Tag Archives: Kiwi

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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12/12/2023
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New Zealand, Travel

A Great Day for Good George

In my last story, I told you that the beer at The Green Dragon was made locally. Well, today is your lucky day because I am going to tell you where that brewery is and how you can get there. But first, you’re probably going to want the name of where we are going. It’s Good George Brewing, of course!

You can probably do that research on your own, but you want a real “boots on the ground” first-hand account of the place, yes? Ok, good. Here I go…

It’s in Hamilton.

Ok, are you still with me? Yes? Great.

This was an impromptu visit for us because we had only planned on Hobbiton and then driving back to Auckland. It was well worth it. Anyway, back to it!

After leaving Hobbiton, it will be an approximately 45-minute drive into Hamilton proper. When you input the name into your GPS make sure you put Good George Dining Hall in there. Otherwise you’ll be finding the head office which is definitely not the place for eating and drinking.

It might not look like much on the outside, because it used to be a church, but on the inside it is warm (literally, on this day) and inviting.

Looking over the menu we saw that they didn’t just do beers. They had numerous ciders, wines, and hard alcohol options for purchase as well. Yes, all of it (except the wine) is made by the good folks at Good George. I am saying that because their logo was on the labels of the drinks. I may be jumping to conclusions but dare I say that they make it all in house? Yes. I’m going to not even research this further and boldly claim that!

Ok, I researched further. I don’t want to look like an ass and boldly claim something that could be a lie. “All brewing, distilling, bottling, and canning is done on site.” – Good George website. No outsourcing done here. Just good, local, quality drinks and food.

There are plenty of things to choose from on the menu. If you’re a beer person, fantastic. Ciders? Yeah, they’ve got that. Maybe you’re a bit of a wino, but in a responsible way? Oh yeah, they have that too. You like something a bit harder? Yes yes. I mentioned all of their menu choices just above but I feel the need to reiterate.

Not knowing what to try we each went with our own tasting rack.

If you look closely you can see my drink choices on the receipt

I am not one to pull the wool over one’s eyes and I won’t be starting now. Each drink was unique and flavourful. The rosé cider was probably my favorite. I tend to gravitate toward hazy and sour drinks so the refreshingly aromatic cider was delightful. We did also eat here but by the time the food arrived I devoured it before I could get a photo/before I could remember to take a photo.

After finishing our food and bev we wandered over to the little storefront inside the dining hall. There you could buy canned or bottled versions of some of the drinks on tap. We found a lemon gin (a gift for someone else) and a passionfruit cider (for us). Let. Me. Tell. You. I wish I had more of the cider. We brought it allllll the way back home and saved it for ourselves. I miss it dearly. I want some more.

Securing the booze and OMG The Green Dragon mugs!

Good George is a welcome compliment after spending the morning in Hobbiton. It was a great place to unwind, reflect, and enjoy some truly tasty food and drinks. If you get the chance, please visit them.

Thank you for visiting and I will see you next time!

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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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