Tag Archives: Adrenaline

12/03/2024
Leave a comment
New Zealand, Travel

Sky Jumping…Again

It’s been a while, hasn’t it?

It was back in 2007 when I last jumped off a perfectly sound building. Flash forward a dozen or so years and here I am back on top of the Sky Tower in Auckland, New Zealand.

It was a rather misty day in Auckland. I was super pumped to jump again but the low clouds had me nervous.

Once again, I made my way up to the tippy top of the Tower via elevator and looked out over downtown Auckland.

There were five of us jumping that morning and when asked who wanted to jump first, I hesitated. In that moment of hesitation one of the other people in my group shot their hand up and volunteered. That started a domino effect of every one else going ahead of me.

The waiting was the worst part.

I watched as everyone else jumped until it was just me on the platform.

As I was getting clipped in the guys manning the equipment asked me a few questions and told me to wave at the camera above me. They were excited to hear that I came back to do this jump again.

I told them how that first jump went and they said “oh yeah, we don’t do it that way anymore.” I explained how, on my first jump, they stopped me ten feet after jumping and had me look up for a photo. Not this time. They strapped a GoPro to my hand and walked me out to the ledge.

Back to the weather. It was misting. I was nervous that I was going to slip and fall and flail all the way down to downtown. They counted me down and I didn’t jump when they reached zero. A second or two later I pushed off and plummeted to the ground.

It was exhilarating.

The wind in my hair. Tiny raindrops splattering on me. And the ground – getting closer.

I made a point to look around at the surrounding buildings – as well as scream for joy – because it’s such a unique view and experienced. To jump off of a building in a busy downtown is not something one sees every day. The Kiwi’s are crazy like that. And I mean that in the best way possible.

After landing safely and finding my partner waiting for me, I was ready to do it again. I was so amped up! Alas, we had a flight to catch so this was the one and only time I could jump.

I was unclipped from my harness and free to walk about the Earth and the city once more. I will say this to anyone out there who is hesitant about doing a jump like this: don’t hesitate. Just jump. It’s an amazing experience that you won’t regret.

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,
26/09/2023
1 Comment
New Zealand, Travel

Why Do I Jump?

I love doing adventurous things. Hell, it’s in my tagline right up there beneath the title of my site! I might be a bit of an adrenaline junkie. Who can say?

If there’s a building, bridge, platform etc. that I can jump off, I’m going to do it. You can clearly see my header image is of me jumping off a structure. That’s Bloukrans Bungy in South Africa. I wrote about it here.

As far as my partner goes for these sorts of things…not so much.

She’s grounded. Grounded in the sense that she likes her two feet on the ground whenever possible. She does a great job at being ground support. We love her folks, don’t we? Yes.

Back in 2007, when I first went to New Zealand, I jumped off of the Sky Tower and Auckland Harbour Bridge. I knew way back then that New Zealand was an extreme sport capital. Sixteen years later, I still know it. This time I went to a new bungy location: Lake Taupo.

Lake Taupo view from Hilton Lake Taupo

To start it off, Lake Taupo is gorgeous. The town is lovely and the views are spectacular. In the summer, it’s a truly happening spot. In the winter, it’s still happening but not as much. BUT! They have bungy (among other things) and that is year round.

Let’s start with the walk out. The fine folks at AJ Hackett have the utmost respect for you and your safety. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t still be letting people jump off of buildings and structures after all of these years now would they?

They strapped me in. Made sure I was as snug as a bug in a rug in my harness and let me walk out to the bridge. Ok, it was more of a waddle since the harness is a bit snug in some of the more sensitive areas of the body. Let me tell you all this right now, Tom Petty was right, the waiting is the hardest part.

Feeling good, anxious, but good

I stood looking out over the river/gorge/water & land below waiting for what felt like an eternity. I saw two people jump ahead of me and then anticipation was killing me. I waved at my partner who would have her two feet firmly on the ground for the entirety of my jump as I continued to wait.

Then it became my turn.

I sat down and they hooked me in to the bungy apparatus. This is their job so the guys there were as cool as could be. If you’re still super nervous at this point just talk to them. Talking makes it easier. The tension will release and you’ll forget all about your nerves. As someone who has done a bungy or two here and there I was still nervous. It had been 10 years since my last jump. Talking to the workers strapping me in calmed me down and, for lack of a better term, grounded me.

Bye mom!

