First Trip to Queenstown

I went bungee jumping! It was the most terrifying, exhilarating, and incredible thing I have ever done.

We drove three and a half hours west in our little purple car from Dunedin to right outside Queenstown. We started seeing signs for the Kawarau Bungy and the nerves set in for all four of us. We drove up and saw the bridge reaching across a narrow canyon with the water far below. I was really excited, but couldn’t believe we were actually going to jump off that bridge with just a rope around our ankles.

Kawarau Bridge

Kawarau Bridge

It was really windy, but they said the only time they don’t jump is when there’s thunder. We were kind of hoping for an excuse to come back and do it later, but there was no chance of that! We paid, signed a waiver, got weighed, and we were out on the bridge. It was sprinkling a little, but they said we were still good to go. We decided it was best to go without hesitation right when they counted down so we wouldn’t psych ourselves out.

And that is exactly what all four of us did! I sat on the bridge and the worker wrapped a towel around my ankles and then tied a rope in a fancy knot around that and that was it. I scooted up to the edge, smiled for the cameras, and jumped. I still can’t believe I actually jumped. The fall was long enough for me to think “oh my god why did I do this I am falling to my death this was the dumbest thing I have ever done” and then before I knew it I was bouncing back up. They pulled me into a little yellow boat at the bottom, brought me back to shore and it was over!

It was incredible.

Just before the jump

Just before the jump

 

and just after!

and just after!

 

There I go!

There I go!

We had hoped to do a longer day hike on Saturday, but it was rainy and cold so we decided to stick around Queenstown instead. I love Queenstown. It is a cute little ski town surrounded by jagged mountains and incredibly blue water. We had a delicious breakfast at Joe’s Garage and then spent the rest of the morning shopping and wandering around town.  In the afternoon we went on our first wine tasting at Gibbston Valley Winery to escape the rain.

The crew enjoying some fancy wine

The crew enjoying some warmth and some fancy wine

We ate the biggest burgers of our lives at the famous Fergburger that night and got super lucky with the weather on Sunday. It was sunny and beautiful. We hiked up Queenstown Hill, and had the most amazing view looking out over the town, the bay, and the mountains.

A view from part way up the Queenstown Hill

A view of the mountains from part way up Queenstown Hill

Before we left to head back to Dunedin we hopped on the gondola for lunch and another great view of Queenstown.

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Queenstown is my favorite place I have been in New Zealand so far. I hope to go back many times and take advantage of all of the hikes and ski slopes, but for now its back to Dunedin. Who knows what next week will bring!

 

 

 

One thought on “First Trip to Queenstown

  1. Laura Cummings

    Oh my gosh….my stomach was turning as I read your blog about bungee jumping. I found that I was nervous right along with you. Your images and writings are wonderful. Keep it up! 🙂

    Reply

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