Bungee Jumping in New Zealand - A Heart-Stopping Adventure

Bungee jumping began in Queenstown, New Zealand pioneered by A.J. Jackett and Henry van Asch in 1988. Their first commercial bungee thrill adventure began at Kawarau Bridge outside of Queenstown but has now expanded to other sites in New Zealand and other countries around the world.

One of the other sites in New Zealand is the Nevis Swing suspended 160 metres above the canyon floor with a 120 metre rope length. After their release, participants race towards the other side of the valley at speeds of up to 120 km per hour. It is considered to be the world's largest swing.

Another heart-stopping attraction is the Ledge Bungee which is 400 metres above Queenstown. At this site you can leap in the moonlight with the stars shining brightly above or during the day with the view of the town below. Or, take a trip up the gondola above Queenstown to try the Ledge Swing and get a thrilling view of the town and Lake Wakatipu. Of if you're not quite up to the Ledge Swing, you can take the gondola up to the fantastic restaurant at the top, as I did, and view the lake and town after a wonderful meal. The swing ride over the lake takes one hour to complete.

Bungees used are similar to the bungee cords that we have all used at one time or another to keep things fastened and in place. Because of this firm elastic cord, the person free-falls, rebounding many times until the bouncing gradually lessens.

The idea of bungee jumping has been around for many hundreds of years. On Pentecost Island in Vanuatu, young men jump from platforms with vines tied to their ankles to test and prove their manhood. The story goes that a young woman was the first to do this in Vanuatu. And in 1979 members of the Oxford University Dangerous Sports Club made a bungee-type jump from the 250 foot Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol. They were arrested for their effort. Before he began his commercial bungee jumping enterprise, Hackett jumped from the Eiffel Tower and that was the beginning of the world's interest in bungee jumping.

When the two young men attempted to get financing from the bank they were turned down. No bank wanted to be part of a crazy scheme where people jumped off a bridge. They felt the risks were too high and so declined. Hackett and van Asch were eventually able to get financial backing from friends and relatives to begin their bungee jumping enterprise. Initially given a twenty-one day license to operate, they had twenty-eight people willing to pay seventy-five dollars each to enjoy the experience of a lifetime on their first day of operation. It wasn't long before the adrenaline rush experience of jumping off a bridge caught on and now many visitors to New Zealand wouldn't consider leaving the island without trying this heart-stopping thrill of a lifetime.

While I prefer the safety of terra firma, there are many adrenaline rush addicts who enjoy the experience of jumping off into space and plunging to the water below before that bounce propels them up again to continue the experience until the bounce lessens. Since Hackett and van Asch opened their business in November of 1988, millions of people have participated to become one of the many thrill-seeking adventurers. I wish I was brave enough to be one of them. Watching those souls braver than I was as close as I ever want to get to the experience.