After that was all taken care of I shuffled my way to the very edge of the platform. The tips of my shoes were on the edge. Pro tip here: don’t look down now if you’re still nervous. Pick a spot on the horizon and look at it. I looked up, waved at a camera, and then turned my attention to the empty space beneath me. Maybe I should have followed my tip above because for a fleeting moment I felt the nerves again.

The guys behind me counted down from three. After they said the word “BUNGY!” I jumped. Gravity took care of the rest.

Only one way to go now

With the wind whipping my face and the blood rushing to my head I felt truly alive. The water came at me fast but I kept my form and my wits about me. Unlike the Auckland Harbour jump I did before, I did not get wet. I stayed dry. Except for my eyes. They were watering because the rush of blood to my head was so intense! I forgot all about that part of it. I bobbed for a bit and realized that I just jumped again. Woohoo!

The lads below me in a dingy floated over and reeled me in. After they unhooked me from the bungy and had me take off the harness that was it. I walked back on solid ground up to my partner who had both looks of fear and excitement in her eyes. I was still buzzing from the jump and wanted to get my photos and video. I did just that and then went about my day as if I hadn’t just done something extreme. Just a normal day for me in New Zealand.

Thanks for visiting. Make it a great week and I will see you later!

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
29/03/2015
1 Comment
New Zealand, Travel

Like Andrew W.K., I Get Wet

After leisurely stepping off the tallest man-made structure in the Southern Hemisphere earlier in the day I decided do something else that I would get the adrenaline flowing: bungy jumping.

At this point in my life I had only dreamed of doing such a thing – I hadn’t even been sky diving yet – and I knew that before I left New Zealand that I would have to bungy.

I remembered, from by brief chat with the Sky Jump employee atop the Sky Tower, that the Auckland Harbour Bridge had a bungy platform. After my jump, I went back to my room to drop off a few things and to pick up a map. I gave it a slight glance over and then decided that all I needed to do was follow the road that led to the bridge. I left the map in my room, grabbed my camera and jacket and began my trek.

About 40 minutes later, I arrived at the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

Auckland Harbour Bridge

From that shot you can’t even tell that there’s a bungy platform. It looks like a very normal bridge…that people jump off.

After watching an informational/safety video and being strapped into my harness, it was time to walk out. It was a very easy walk that wasn’t painful at all. Looking down at the blue water was rather relaxing and, in all honesty, the drop didn’t look that daunting from there. 40m didn’t look that bad at all. Didn’t being the operative word.

Bungy Drop

That was until I started watching the other people in my group jump and I stuck my neck over the ledge and saw the water below. Yeah…it was further than I thought.

When it was my turn, I sat in a chair and laughed nervously as they strapped my feet in and checked my weight with that of the corresponding bungy tether. That’s when a strange question was asked.

“Do you wanna get wet mate?” He asked with a pleasant Kiwi accent.

“Uh, wet?”

“Yeah! You wanna touch the water?”

I paused. I thought that this may be the only time I am ever going to be in Auckland so I better go big or go home.

“Yeah! Like, this (pointing to my chest) high.”

He laughs “Yeah! Alright, we’ll get you wet!”

Next thing I know, I’m inching my way to the lip of the platform and the instructor is telling me to keep my arms atop my head like I’m diving because it will make an easier transition into the water. AKA my head won’t slap the water on impact.

Bungy Wave

They began to count down and once they got to two I stopped them, took a deep breath and then told them to start it up again. The countdown continued and once they got to one they yelled “BUNGY!” and I jumped.

My hands were above my head, my eyes transfixed on the water below getting closer and closer, the wind whirred by my ears and then SPLASH! The icy cold glacier-runoff water that was the Auckland Harbour completely surrounded me and then I shot out just as soon as I got in.

Bungy

I didn’t end up going in chest deep. I went in thigh deep.

As I slowed down and dangled above the water, slowly dripping, a man in a jet ski rode underneath me, gave me a thumbs up and said “Awesome jump!”

Awesome jump, indeed.

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
28/03/2015
2 Comments
New Zealand, Travel

Getting High In Auckland

If there’s one thing you need to know about me, if you don’t already, it’s that I like to get high.

Literally, high.

Wherever and whenever possible I seek out the highest point(s) in a city and make it my mission to get to the top. Most of the time I’m successful, except for that one time I tried to go up the SkyTree in Tokyo only to be told that it was too windy but I still made my way to another observation deck elsewhere in the city. Every time though, it’s worth the trip.

