Andy & Jasmine's Adventure Blog: Kawarau Bridge: Home of the Bungy

Even though Andy and I saw some bungy jumping while we were on Bob's Peak in Queenstown, we knew we had to see it at the Kawarau Bridge.

Why?

Because this is where commercial bungy jumping officially began! Opened by AJ Hackett in 1988, the Kawarau Bridge is the world's first permanent commercial bungee site and home to the original 43-meter jump!

About half an hour east of Queenstown, the Kawarau Bridge was, conveniently, on our way out to Dunedin. But after Andy finished panning and we finally left Arrowtown, the sun was going down fast and I was convinced we had missed our opportunity to see the bungy jumpers that day.

When we pulled into the lot of the Kawarau Bungy Center in our dusty black van (and wearing jandals no less), we were met with fancy cars and people with champagne glasses wearing suits and evening gowns. Clearly there was an event going on that night and the viewing area appeared closed off to the general public.

But one step out of the van and I began to hear a countdown going on. 5... 4... 3... 2... I looked towards the bridge just in time to see the back of a man in a white shirt leap off to screams and cheers.

As we ran around the center looking for a place to watch without sticking out like a sore thumb, we ended up rushing to the other side of the bungy centre out by the road for a better view just as we heard the announcer say "Okay, this will be the last jump of the night..."

And with the sun setting behind us, we quickly readied our camera and videotaped just as the countdown began again:

Sweet as!

After the final jump, all the well-dressed spectators headed indoors for what must have been a wedding reception or a cocktail party of some sort. As the crew was packing up, Andy and I had the chance to cross the bridge and admire the amazing views from the top (which included yet another great Lord of the Rings filming location!):