When my wife and I were on a cruise around New Zealand and Australia in early 2020, we got off the ship for a couple of days for a land tour of New Zealand’s south island. As we made our way across the island, we planned to stop overnight in Queenstown, a city in the mountains of the Otago region of New Zealand.
We passed some beautiful scenery getting to Queenstown.
With the lake and the mountains, the economy of the area is built around tourism with a focus on outdoor adventure. Skiing, jet boating, whitewater rafting, and bungee jumping are just a few things you can do to get your adrenaline pumping. We stopped just outside of Queenstown at the Kawarau Bridge in Queenstown to watch bungee jumping. I’m long past the age where I was interested in throwing myself off a bridge for the sake of a rush, but there were plenty of people interested in paying several hundred dollars to do it. The Kawarau River is a teal blue river that has cut a gorge through the mountains and you couldn’t find a more beautiful place to throw yourself off a bridge.
This looked like a very professional operation with lots of safety checks and extra ropes for backup if one fails to keep you from smashing into the waters below.
There was someone getting ready to jump as we got there so we spent a few minutes watching them get ready and then take the step off the bridge.
I wonder how long they give people to look over the edge and take that step. This person didn’t hesitate and off he went.
I’m sure The initial rush would be incredible, but then it would be fun as you bounce back up from the river several times before coming to a rest and being unhooked into the boat waiting below.
Our guide informed us that the scene from the Lord of the Rings where the Black Riders are chasing Aragorn on horseback was filmed just upriver from the bungee jumping operation.