Auckland was do different.

Auckland Skyline

The central tower in the city skyline is the Sky Tower. It’s the tallest man-made structure in the Southern Hemisphere standing at 1,076ft (328m) tall. The tower itself is a part of the SKYCITY Casino down closer to the ground. But for those looking for less of a gamble and more adrenaline, look up.

The SkyJump, at 192m, is a thrilling base jump experience unlike anything else. Similar to my Bloukrans bungy experience, I can say that the ride up was probably the worst part. I was put into an elevator and as I looked around I saw a square cut out of the floor and that square was filled with glass or plastic so that as the elevator climbed I could see the ground floor. The once bright white light that shone through became a dim afterthought once I was at the top.

When it was finally my turn to step onto the platform and jump I made the mistake of looking down. Big mistake, huge. I gripped the side railing like it was my lifeline as I inched out to the ledge. As I was being strapped and buckled in I looked down and saw a giant mat with a target printed on it at the bottom. That wasn’t much better…

To take the edge off I began to chat with the instructor. I asked her about local landmarks, the Auckland Harbour and what I should do/see next. She pointed out a few things to me and then she said that it was time to jump.

Sky tower

She then explained to me that as soon as I jumped I would be stopped and I would need to look up and give a thumbs up, because they were going to take another photo of me dangling above the city…charming…but exhilarating.

sky tower 2

Then came the descent.

Falling at speeds upwards of 85kph (52mph), the buildings grew around me and the once distant sounds of the city enveloped me once again as I landed on the mat. The instructor at the bottom unhooked me and said “We have some time before our next group arrives, would you like to go again for free?”

As if I’d say no…

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
13/02/2014
Leave a comment
Asia, Japan, Travel

The Dome & A Dolphin, Uniquely Japanese

As I have already experienced, nighttime and dusk is when Tokyo comes alive. Taking a trip out to the Tokyo Dome to ride the Thunder Dolphin was no different.

The Tokyo Dome is a MASSIVE stadium home to the Yomiuri Giants and I was excited to see the stadium and see what was around the venue. It just so happens that these Giants share the same colour scheme as the hated San Francisco Giants, so there was NO WAY in hell I was going to purchase any gear with players names or hats or anything else with the word ‘Giants’ on it out of sheer principle.

IMG_2314

That being said, I was hoping that we could possibly take a tour in the stadium or possibly take in a sporting event that was going on at that time. Sadly, the only thing going on there was some pop concert that had what looked to be every single tween in Tokyo waiting beyond the gates and talking with their friends waiting for the gates to open. This clogged up the walkway and it was difficult to navigate through the sea of tweens to get to our final destination: The Thunder Dolphin.

IMG_2302

I don’t think I have ever been on a roller coaster that, literally, goes through a building before, let alone one that is in the middle of a city. As a roller coaster enthusiast, I knew that the Thunder Dolphin would be an awesome experience just by looking at it. It was a simple process of purchasing a ticket from the kiosk and then waiting in a line. The line is a tad slow, but that is only because there is only one car that runs on the track at a time. While waiting in line the ride operator shows you a list of items that you can and cannot bring with you on the ride. Luckily there are pictures just in case you don’t speak Japanese.

IMG_2308

Before you are strapped in you must put your belongings into a locker coinciding with your row. They provide a key attached to an elastic band that fits snugly around your wrist so it doesn’t fly away. No hats, glasses or watches are aloud. Trust me, they will tell you to take them off if they see them. Just do what they ask the first time so you can experience the ride sooner rather than later. Once strapped in, the ride operator in the control booth gets everyone excited and holds up a plush dolphin and everyone gives a good yell of excitement.

This is where the fun begins.

IMG_2298

The car slowly lurched up the ramp with a loud CLAK CLAK CLAK and we looked to our left and right out at the city below and just as the car reached it’s zenith my friend said “The [expletive deleted] Japanese are crazy!”, then we plummeted at a near 45° angle, felt weightless and then were slammed into our seats as we shot up at break-neck speed. The track bent left and right and went through that hole in the building from the image above and went up and down and all around until we were back at the ride entrance and everyone was laughing and smiling with joy and excitement after experiencing such an awesome ride. It is a must-see & must-do for anyone visiting Tokyo and any roller coaster lover.

Tagged , , , , , , ,