“You have just faced your fear and embraced a feeling of euphoria by bungee jumping from the Kawarau Bridge, the world’s first bungee site. With the aid of a latex bungee cord, a tool of confidence, you have conquered a feat that gives you bragging rights for life….”
Kendra and Lauryn both love roller coasters and thrill rides of all sorts and so had been longing to step up their game to bungee jumping. As we were going to be staying in Queenstown, the “Adventure Capitol of the World,” it seemed the ideal moment to finally take the leap (ha ha, pun intended). After researching all the options, they chose AJ Hackett’s Kawarau Bridge spot for its close location, cost and moderate height. Lindsay remained conspicuously quiet during all their discussions but when we had to finally decided who was going to jump, she spoke up and said she wanted to do it. I (Jen) was waffling until the very last minute but decided I would join in only to give Lindsay support. Pete was a big fat chicken (he said I could say that).
We called to reserve spots and after a nice day in Arrowtown, we drove to the bridge. The girls seemed very excited but I was starting to feel more and more nervous. In fact, I had been distracted all day by the looming inevitability that I was going to undertake something very frightening. Just for clarification- I do not like roller coasters nor thrill rides nor heights.
The Kawarau Bridge is the site of the world’s first commercial bungee jumping company. 28 years ago some crazy guy named AJ Hackett decided that leaping off into space attached to a rubber band was a good idea. The fall is 43 meters, which doesn’t sound like a lot until you convert it to feet. That is 140 feet, people! Equal to a 12 story building! And it looks like a 20 story building when you are actually up on the bridge deciding whether or not to really go through with it! They don’t refund your money if you decide not to jump BTW.
Kendra and Lauryn, being the brave ones, went first. Kendra did a really beautiful swan dive off the bridge and actually reached out and touched the river below with her hand. She was not really nervous at all. She said it helped that the guys on the bridge that hook you up to the bungee were really super helpful and did their best to boost your confidence and distract you. It also may have helped that they were both extremely good looking, which was also the case at the jetboating company. (Maybe the Kiwi extreme sports companies have some kind of attractiveness quotient that their employees must meet?) Anyway, Kendra had a blast.
Lauryn’s jump could better be described as a pike dive/fall off the side of the bridge. She is completely quiet during the fall but when she gets yanked up she lets out some kind of cute squeaky whoop/yell. She also loved it.
Now I will tell my experience. As I already mentioned, I was getting more and more anxious about the whole thing. As I walked onto the bridge I felt this nervousness evolving into a quiet panic and I started to be concerned that I might lose control of my bodily function. I turned to the girl behind me in line and just started babbling at her. “Hi, where are you from? Are you nervous? Because I am really nervous. Yep, I am pretty nervous. Have you done this before? Because I have never done this before.” I barely noticed her backing away from me slowly as I was word spewing all over her. Poor girl.
As I was getting hooked up to the bungee I noticed, in a distant part of my brain, that the kid beside me (they have two bungee cords that alternate) was taking a long time to jump. His dad was standing on the bridge behind him and encouraging him. After what seemed like a long time (and must have been at least a couple minutes) he finally jumped and let out a terrified scream. I remember thinking “Wow that kid doesn’t sound like he is having fun at all. Maybe I should not be doing this.” Apparently he was crying up on the bridge but his dad and the guide just kind of forced him to go through with it. Pete said that everyone watching felt really badly for him, because his "scream" was more like a blood curdling shriek of terror. But he was apparently glad he went through with it when all was said and done.
Lindsay was up next and she was as cool as a cucumber. She stood up there and gave a princess wave to the cameras (they take your photo up on the bridge because they want you to buy the photos and video) and then just stepped off into the abyss. Thank goodness she is a little flexible kid because when the cord started extending, her body whipped around so she was head down. And since she doesn’t weight much, when she got yanked back up, she flew around like a little rag doll! She loved it and we were super proud of how brave she was!
So now it was finally my turn to jump. After the guide wrapped some kind of blanket around my legs and attached me to the cord, I stood up on the edge of the bridge. He was talking to me and giving some sort of instruction but really honestly I had no idea what he was saying because I was about to have some kind of panic attack. I replied back to him from some kind of automatic place in my brain. Then Lauryn, who was standing behind me on the bridge because she had brought the GoPro up to me, started yelling at me “Don’t look down, Mom!” Oh thanks, Lauryn, that’s really helpful. Because, of course, I naturally did just that and almost threw up, honestly. I started to say “I don’t know if I can really do this….” when I felt a gentle push on my back and down I went. No kidding, the guy pushed me!
Then I started screaming. And let me tell you, I can scream and I can keep on screaming! It was just one long high note of terror. In the moments of free fall, I totally forgot that I was attached to a cord and instead felt that I was plunging to my death! But then the cord extended, slowing my descent, and I came to the sudden realization that I as going to live. I thought “Hey, this isn’t so bad! Ha, I laugh in the face of danger!” But then the cord reached its maximum stretch and yanked me back upwards, flinging and spinning me around so that I lost all orientation in space. This was almost more terrifying that the initial fall! So I started screaming again. Everyone watching (the customers waiting on the bridge, the people watching from the side, AND the guides) all burst into laughter because it was apparently quite humorous. (I guess you feel empathy when a kid screams in terror but when an adult woman does it, then it is just funny.) I finally stopped bouncing around and they lowered me into the awaiting raft below. My legs were shaking so badly I could barely make it up the steps back up to the building. Pete and the rest of the family were waiting for me and still chuckling about my dramatic jump. Kendra said “Wow, that was one long scream mom. Really impressive.” When we were leaving we passed one of the guides who was taking a break. He congratulated the kids on their jump and then turned to me, laughing, and said “And yours was the scream of the day!” At least I can be proud that I did NOT lose control of any bodily functions (although my voice was hoarse for the rest of the day).
So now I can cross bungee jumping off my bucket list (not that it was ever on my bucket list) and never have to jump off a high bridge ever again!
Here are a few pics from the experience. First, of Kendra on the platform giving a wave to the crowd.
And finally, a pic of the triumphant and the relieved!
And..finally, I have edited a movie and am inserting the whole thing here - it will run on Quicktime. It has all of the videos and pictures from the jump. Enjoy!Here are a few pics from the experience. First, of Kendra on the platform giving a wave to the crowd.
Next, of Jen and Lindsay, pre-jump...
PS I subsequently learned from a colleague at work that if you bungee jump naked you get to go for free. He was cycling across the bridge once and actually saw 2 young women strip down and jump off. Not that I would ever consider that. Because even more frightening than the jump itself is the thought of how a 40’s something year old body would look jumping off a bridge! Something tells me you are also glad the video you just watched is of me fully clothed, too!
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