Queenstown: The Bungy

I would like to start this out with an apology to my mother.  She was adamant that she did not want me to bungee, and when I called like the terrible child that I am and told her gleefully that I had jumped off a bridge with nothing but rope around my ankles, she said she didn’t want to think about her baby doing that.  You might want to skip this next part, Mom.

Rachel graciously allowed me to write this in first person as this was something that I had never done and as she is a veteran of bungee jumping, it was decided that I should give you all the fresh terror myself. We woke up that morning and walked down to book the bungee jump before I could second-guess myself, and Rachel finally broke down and signed up as well after waffling for a good two days on whether to do it again or not. In the end, she couldn’t resist, and off we went to Patagonia, an excellent coffee and chocolate cafe, for a bracing coffee before being loaded onto a bus to our doom (please excuse the histrionics). 
            
The company that we jumped through is AJ Hackett, which actually started the business of bungee jumping. The Kawarau Bridge, at 43 meters over the Kawarau River, is the first commercial bungee site and it is obvious that these people have everything down pat: safety, weighing, video, pictures, etc. At the site itself, we were weighed and given a slip, then sent up to the bridge. Once they were actually wrapping my feet with cords and towels, I could only tell myself that I was an idiot for doing this, as Rachel laughed behind me. Up on the jumping platform, I really, really did not want to let go of the bridge, staring down at the water below me, but the bungee guide said, “3,2,1 jump!” and there was nothing left to do but jump. During the free fall, there was a moment of mindlessness, a moment of panic, and then the cord started to catch my fall and it was pure enjoyment. After a head dunking in the river below, two bungee employees reeled me into a boat, and I sat on the side to watch Rachel jump. She managed a perfect swan dive (even the bungee guys were impressed) and jumped so far out she didn’t even hit the water. The jumps were over and all we (I) could do was giggle in disbelief that it was actually over.

            

Following a tradition started by Briana, Chris and Rachel the last time they jumped, we got a celebratory Fergburger and stuffed ourselves to the brim on the waterfront, elbowing away aggressive seagulls and ducks. After all the excitement, something a little more sedate was called for, and we headed to the gardens for reading and napping. Some laundry and email checking later, we met Kate and Craig for some excellent Thai food and then retired for the night, completely wiped out from the adrenaline rush earlier in the day.