Eleanor Roosevelt once said ‘Do one thing everyday that scares you’ and so we did our first bungy jump off a 43 meter bridge in Queenstown.
It just happened really. We were staying in the gorgeous Arrowtown and had rented some bikes for the day. One minute I was cycling innocently along the Arrowtown to Gibbston cycle track anticipating a relaxing afternoon of cheese and wine and the next minute I was in a harness about to tandem jump off a bridge with the husband. Petrified.
‘Don’t look down mate’ said the awesome guy who took care of our jump. Of course I looked down. And of course he was right. I ended up twice as scared. After some encouraging words about how it was normal to be apprehensive and how I wouldn’t have paid to jump off a bridge if it was easy I shuffled over to the edge of the jumping platform. And so he counted us down 3……2……….1…..!
And we jumped!
It was all over in a heartbeat. It was a total adrenaline rush and after the first bounce I was able to open my eyes (yep, they were squeezed tight shut. Because obviously my eyelids were going to save me!) and appreciate the beautiful scenery of the Kawarau river. Before I knew it we were hoisted into the inflatable dingy and were back on dry land. Utterly amazing!
After celebrating with the aptly named ‘Grow a Pair’ and ‘Can you Hackett?’ shots at the Liquid Courage bar, we collected our bungy certificate and t-shirt (which I still proudly wear. I did a bungy don’t ya know?!). We checked out our photos and DVD and had to purchase them. It’s not every day you can claim to have jumped off a bridge is it?!
Kawarau Bridge Bungy Jump
For my first jump I liked the security of having water below me and the husband attached to me! Kawarau Bridge is the only bungy in Queenstown offering a tandem jump. With a very strong chance of me backing out if flying solo we decided to be romantic and hit the water together. I have a feeling I would have reversed off the platform if I was alone but it was reassuring having the husband attached to me and encouraging me to jump. He might not admit it but photographic evidence most definitely confirms that I jumped first!
The purpose built viewing decks are a brilliant feature of the Kawarau Bridge bungy. We had a blast watching all the jumpers in the lead up to ours and despite the fact we didn’t know anyone else there, the crowd were whooping and cheering when it came to our turn and the atmosphere was great.
Read more about our New Zealand adventures here!
Overall
We had an amazing time at the Kawarau Bridge Bungy. The bungy jump was one of the most memorable moments of our trip and we were still laughing about it days later! Every member of staff we encountered were excellent, from sign in, to the jump platform and at the bar, they all made sure we were totally pumped about our experience and enjoying it. A special mention must go to the superstar guy on the platform who kept me calm and focused when all I wanted to do was reverse slowly onto dry land!