Diggs Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 I'm going on a trip to Australia and New Zealand in a few weeks and one of the things I might do is bungee jump off a bridge in New Zealand. I've never bungeed before but I have done the pussified version at Kings Dominion a bunch of years back which is basically a glorified swing. Any advice, tips, experiences, horror stories, etc? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GibbsFactor Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 16, Joisey shore. I'm now afraid of falling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenspandan Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 my advice is be honest about your weight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diggs Posted February 17, 2009 Author Share Posted February 17, 2009 yeah, no sense in playing around with life and death. the only ways I thought they could go wrong is: 1) the rope is TOO long (/splat) 2) the rope fastening is not secure so the jumper becomes loose (/splat) 3) weight could carry momentum to ground regardless of rope (but you'd have to be a really, really big person (/huge splat) Other than that, as long as one doesn't have a heart attack during the process, everything should be golden. They do abide by lots of safety regulations and test appropriately to ensure nothing slips past that could be a concern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinInsite Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 Don't tense up while falling, just relax all the way down. If you are adventurous, try one that dip your head/body in to a river. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PleaseBlitz Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 They wont let you jump if you appear drunk....at least not in Myrtle Beach when you are 17. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renaissance Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 I went to NZ with every intention of going bungy jumping, but I went skydiving instead I also did the Shotover Canyon Swing which is in Queenstown. It's similar to the Kings Dominion thing I guess, except you actually make the jump (as opposed to just pulling a release cord). They let you tape your video camera to your hand so you can film the jump (makes for some hilarious footage, haha). Before you jump they make you lean back over the ledge for a picutre, I think this was the scariest thing I've ever experienced as I am absolutely terrified of heights. Anyway, you can also do a bunch of different creative jumps such as leaning back in a chair until you drop off the ledge, jumping with a trashcan over your head, etc. I went twice - once forwards and once backwards. It's an awesome adrenaline rush and the canyon is beautiful. If you're bungy jumping though, check out AJ Hackett. Queenstown is like the adventure capitol of the world, and there are plenty of bungy sites in and around the area. If you really have some balls, check out AJ Hackett's Nevis. When I was in Queenstown I met some people who had gotten some kind of triple play deal where you paid once fee for three different jump sites. My friends actually jumped in Taupo on the north island. You jump right out over the river which is gorgeous, and you get to tell them whether you want to touch the water or not. I'm guessing Taupo would be cheaper than anything in Queenstown, but I could be wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurd Cudins Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 Watch out for the "drop bears". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diggs Posted February 17, 2009 Author Share Posted February 17, 2009 Great insight thanks. I think I might do the Canyon Swing. I'm not a big heights person either but this is one of those opportunities you just can't pass up. Can you recommend any other outdoor activities (hiking, tours, kayaking, anything, etc.)? I went to NZ with every intention of going bungy jumping, but I went skydiving instead I also did the Shotover Canyon Swing which is in Queenstown. It's similar to the Kings Dominion thing I guess, except you actually make the jump (as opposed to just pulling a release cord). They let you tape your video camera to your hand so you can film the jump (makes for some hilarious footage, haha). Before you jump they make you lean back over the ledge for a picutre, I think this was the scariest thing I've ever experienced as I am absolutely terrified of heights. Anyway, you can also do a bunch of different creative jumps such as leaning back in a chair until you drop off the ledge, jumping with a trashcan over your head, etc. I went twice - once forwards and once backwards. It's an awesome adrenaline rush and the canyon is beautiful. If you're bungy jumping though, check out AJ Hackett. Queenstown is like the adventure capitol of the world, and there are plenty of bungy sites in and around the area. If you really have some balls, check out AJ Hackett's Nevis. When I was in Queenstown I met some people who had gotten some kind of triple play deal where you paid once fee for three different jump sites. My friends actually jumped in Taupo on the north island. You jump right out over the river which is gorgeous, and you get to tell them whether you want to touch the water or not. I'm guessing Taupo would be cheaper than anything in Queenstown, but I could be wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimmyConway Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 I went to NZ with every intention of going bungy jumping, but I went skydiving instead I also did the Shotover Canyon Swing which is in Queenstown. It's similar to the Kings Dominion thing I guess, except you actually make the jump (as opposed to just pulling a release cord). They let you tape your video camera to your hand so you can film the jump (makes for some hilarious footage, haha). Before you jump they make you lean back over the ledge for a picutre, I think this was the scariest thing I've ever experienced as I am absolutely terrified of heights. Anyway, you can also do a bunch of different creative jumps such as leaning back in a chair until you drop off the ledge, jumping with a trashcan over your head, etc. I went twice - once forwards and once backwards. It's an awesome adrenaline rush and the canyon is beautiful. If you're bungy jumping though, check out AJ Hackett. Queenstown is like the adventure capitol of the world, and there are plenty of bungy sites in and around the area. If you really have some balls, check out AJ Hackett's Nevis. When I was in Queenstown I met some people who had gotten some kind of triple play deal where you paid once fee for three different jump sites. My friends actually jumped in Taupo on the north island. You jump right out over the river which is gorgeous, and you get to tell them whether you want to touch the water or not. I'm guessing Taupo would be cheaper than anything in Queenstown, but I could be wrong. I also went skydiving in Queenstown, NZ instead of bungee jumping. It was my first time skydiving and I couldn't have asked for a better experience. The views were spectacular. I went with a company called NZONE (http://www.nzone.biz/Skydive/locations/ ). It was a little pricey because I jumped from their highest altitude of 18,000 ft and purchased a DVD and pictures of the jump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renaissance Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 Great insight thanks. I think I might do the Canyon Swing. I'm not a big heights person either but this is one of those opportunities you just can't pass up. Can you recommend any other outdoor activities (hiking, tours, kayaking, anything, etc.)