5,4,3,2,1...Bungy!!!!

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Kawarau Bridge Bungy

Urban Ledge Bungy

As promised, the Bungy experience was on the list and now the box has been ticked, twice.

I decided to do two bungy jumps in a day, two very different jumps and at a discounted rate! Truth is there were three available and I chose not to do the highest and scariest of the three. "Wimp", I hear you say but you'd be wrong. Actually the biggest and highest is an ankle bungy over a massive and bleak ravine - I chose instead to do the wet, head-dunking Kawarau Bridge bungy and the ubiquitous Quenstown Ledge with the amazing backdrop of the evening's town lights and a beautiful sunset. They were very different but the formula's the same - you jump, you blur, the ground rushes up and as you pray, it begins to slow as the elastic cord does it job leaving you to bounce around, adrenaline cursing through the veins. It's very exhilirating and back on land, difficult to both describe and rememeber as it all happens so fast. That was one of the reasons I chose to do two - I thought I'd feel less fear and would be able to take in the second more fully. As it turned out, I was more concerned about the style and form of my jump that again, it rushed by in a blur...

It's a weird feeling throwing yourself off a ledge - it doesn't quite compute but for me, I didn't really feel the fear once I was there about to do it. I'm not saying I wasn't scared and trying to be all macho. To be honest I was absolutely sh**ting myself on the drive up to Kawarau Bridge and babbled absolute nonsense to the girls who took my money and my weight. Once the harness was on and my ankles tied the fear had pretty much gone and the realisation of what I was about to do and that there was no way of turning back (without looking like a total pussy), had sunk in. You peer over the precipice, waffle a few words at the cameras dotted around then it's 5..4..3..2..1....BUNGY! The next thing you know you're bouncing around on the end of a cord and in the Kawarau bridge case, pissing wet through having been dunked upto your waist (head I asked for, only head!). That's it really, you get a few cool pictures to treasure and a DVD to scare your Mum and Dad, you buzz with adrenaline for hours afterwards and then you start to plan the next "extreme" fear you wish to face. Since the freefall was no more than a couple of seconds it makes sense that the next time I throw myself into the void it should be out of a plane!

I think the photos and videos pretty much speak for themselves - so have a look and enjoy!

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Photos

Kawarau Bridge - The Bridge
43m to the wet

Kawarau Bridge - Arrived, Weighed, Ready...
...and bricking it.

Kawarau Bridge - The Safety Harness
Jumpers are strapped by their ankles but this the reserve chute (so to speak). Apparently it's never been required to be used at Kawarau.

Kawarau Bridge - The 7 P's
Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance (and death!)

Kawarau Bridge - On The Ledge
There's no turning back.

Kawarau Bridge - The Bounce
Emerging from the river a little wetter than before.

Kawarau Bridge - Wet But Alive!
That's pure relief in those eyes!

The Ledge - The Leap
It felt a lot more stylish than it actually looks.

Comments

[The Taylors]

What next?
You're not really going to jump from a plane are you Tom? We can only take so much - we feel drained watching the bungy clips! We'll be pleased when you are both relaxing in Fiji. Surely you can't find danger there! Love your exhausted family xx