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Published: October 22nd 2015
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So….my first day in Queenstown, I did two really crazy things. One was semi-planned and highly anticipated and the other was as impulsive as can be. I ended up getting my lip pierced and then bungy jumping off a ledge, overlooking 400m over Queenstown. You can probably guess that the former was the impulsive act. If you know me well, you're probably thinking, who is this girl? She was never like this!! She planned everything months in advance to executing them. Well, it sounds cliche but I really have changed quite a bit. And sure, we may be talking about piercings and adrenaline activities, but seriously. Even just with everyday life, this adventure has changed me and helped me become so comfortable and confident in my own skin and my decisions. So, back to the jumping off a ledge thing. I made a friend in the hostel moments before I left to ride the gondola up to the ledge bungy and he was very shocked that I was going to be bungy jumping without as much as a friend by my side. I told him hey, I decided to travel alone so I was prepared to do all these things on
my own and be my own cheering squad! He was nice enough to ride the gondola up with me but didn't end up coming further up to the ledge. Before I knew it, I was signing the waiver and being buckled into the straps. The instructor was saying a whole bunch of things and honestly, I wasn't listening at all. All I could hear was the sound of my own heart beat pumping so hard and all I could feel was the cold on my finger tips and the exaggerated lump in my throat from sudden nervousness. While Queenstown was still very much experiencing winter on this day, if you looked out into the horizon, the sights would appear otherwise. It was such a clear day, I could see the bright blue of the lakes around us and the crisp white snow on the mountains (I felt like I could reach out and touch it…thats how high up I felt). The instructor continued to talk at me until he realized I wasn't quite listening and then reminded me that its alright, as long as I jump and avoid standing there staring for too long, it wouldn't be as tough as
it seems (yeah, easy for him to say...this was the same guy dangling his legs off the ledge waiting for us to sign our waivers). They asked me to say something to the camera before I jumped and all I could stomach was a weird grunting noise. I gave them a nervous smile and waited for them to count me down. Well, thats a lie. I didn't quite wait. I just jumped when he got to two but its alright because I made it out of that alive. That force pulling me down (I think they call it gravity, lol) was so strong that I couldn't help but involuntarily close my eyes. When I realized they were closed, I quickly reopened them to come to terms with what was happening. I was flinging through the air and I was alive!!! Wooo! It was over so fast that the scariest part really was the moments before I made the jump. I dangled there for a while before they sent me a harness to strap to myself so they could pull me back up. There were lots of tears streaming down my face but I promised the instructors that they were happy
tears 😊
I spent the rest of the day in a Euphoric state. I treated myself to a NZ famous burger called the Ferg Burger (vege version of course). It was so delicious and huge and I had to be that pretentious person, sitting there cutting it with a fork and knife before eating it (I didn't want locked jaw, naturally!) The rest of my time in Queenstown was spent like a true tourist. Of all the towns in New Zealand, I would definitely say that Queenstown is very touristy. Its expensive and thrives off the fact that people from all over the world come here to see the wonderful landscapes and enjoy the activities. I spent my last day in Queenstown reuniting with my two French mates from Auckland (the same ones that I had gone on a week long road trip with, remember?). It was lovely seeing Mikael and Colin and we spent the day on the Luge (kinda like a go-kart but no motor..and the course is down a cliff with lots of sharp turns). Mikael works at the Luge so perks included free all day passes. I got really spoiled on my last night in Queenstown by these two - they made me authentic French crepes and we drank some delish wine.
I had an early flight back to Auckland the next morning so we said our goodbyes earlier than desired but I knew that I would be seeing these two again one day.
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