? Yea, it kind of depends on how long you will be there and how much money you will have... I really do recommend skydiving. I'm terrified of heights, but it's not like bungy jumping where you have to make the jump yourself, you're going tandem so your instructor does all the work. Also it really is much cheaper than the US, and you don't have to go through nearly as much legal crap as my friends who have jumped here have told me about. You sign a little half sheet of paper, watch a safety video and you're gone! I also recommend hiking Fox or Franz Josef Glacier. Both are on the west side of the south island. It's absolutely beautiful. As with anything, there are several different options - I did the full day hike (there's also a half day option and several heli-hike options if you have the cash). I went black water rafting and that was pretty cool. It isn't so much "rafting" as it is tubing - but it's tubing through a cave which was pretty sweet. I went somewhere on the north island, but I don't remember where. As for kayaking, we went with a guide in Abel Tasman (google it, seriously it's beautiful) which is a national park on the north coast of the south island. We went when it was colder out, so the kayaking was cool but I didn't get to experience the beaches as I would have liked to. There is also plenty of hiking to be done in Abel Tasman. The one advantage to going in winter is that there was absolutely nobody else out when we were hiking/kayaking. It was actually a pretty cool feeling. As for run of the mill hiking, it really is everywhere. You can do more urban hikes in the city - one of my favs was the walk up Mt Victoria in Wellington. You get a complete 360 degree view of the city. I have a friend who hiked Mt Angelus (south island) and loved it. Just make sure that you are prepared with the proper gear and knowledge before going on any of the serious hikes. I'd also recommend Milford Sound. I'm still bitter that the day I was driving there we couldn't actually get to the sound bc the pass was closed bc of snow :mad: I have also heard also things about Tongariro. If you are in to Lord of the Rings there are endless related things you can do There are many an informative book out there on filming locations. The coolest I went to was Hobbiton. It's the only location where some of the set was actually left in tact which is pretty cool, and it's a very pretty locale. I also really recommend (if you can) renting a car and driving everywhere. Some of the highlights of my trips were finding random black sand beaches along the coast and stopping at them, or being scared out of my mind driving up around a mountain (think some of the windy/steep roads in southern California), or driving along and seeing a random volcano. I lived in Wellington when I was there and I unfortunately (or fortunately since I loved Welly ) didn't do anything in or around Auckland. There is tons to do up there though. When I go back my goal is to check out more of the southern part of the south island and the northern part of the north island. I could type for days on this topic, so just let me know if there's anything else specific you are wondering about :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MintHillSkinsFan Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 I bungeed off a 250 ft bridge in Costa Rica. They couldn't dunk you where I went because it was over rapids with rocks everywhere but it was still one of the great rushes of my life. Going down wasn't bad but on the first bounce you're coming back up under the bridge at a rapid pace and that caught me off guard for a second and made me try to duck. All in all I would love to do it again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renaissance Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 I also went skydiving in Queenstown, NZ instead of bungee jumping. It was my first time skydiving and I couldn't have asked for a better experience. The views were spectacular. I went with a company called NZONE (http://www.nzone.biz/Skydive/locations/ ). It was a little pricey because I jumped from their highest altitude of 18,000 ft and purchased a DVD and pictures of the jump. I also got a DVD and recommend this, especially for your first jump. I just got the one where my tandem guy was filming, so a little different than having a separate person getting the view, but I liked mine because I could talk to the camera after the freefall. I went through Taupo Tandem Skydiving. I did 15,000 ft. My friend had the separate jumper filming and her video is hilarious bc during the freefall she was flailing her arms and legs in the air, like she was trying to run or something, hahaha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jweisk1 Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 Don't tense up while falling, just relax all the way down.If you are adventurous, try one that dip your head/body in to a river. I tried that in Mexico...prety cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LT Smash Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 yo does anyone know if there is there anywhere to bungee jump on the east coast here at all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cherick Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 I am 99.9% sure I would die of a heart attack mid-way thru the fall, if not before the jump looking down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark The Homer Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 I also got a DVD and recommend this, especially for your first jump. I just got the one where my tandem guy was filming, so a little different than having a separate person getting the view, but I liked mine because I could talk to the camera after the freefall. Ren - throw this up on youtube when you get a chance, would you? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt Rich Fla Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 I'm going on a trip to Australia and New Zealand in a few weeks and one of the things I might do is bungee jump off a bridge in New Zealand. I've never bungeed before but I have done the pussified version at Kings Dominion a bunch of years back which is basically a glorified swing. Any advice, tips, experiences, horror stories, etc? Thanks. Good God man! You went on that swing? Roller coasters really mess me up. I'll go on them, but I aint happy about it. That swing makes me want to vomit just looking at it. My mouth went dry just getting near it. Not a chance. Good for you. i wish I could enjoy coasters more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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