This was the day. As stated in an earlier blog the decision to delay the bungy jump for the sake of a lower bunk had been made with some trepidation. The day we had arrived in Queenstown had been sunny and nice. This day was gray and rainy with mist in the mountains where we were bound. Oh well, guess one doesn’t need great viability to jump to one’s doom. If the truth be known…the A.J. Hacket Bungy has a perfect safety record with no fatalities. No worries then. Easy enough to say…believe me when I tell you…not so easy to do. Scary as can be…and as you may already know from past adventures, the bumbler is not easily scared.
We had just gotten off the bus. Was traveling with Ryan and Johann, a couple of recent buddies from another bus group. We were all pretty excited and nervous. Saying to each other “nothing to worry about”. Just then we looked over to the jumping platform to see a guy jumping accompanied by the most heartfelt terrified scream one could imagine. Right on cue that was, could not have scripted it any better. Almost cliche. Nonetheless we went into the center and showed our hands which had been marked on the left hand with red marker our weight in kilos. The right had our bus number and jump number. We were then reweighed to be certain of our weight. Was congratulated on losing a kilo on the bus journey. Different calibration of the scales I recon.
The jump center was very modern and high tech. Large oval center desk trimmed with a wood theme. Several people serving past and current jumpers. Doling out the free t-shirts to those who had just jumped and taking the video and photo orders, all with a cheerful smile. A dozen 24” monitors lined the walls. The computer system was very sophisticated. After would be most appropriate tot jump, one is able to enter their number into the touch screen tablet and it brings up the photos and video from your jump. People are able to purchase videos of their jump taken from far away as well as photos from the booth mounted cameras. Eventually had to order the video as there was no other way to really recapture the experience. Once you purchase the video you are given a number to access the file online for the next 6 months. Sweet As.
So they have this saying here…”Sweet As…” It is up to the individual to interpret this in whatever positive manner which is appropriate for the occasion. Note: The actual saying of what it is that is “Sweet As,,,” is simply not done.
We were then advised to use the toilets if necessary as it is difficult once you are in the harness. Once done we stepped outside where racks of harnesses were hanging from a rack. We were fitted out with one, proper adjustments made. Attached to it was lanyard of 1” tubular stitched nylon webbing and a carabeiner. The time was drawing neigh with alarming rapidity. This was starting to happen bro. We were ushered outside through a door labeled “jumpers” and an arrow pointing the way to our meet with destiny. Outside the air was a fresh 50 degrees or so with a fair wind. Chilly.
The Nevis Bungy Jump main building is located at the top of a deep canyon. There are large wire rope cables strung between the peaks. On these is a hi-tech motorized platform which drives the car out to the center of the canyon. The Platform is a maybe 10×10 foot square room suspended below the cables. It remains stationary in it’s location. To Access it you must first don a harness then get clipped into a safety wire attached to the top of a small aluminum trolley car designed to carry several people at a time to an from the suspended platform. The crossing itself just getting to the airborne platform in the center of the canyon started to give one a feeling of unease as it gained height as it neared the main jumping station which was 134 meters above the canyon floor. (That’s almost 400 feet for those from the old system.)
The station was like room with two sections. In the section we were first admitted to was a ledge about a meter or 3 feet high you could hop up on. This we did when asked so they could strap secure leggings tightly around our calves. Then hopped down. The room had a clear Plexiglas strip about one foot wide running down the center of the room so you could see the other jumpers as they jumped. Which they were doing with rapidity.
Guess who was the first of our group to go. Yup. ok…here we go now. Ushered into the room and clipped in again. Was sat down in what was like a dentist’s chair. Didn’t help that the damn thing’s base had a little wobble so that when you sat in it it fell back a couple of centimeters then stopped. Just what you needed at this point. As you sat in the chair they attached the actual bungy mechanism to the previously attached leggings. Further, they explained that after your third rebound from the jump you needed to yank on a lanyard hard to the left to remove the pin that was holding you upside down. At the apex there would be little force on the pin and it should be easy to remove. That was the theory and in fact that’s what happened…but not just yet.
First you had to swing your legs out of the chair. Once your feet were planted firmly on the deck, one needed to hop and shuffle your way forward as your feet were now locked together. Little details became clear as the wind increased on your face as you neared the very short plank you would soon be walking.
You were asked to pose for a picture out front…hi..little wave…breathing in, breathing out…quick look down as you neared the edge just to see where your feet were going…big mistake. Another photo..hi…focus on the opposite mountain…breath in, breath
out..countdown…three…two…one…and…JUMP for…aaaaaahahhhhhhahahhahhhhhhahhhahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhha…couldn’t help myself. A blood curdling primal scream came from deep within and lasted the entire terrifying 8.3 seconds of free fall until the bungy cord finally took weight and gently stopped you….and zzooooommmm…back up…up…up…and a blessed moment of weightlessness…wonderful….then plummeting back down…gently stopping, then, …..up..up…up…weightless again…liking it…once more down then…ok, gotta pull the lanyard in the weightless moment….yanked to the left hard, yikes! it didn’t budge! Yanked once, twice even harder and then…it came out and released the pin allowing me to swing around to the upright sitting position in the harness. Whew! Shortly thereafter heard the click of the retrieval mechanism hitting the top of the bungy rig. Soon the feeling of being reeled up quickly higher and higher… until you are once again at the platform. You are pulled in, congratulated and re clipped while the rig is removed from your feet. You are then ushered along until you are in the other room. Shortly thereafter you hop up again on the ledge and have the leggings removed. You did it. Now it was time to lord it over the other suckers who hadn’t jumped yet and wish them the best as they confronted their trust and fear issues. Rather like having just finished an extensive dental appointment. Glad to have it done and glad you did it…but not particularly anxious to repeat the experience right away.
Would I do it again….you betcha. Waiting until I’m 75 years old when it’s free.
The next event was Johann’s Big Canyon Swing.. He had bought all three. The jump, the swing, and the catapult, which was unfortunately not working at the moment.
The swing is a different animal. The two large cables stretch across another part of the canyon. On them rides a motorized sled like device. It’s initial position is at the boarding platform which is reached by crossing a 100 foot long suspension bridge from the main area. This is a larger platform and even has a lower viewing platform. The entire double room is hanging from the cables. Again, a similar layout with a reception area/viewing platform and a waist high fence separating the two areas. The other area is the small launch area. Once in this area the “swinger” already in their harness is strapped into a stout fabric bosin’s chair. A motorized arm the lifts the jumper up and away from the platform ready for release. While this is happening the sled has been trraveling to it’ launch position in the center of the canyon. Meanwhile, the person setting the rig up is talking to the would be swinger distracting them with some small talk and then baam, they hit the release. The person then falls nearly straight down for maybe 100 feet until the cable begins to take hold and then swings them in a giant arc. Thrilling to be sure. The sled platform then begins to reel them up. Once they are high enough the sled traverses back to the main platform. The arm then secures them and lowers them gently onto the edge of the platform. Feet place securely on the edge they are helped to their feet. Then they are clipped into a safety line overhead and led out to the reception area. A thrilling ride to be sure but much easier then the bungy jump in that it requires no active participation from the swinger.
Soon we are back in the main building getting the “free” t-shirt and purchasing photo’s and/or videos of the day’s events. After a short wait we are boarding a bus for the trip back to town. They are a busy facility and have buses running every half hour or so. Back at the hostel it was time to use the sauna and pack up for the trip to Lake Tekapo the following day. The five days in Queenstown have passed all too quickly but the bumbler is ready to be on the road again.
Adventures with Kevco 