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3, 2, 1, Bungie!

Entry 256, on 2005-11-29 at 15:32:05 (Rating 1, Travel)

Over the last 4 days I spent some time with the rest of the family at Hanmer Springs in Central Canterbury (New Zealand). The town is mainly known for its hot springs - and we spent many relaxing hours sitting around in those - but it is also popular as an adventure tourism spot.

On the second day we went for a ride in a jet boat down the Waiau river, zooming along at 85 k/hr just centimeters from rocks and cliff faces. That was pretty cool - the boat was powered by twin 280 horse V8s and could really go, as well as having great maneuverability. I should mention here, that the modern jet boat is a New Zealand invention, of course!

At the point where the jet boat left was a bungie operation (another New Zealand invention) and I had mentioned on several previous occasions that I would like to do a jump at some time. Unfortunately (or not, depending on how you look at it) for various reasons it had never happened, so here was my chance. With a dozen family watching (brothers, parents, wife, etc) I was trapped. I had to do it!

So I signed up for the jump and was weighed, paid over the rather hefty fee, etc, and wandered up to the bridge. The operation seemed pretty professional - they did a second weight check on the bridge (the bungie is adjusted for the jumper's weight to get maximum effect without hitting the bottom) and all the equipment seemed safe. Of course, bungie jumping is very safe. No one has ever been badly hurt in a professionally run operation, so its the psychological barrier which is the real problem.

It was a bit freaky standing at the top with my toes over the 35 meter (120 foot) drop to the river below, but after the traditional countdown of 3, 2, 1, bungie! I leapt off with the standard "superman" pose and plummeted to the river below. The fall is only a few seconds, but it seems longer and is really exciting. The "bouncing around on the end of a rubber band" that follows is pretty wild as well!

So that's the bungie jump done. Next I will definitely need to do a parachute jump!

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