Tag Archives: Bungy Jumping

12/03/2024
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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.

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26/09/2023
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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!

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29/03/2015
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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.

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30/10/2013
2 Comments
Africa, South Africa, Travel

The Biggest Leap of Faith

“What’s wrong John?” asked the man suiting me up.

“Huh? Nothing.” I replied.

“Why are you jumping off a perfectly good bridge?” He asked with a smile and a laugh.

Why am I jumping off a perfectly good bridge? It seems like a stupid thing to do a good way to earn a one way trip to the hospital. Only, it’s not. It’s the most exciting thing I have ever done and maybe the smartest. OK, smartest might be pushing it but it was one of the best decisions I made since I have been in South Africa.

I have a natural fear of heights, as most people should. I mean, you lean over something and look down and see the bottom is hundreds of feet below and your natural reaction is to get back from the ledge. It’s a normal human reaction. But why then would you want to jump off that sound structure?

For the thrill.

It’s that simple. Bungy jumping provides an adrenaline rush like nothing else I have ever done. I’ve bungied twice in my life (the first time being off Auckland Harbour Bridge in 2007) and each time I was afraid to jump but went ahead with it because I knew it would be the thrill of a lifetime. Having jumped off Bloukrans in Plettenberg Bay, the world’s tallest bridge bungy, I can say that I have lived.

One thing I will say is that the walk out to the jump platform is the worst part of the entire experience. The metal grate walkway bends with each step you take and you wonder “When was the last time this bridge was tested? I can feel it bending and that’s not normal.” It also doesn’t help if you look down and see the ground below. Bad idea.

If I have one piece of advice to give about this bungy it’s this: Don’t look down. It will ruin the surprise. Pick a spot out on the horizon that is at your level and don’t lose contact with it. This is exactly what I did. I stared straight out and when the bungy guys behind reached 1 and yelled “BUNGY!!!” I bent my knees and pushed off as hard as I could and I flew. I flew through the air and as my body plunged toward the ground below I couldn’t help but flail my arms a bit because the fear inside me took over but I didn’t regret doing it. Not. One. Bit. And as I dangled under the bridge, the mantra of Face Adrenalin popped into my head and reaffirmed my decision: “Fear is Temporary. Regret is Forever.”

DSCF2654

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