NZ has somehow managed to brand and market their country as the international destination for extreme sports especially for bungee jumping lovers. While there are many bungee jumping sites in many parts of the world, doing it in NZ somehow is the ultimate to "graduation".
Our tour in NZ was not purely looking at beautiful landscapes and scenery alone. We were equally interested to look at extreme sports sites and may be participating in some of them.
Queenstown is one particular site foreigners love to do the bungee jumping. However, there are in fact many more sites in NZ which offer even more extreme experience and excite the adrenaline to the ultimate.
In Queenstown's Kawarau Bungy Centre, jumpers hurl their bodies towards a deep section of the river below the bridge. Because of the deep water, jumpers can opt for "contact-with-water" jumps or "non-contact-with-water" jumps!
On the contrary, jumpers in Mokai Gravity Canyon, Taihape in the North Island jump towards a section of the river which is only knee deep. Sheer vertical cliffs rise from both sides of the shallow river bed! Asked the reason for jumping into a shallow water section, the staff in Mokai Gravity Canyon explained that shallow water allows rescuers to access "failed jumpers" trapped down in the river below easier compared to deep water with fast current. That sounds scary! Because of the shallow water, no "contact-with-water" jumps are allowed!
We went to Mokai Gravity Canyon twice. First in the late afternoon of 18 February and by the time we arrived, it had closed for business. Early morning the next day, we went there almost immediately after their opening for business. We were told that all jumps and rides of flying fox had been suspended since a days earlier because the river section below the bridge was too deep and current too fast to be safe for jumps and rides. We met a young Canadian couple who came all the way from Canada to do the jump but had to leave disappointed because of this unexpected turn of event.
Lesson for intending jumpers: Always have an alternative jumping site because of the risk of unexpected situation that may render jump impossible or the operation having been suspended!
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| Bungee jumping in Kawarau Bungy Center. |
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| Flying fox in Kawarau Bungy Center. |
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In Taihape's Mokai Gravity Canyon, jump is only
permitted when river water is knee deep. |
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There is no bungee jump in Buller Gorge Adventure and Heritage Park in Murchison. This place is known for three things: the 110m long suspended Swingbridge, flying fox which they call Comet Line and the Buller Jet Boat Ride in the Buller River. We tried all three.
Buller jet boat ride is an action-packed and some time nerve wracking experience. The whole idea is to get your adrenaline worked up to the ultimate by the sheer skill and experience of the jet boat operator in maneuvering the jet boat. The jet boat ramps up to a speed of 85Km/hour, twisting and turning along the meandering river over both calm and turbulent water, some time just inch away from hitting the edge of the protruding rocks at the river bank. Just when you breath a sigh of relief, the operator makes an abrupt 360 degrees spin of the boat causing the thrill seekers to yell at the top of their voice. The splash whipped up by the the spin causes all to be drenched and wet!
Being the last ride of the day, our trip lasted 75 minutes, much longer than the usual 40 minutes ride. It was not adrenaline-charged throughout. There were pensive moments when we were kept in awe by the magnificent landscape of the gorge and rocky waterway. We were even offered a drink of in-situ water collected fresh from falls that trickled down from the sheer cliff above!
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| 110m long swingbridge. |
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| Getting ready for the flying fox or Comet Line. |
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| Flying fox about to land on the opposite side of the river. |
In our ride, we met a couple from Canada and two young men from Dubai.
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We visited two other locations where jet boat rides are available. Huka Falls Jet Boat Ride in Taupo, North Island and Shotover Jet Boat Ride in Shotover Canyon, Arthur Point in Queenstown.
Hukafalls Jet Boat Ride is unique because thrill seekers will be taken to the base of the mighty Huka Falls. This is similar to taking a cruise to the base of Niagara Falls!
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| Huka Falls, Taupo, North Island. |
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The embarkation and disembarkation point of Shotover Jet Boat Ride in Arthur Point, Queenstown does not give the kind of the excitement and grandeur that I found in Buller River and Huka Falls. I can only assume that the thrill and excitement probably is hidden somewhere downstream of the launching point of the Shotover River.
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| Shotover Jet Boat Ride. |
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