Our first stop in Queenstown was a sign of things to come- the AJ Hackett Bridge, as it's become known- the sign of the first Bungy. It's 45m high, plunging most people into the river below. Bungy is essentially an insane practice of tying elastic to one's feet and jumping off something that would otherwise kill you instantly. It's supposedly inspired by a Mayan initiation ceremony, but I would rather think it's down to the crazy nature of kiwis, pushing extreme outdoor activities to ever greater heights!
I chose to chicken out of the bridge jump, but would later undertake something far more extreme, as the addictive adrenaline rush of activities in Queenstown took hold. It started off with downhill cycling, but found that wasn't enough..
Fly By Wire was next.. sort of a human pendulum on a massive scale, fan powered to gain as much height as possible (80m or so), and swing from side to side inside a canyon. This was great fun, but more adrenaline was needed...
Next up, Hang Gliding- something I've wanted to do since seeing it on TV in the 70's. I went with Lise, a girl from Denmark on my Stray bus, to give each other some backing- something we needed when we got to the top of the mountain and saw the incline we had to run down, strapped to a canvas and aluminium wing with no engine! After a brief analysis of the conditions by the instructors (looking intensely at the sky and holding a wet finger to the air), they decided it was all go for launch.
We dressed up in some sort of heavy duty apron with a single rope ladder rung attached to the end, all of which was to be hung from the delta wing whilst we glided gently to the ground.
Soon enough, after a practice run and some brief instructions ('run like hell and keep up with me'), we moved the wing to the top of the hill/mountain, where I got very nervous.
'3..2..1.. Go!' And we were off, running like a pair of idiots at break neck speed down a mountain with a wing! Before long, my legs were running in the air as we gained lift, and the sound of pounding feet on shingle was replaced by the sound of the air against the wing as we soared upwards. Flight!!
The fear was replaced by sheer amazement as I was allowed to take control and precariously direct us where I wanted simply by moving the triangular tubing in front of me. It was an awesome feeling! Sweet as, bro! After some acrobatics and spirals shown to me by the pilot, it was time to land- a very fast approach quickly leveled off with my face about 1 feet from the ground which we maintained over some distance before touching down. One of the best landings I've ever experienced and equally exciting as the one with Laos Airlines! The whole experience was incredible.. If only being an hang gliding instructor was my day job!
Next up was the big one- a canyon swing. This is something I managed to persuade Peter to join me in, who is very afraid of heights on the premise that it's just a swing, rather than a more extreme bungee. The reality was far removed from this. It is a swing, but one that is 109m high, far higher than the statue of liberty by comparison! After jumping off one side of the canyon, you freefall 60m next to the canyon wall, reaching 100mph before finishing on a 200m arc at the base where the 'swing' kicks in. No Worries! After watching videos of others doing it, we were decidedly worried, but we didn't want to chicken out by this stage, so pressed ahead with our booking. After a restless sleep which of course involved my personal favourite recurring dream of.. falling.., we headed down to our fate on the awaiting transfer bus. In terms of an adrenaline rush, it didn't disappoint in the slightest, and to say I was scared is a massive understatement!
The jump itself was scary enough and I would have trouble jumping off at the best of times, but somehow the staff persuaded be to jump off.. backwards! Sometimes it scares me how gullible I am! 'You'll see more' they said, 'Much more fun to see the platform disappearing away from you'.
And wouldn’t you know, I took all this in and agreed that, yes- it's much better to jump 108m down a canyon, putting my life in a harness and wire, backwards!
As I approached the edge and the moment of truth, the best was yet to come. I must have had some of the most sadistic staff in charge of encouraging me to jump off! Instead of counting me down and letting me go, they held me backwards over the edge and told me to smile for the camera and then look down- one of the more terrifying sights I think I'm likely to see. They then started playing with my mind, saying that I wasn’t tied on properly, my harness was loose, worn out etc, then when I was ready to jump, they'd pull me back, to wind me up some more! Finally they let me go, and I underwent a few of the most terrifying seconds of my life, legs kicking and screaming, before the swing and harness kicked in and I realized I was still alive after all! Sheer exhilaration!! One of the scariest yet fun things I think I'll ever do! Peter joined me in jumping off shortly after, wisely choosing to go forwards, and let out an 'Oh Jesus!' as he jumped off in the true Irish way!
Finally, on our way to a return stop in Christchurch, we stopped off at the Rangitaga River for some white-water rafting. Luckily, the team consisted of all the people I have been closest to during travelling over the past few weeks including my partner in crime, Peter and his sister Sue. It was a great day with perfect weather, managing to get thrown out of the boat twice, on one occasion taking Peter out with me (see pics).
Sadly, after a final night out in Christchurch, I had to bid farewell to Peter and Sue, who are returning to Dublin and Australia respectively. It was very sad to see them leave, as they've become such great friends, although I hope to meet Peter (&Sue) again either in Dublin or London.
My favourite forum http://www.travelforumplanet.com
No comments:
Post a Comment