Kawarau Bungy Jump I
It was on this abandoned railroad bridge over the Kawarau River near Queenstown that A.J. Hackett opened the world's first commercial bungy operation in 1988. The New Zealand Department of Conservation initially gave Hackett only a 30-day permit to operate, as it was not known if this extreme sport would be viable as a business. Events shortly demonstrated that indeed it was, to the point that bungys were added at more and more sites by Hackett in New Zealand and other countries.
The fall at the Kawarau Bridge is only 43 meters. I had done the Nevis Bungy jump which involves a fall of 134 meters the previous day (Day 17), so it might seem that the Kawarau River Bungy would be much more tame in comparison. This was not the case; it was a different experience entirely, even more exciting in some respects. In the Nevis Bungy, the jump takes place from a platform suspended over a canyon, and the terminal point of the descent is still several hundred feet from the ground. At the Kawarau Bridge Bungy, however, the terminal point is a few feet above the river. One not only has the experience of free fall, there is the thrill of the rapid approach to the river below, the intensity of the water overwhelming the field of vision, and the awakening of the most primal areas of the brain alerting us to immnent disaster. At the Nevis Bungy, the surrounding canyon and the creek far below are always visible. It seems the exhiliration of an 8.5 second free fall in a spectacular location is the primary source of excitement of that particular adventure.
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Preparations from the Kawarau Bridge Bungy were much less involved than for the Nevis Bungy. At Nevis, I wore a full-body harness covering my chest, back, and shoulders, and my legs were firmly bound together. I was so tightly bound I could do little more than make short hops. At the Kawarau Bridge Bungy, however, the harness extended only to my waist and around my thighs. Here I had much greater freedom of movement.
The Kawarau Bridge Bungy offers the option of being dunked partially or entirely into the river below. Being the daredevil I am, I wanted to dip at least half-way into the river, to be a "Dunkin' Do-Nick"! However, Queenstown had a fair amount of rainfall in the previous week, so the water levels of the river were higher and contained debris which posed the potential for danger to anyone being dunked into the river. Unfortunately, the dunking option was not available that day.
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I immediately sensed the difference between the experience of the Nevis Bungy and the Kawarau Bridge Bungy. Even though the fall was "only" 43 meters, the descent seemed to be much quicker than at the Nevis Bungy. At the Nevis Bungy, the ground seemed far away, and lacked the sense of rushing towards me. At the Kawarau Bridge Bungy, however, the sense of the ground rushing towards me at a rapid speed awakened the primal parts of my mind which automatically screamed, "DANGER! DANGER!"
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But there was no turning back at this point. It was too late to change my mind. I was committed to going forward.
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Even more so than at the Nevis Bungy, adrenalin flooded into my system producing a feeling of exhilirating excitement. The more rational parts of my mind were able to override the primal instincts as I reminded myself I was not in any significant danger. The operators of the bungy were quite competent professionals, and accidents were extremely rare.
The jump lasted a mere few seconds before the elastic rope extended its full length and pulled me back up when I was only a few feet away from the river. I enjoyed the experience so much that I thought applause was warranted, and I began laughing and clapping.
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The Nevis Bungy uses a winch to pull jumpers back up to the diving platform. At the Kawarau Bridge Bungy, however, a small raft on the river retrieves jumpers.
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Which is better: the Nevis Bungy or the Kawarau Bridge Bungy? I cannot say one is better than the other because both were such thrilling experiences and for different reasons. One special advantage the Kawarau Bridge Bungy has is the number of options available. Jumpers can be fully or partially immersed if they choose (see my journal entry or this page for the tale of my efforts to be a Dunkin' Do-Nick dipped into the Kawarau River). Two people may jump at the same time, side-by-side, allowing couples to share the experience. Finally, the Kawarau River Bungy has the most relaxed dress code imaginable: its web site explicitly states that "Clothing requirements: None... completely naked is quite a popular option." Now I have a new bucket list item: a naked tandem jump with a special buddy that includes full immersion!
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But the Nevis Bungy ... still ... an awesome ineffable experience.
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Last revised: August 29, 2015.
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