DANNY DE HEK Entrepreneur Decision Maker Connector Podcaster EducatorBe sure you visit the 100 year old Kawarau suspension bridge and consider taking the leap of a lifetime.

Kawarau Bridge was the first full-time bungy jump site in the world and is the place where adventure tourism began in New Zealand. There’s something very special about doing a bungy jump at ‘The 1988 Original’.

The Kawarau Bridge Bungy is situated on the main road between Queenstown and Cromwell, near the Nevis Bluff and the Gibbston Valley. The bridge platform is 43 metres above the Kawarau River and the jumper has the option of a head and shoulders splashdown in the river if he/she feels like cooling off. The other three Queenstown bungy jumps don’t offer a splashdown. Kawarau also offers tandem jumps if you would like to plummet into space with a friend.

Transport shuttles leave from Queenstown at 9 am, 12 noon and 3 pm, departing from The Station Building, corner of Camp and Shotover Streets. Allow 2 hours for the whole outing from Queenstown.

The site now boasts an $8 million Bungy Centre, which includes the spectacular Bungy Dome where the curious can experience a Hollywood-style simulation of a spine-chilling jump. This flight of fancy runs every 15 minutes. Visitors stand on a kinetic viewing turntable (holding up to 48 people) surrounded by 130 video monitors and state-of-the-art audio and lighting systems. This provides the full range of emotional and intellectual experiences that are part of making a bungy jump. Meet this personal challenge and you are ready for the real thing. The new complex includes a cafe, bar, retail shop, bungy museum and interactive area.

Kawarau is the place to go for New Zealand’s only bungy simulator as well as a real jump from the bridge. Go for the perfect swan dive, somersault, hand touch or waist deep splashdown. Spectator areas are perfectly positioned for viewing the frantic and funny facial expresssions and body language of the real jumpers. It’s a user-friendly site in superb surroundings – the perfect setting for a memorable ground rush. As they say ‘Be There or be Square’.