Bungeeee!

I swear I'm not trying to give you all heart attacks. It's just that Queenstown is New Zealand's de facto capital of extreme sport rides and as the next stop on the magic bus trail the game was rigged from the start. Magic Bus has partnerships with tourist attractions all over New Zealand which does result in some pretty good deals and opportunities. Unusually they just chat it up a little and offer a sign up sheet for those who want in. This one in particular was a little more blatant.

The drive to Q-town is nearly eight hours including breaks so people were getting restless when we stopped just outside town at the A.J.Hackett Kawarau Bridge Bungy Jump. Where we were taken to the "Bungy Theatre" for a quick sales pitch followed by a short film in the tradition of your classic time share sale. It was actually too annoyingly hard sell for me.

Of course you're asking, "Why did I do it?" Well I "hemmed" and "hawed" about it for quiet a while so there was time for me to get used to the idea while several people off our bus went ahead of me but I was already tempted by the idea andQueenstown seemed the place to do it. Still I chose this opportunity because not only was it the original, not only were we already there, but A.J.Hackett in particular has a total of ZERO mishaps. No fatalities, no injuries, no one even getting sick. At least not during the jump, I'm sure there has been somepre and post nausea.

And yes this is actually THE original bungy jump. Initially they were only given a 30 day license (maybe it was 60, I forget now). The government figured no one would go for it but of course now it's everywhere.

Before you jump you're ankles are wrapped tight in a towel which is then wrapped in a harness. A back-up harness goes around your waist. You're trussed up in a near fetishistic manner by the time you approach the ledge. It's a very weird feeling and different than skydiving. Firstly you have to make yourself jump, that's pretty tough. They help to get you going because after telling you to wave to the crowd and wave to the camera they quite unexpectedly start barking out a countdown from 5. I think I jumped on 3, I certainly didn't hear 2 or 1.

When I did the whole landscape in front of me vibrated for a moment. I realized my head was shaking but then i got it together and enjoyed the ride down. Surprisingly, there is no point where you are jerked back. Thebungy eases your descent gently like someone who is very good at braking a car, but straight downward.

Than you fly back up ... twice, which is quiet cool. On the second I managed to spread my arms, arch my back and get a perfect little moment of zero gravity. In the end I think the hardest part was grabbing hold of the pole that they use to fish you into the dingy at the bottom. Admittedly it's stupid but quiet a thrill.

The photos (except for the first 2) were taken by Maaike a lovely, friendly and always entertaining girl from the Netherlands.

The Picture That Will Make My Mother's Head Spin

Yes That's real. No I won't be making a habit of it. Yes it was fun and obviously I'm now on the ground and safe so stop worrying and enjoy the blog. BTW don't be afraid to send comments. It's nice to hear from you while I'm on the road.

ZORB!

I stayed in Rotorua a second night which gave me a full day to check out some of the local tourist activities. The one I wanted to do most was Zorbing. So I hooked up early with Eyal and Shirley (an Israeli couple I met on the bus) to head out to the Agrodome. A small local entertainment complex based on the local agricultural industry. Since it's original conception it seems to have been over taken by various rides and activities that have nothing to do with farming.

Zorbing is simple. It's a giant inflatable plastic ball with a smaller ball inside. They put you and maybe a friend, add some water to eliminate friction and then push you down a hill. It sounds more violent than it is. It's just hilariously fun. It's a bit pricey for what it is but Eyal and I couldn't resist a second ride. The first one we did together, the second time he went with Shirley who was nervous and I took the "Zig Zag" track which through you around a little more so you have to go solo. It was great.

We had just missed a shuttle which only ran once an hour so we walked over to the sheep sheering show down the road at the Agrodome proper, but it was only twice a day and we didn't want to wait till the 3pm show, but while figuring that out and getting some lunch we missed another shuttle. A few mix ups and misread/misunderstood bus schedules later we finally got down the road to a local gondola attraction that goes to a mountain top view and luge track. Not Olympic luge mind you but a small plastic go cart that is gravity driven down a hillside track. That took up a good chunk of the afternoon.

Afterwards we did much better with the shuttle and arrived at the Government Gardens. It's a beautiful park with a bowling green which includes amongst other things the Rotorua Museum of Art & History. It's a small museum with some good Maori stuff and a not bad video (cheesy special effects) mixing the real history of the North Island, the thermal and volcanic activity, and the Maori legends that surround it. Shirley and Eyal were not so into it so they took off and I rejoined them later at the "world famous" Polynesian Spa. It's a spa with mineral hot baths that come from the local thermal vent but have to be cooled before people can use them. The water original comes out of the vent at over 200°C.

That pretty much wrapped it up for us and we headed back to the hostel. By the way Eyal was the guy who was out "chief" for the Hangi the night before so when we came across our shuttle drive we stopped and chatted for a bit. The driver was a super friendly guy, but it was late so it was off to bed for all of us.