The whole point of our Queenstown visit in New Zealand was to do anything and everything crazy we could think of. Our first adventure, of course, was bungee jumping. I had already jumped in Cairns at the beginning of the semester, but I was not prepared for how high this jump would be. It was 440ft tall, in the middle of two mountains. In order to get to the cable car suspended by wires over the drop, we had to take a mini cable car across the big ravine. Very safe to say that we were all A LOT more scared this time. In the car, the guys that work there were playing some crazy, loud music; we're pretty sure it was to block out our thoughts. Being the brilliant person that I am, I decided to look down the whole time I walked out to the ledge. I started breathing heavily and had that panicking sensation when your body knows your crazy but your mind tells you to do it anyway. The guy counted down from three, and the next thing I knew, I flung myself off the edge; I screamed the whole way down. Did I mention this jump had 8 seconds of free fall before the cord catches? That's a lot of time to think about the tiny river below you and how fast it seems to be coming at you. As scary as it was to take the leap, I had so much fun doing the jump; I think I've mastered the swan dive and I'm pretty impressed with myself!
After bungee jumping, we had a Shotover Jet Boat activity. I had no idea what this was originally, but it happened to be a really fast boat with a flat bottom that is great for tricks. We went to one of the rivers that flows into the lake in the middle of town and looked at the boat driver like he was insane when he told 14 people to climb into a boat that was sitting on 4 inches of water. Apparently, the boats are unique because of the flat bottoms and unique engine system that pumps water through it for speed, so 4 inches is all that's necessary to go. On the river, we got up to speeds of about 70kph while traveling through tiny little spaces between rock cliffs; if I stuck my hand out past the boats edge, it would have been taken off. Not only was the gutsy driving a little nerve-wracking, but the boats are designed to do 360 degree spins while traveling at the fast speeds. All of us were soaked at the end and a little freezing, but I've never gotten such an adrenaline rush from being on a boat!
The second day we were in Queenstown consisted of Zip-lining and Luging. In the morning we took the gondola up the mountain to start at the top for our zip-trek. I've always wanted to try zip-lining so I was very excited to get going. We were able to do six trails down the side of the mountain, dropping about 30 stories in height while flying through the trees. The guides were awesome and taught us how to go upside-down, and do some pretty cool tricks. Again, there were some of the most beautiful, picturesque scenes I've ever witnessed peeking out between the trees. It took a few hours to travel all the way down, but it was something I would definitely do again if I had the chance; how often do you get to jump off ledges and zoom through the trees upside-down and backward? It was awesome!!
After zipping down the mountain, we took the gondola back up to try our hand at luging. None of us expected what we actually going to do; we thought it would be down ice, kind of like what is seen in the Winter Olympics. To be honest, the set-up was a lot more fun than that would have been. There were two cement tracks that started at the top of the mountain and curved all the way down the side to a finish line. Instead of real luges, we were in carts that we could steer and break all the way down. After this realization hit, we immediately turned our five fun luges into a competitive assortment of races. Now, I won't lie when I say that I was HORRIBLE at this. When traveling at ridiculously fast speeds, in a cart that I'm controlling, with curves that are on the side of a mountain, let's just say.. I almost wiped out quite a few times. The only time I won the race was when I "accidentally" forgot to stop at the starting line and got a couple of seconds head-start. This was another activity that we had SO much fun with!
On our final, full-day in Queenstown, two friends and I decided to do the Shotover Canyon Swing. We loved bungee so much that we thought we should try and catch that adrenaline rush again. A canyon swing is essentially a bungee, but at the end of the free-fall, instead of bouncing back up, you swing across the canyon. The two guys that worked there knew that we had already done bungee, so they wanted us to try something "different" (which in their vocabulary means more terrifying) and they suggested we go backwards. As I'm sure everyone is aware, the feeling of falling backwards out of your chair, or on your back, while sleeping, is one of the most jolting experiences ever. I agreed to this little stunt with full knowledge that I would be terrified the entire time. To top off the scariness of the jump, the guys working think it is hilarious to mess with people. While they hung me backwards over the edge, they jokingly asked each other "Oh wait, did you connect her to the cord?" This little comment started me in a giggling fit. All of the terror I was feeling erupted into laughter, which they both thought was hilarious because I physically could not control it. While continuing to laugh hysterically, they told me to jump backwards and go; ignoring my instincts, I went... and I screamed REALLY loud the whole way down. Once the cord caught me in the swing, I immediately went back to laughing out of relief. It may have been crazy, but it was definitely a blast!! After this experience, I still can't decide, between bungee and swing, which was more terrifying and exhilarating; they are both so different with their own unique rushes. No matter what, I loved them both!!
Overall, I could not have asked for a better trip. New Zealand is unbelievable and I would recommend it to anyone; there is something for everyone, no matter what the age. I hope that I will get the chance to come back. It is unlike anyplace in the world and I'm so thankful I was able to experience it!!
No comments:
Post a Comment