD to impress future dates after you've edited out the part where you cry like a girl and want your mum so I fully intended to do this thing. Or at least I fully intended to stand at the top with my feet tied together and have a mild panic attack. We'd decided to do the Nevis, the highest in the country because if you're going to shit your pants you might as well do it really, really high up. No, I have no idea why that counts as logic either.
The Nevis along with two others in Queenstown, one in Auckland and one in Cairns (and possibly more I dont know about) is run by AJ Hackett, that mad bloke famous for all kinds of daredevil stunts such as bungy jumping off the Eiffel Tower in 1987 and sporting a mullet in public. He's jumped off loads of stuff and millions of people have jumped commercially and lived. Bottling out wasn't really an option anymore.

The Nevis Highwire Bungy

Grinning Nervously In The Face Of Danger

We got to the base and were harnessed up, weighed again and put into groups. You jump by weight, heaviest to lightest which meant out of us three it'd be Shane then me then Nat. They cable car you across to the "rickerty tin shed hanging from a wire between two mountains" where you sit and wait until its your turn to have cuffs velcroed to your ankles and you're called to the chair. All kinds of shit goes through your mind. You plan your jump, in my head I was going to launch myself off in a beautiful swan dive and fall gracefully until the elastic caught me then I'd quickly release my feet at the top of the second bounce thus turning myself the right way up and be pulled back to the base to applause and adulation.
In reality I knew I'd probably bottle it at the point of no return and jerk to the end of the rope with my arms windmilling all the way down, fail to release my feet and have to be pulled back in upside down while all the blood rushed to my head and I returned to the top having turned a fetching shade of purple.

Pre Jump Grimace

Off He Goes

And there's the complete lack of stuff to hold onto. At the Canyon Swing you can hold onto your harness when you jump, it doesn't matter that what you're holding onto is coming with you, your head knows you're holding onto something, anything, and this really helps.
But what helps the most here is the professionalism of the guys, where the Canyon Swing guys have to pass a Sadist test the guy who clips your legs together at the bungy calms you down, as he's doing his thing he's making small talk designed to take your mind off the fact that you're about to jump off a platform 134m above a canyon. He explains what to do to release your feet and shuffles you to the edge like a penguin on death row, tells you to look straight ahead and before you know it its 5-4-3-2-1 and you override every natural instinct you have and find yourself plummeting towards the ground. And yes, screaming is acceptable when you're falling 134 metres thankyouverymuch.

Looooong Way Down!

Falling 134m

And I was well proud of my jump, I didn't hesitate or bottle out and I managed to release my feet somewhere around where I thought the top of the second bounce might be. I'm really proud of Nat and Shane an all, they're both scared of heights, the guy had to ask Shane to let go of him as he shuffled him to the edge and I've never seen Nat so quiet before. I'm not too bad with heights anymore, its jumping off them I have issues with.

Getting Ready To Jump

Nat Hanging Below The Jump Pod

But we did it. Its such an incredible feeling, I'm totally addicted to it and y'know what? We're already planning our next trip to Queenstown to do the Thrillogy which is the Kawarau Bridge, The Ledge and, of course, The Nevis. Again.

No, apparently we didn't quite freak ourselves out enough this time round.

written by

Koala Bear on February 12, 2009 from Queenstown, New Zealand

from the travel blog: Tiny Little NZ Road Trip

tagged RoadTrip, LovinIt and SouthIsland

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ye..Feel good.

written by gary on March 9, 2009

Jeebus Hannum Christo! You have to release your legs too? No f-ing way I'm EVER doing this then... Brave people.

written by Lady Muck on March 10, 2009

Well yeah, if you don't release your legs they pull you up upside down an that aint gonna be fun. You're attached by a harness an all :D

written by

Koala Bear on March 10, 2009

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