Queenstown Part 2 - More Adventure, More Money

Saving the craziest experience for last, I had plenty of time to rethink and doubt my decision to sign up for the canyon swing. I even waited until the very last second to book it, continually talking myself out of it, but then realizing that I'd regret not doing it. One of the newer activities in the area, it's much like bungy, but it's more of a swing instead of a jolt as you hit the bottom of the rope. Basically, you drive out to a nearby picturesque canyon, walk out to a platform suspended 330 feet above the river below, jump off the platform, scream, pass out, wet yourself, etc, freefall for 180 feet, then start a huge arc with the swing as you reach speeds of about 90 mph, then you are winched back up to the platform as you try to regain your senses. I never liked the thought of bungy, though I had always thought I might want to do sky-diving, so I figured that I'd give this activity a try after hearing some rave reviews, including one from my kayaking guide that said it was "silly." (which in Kiwi slang means amazing, apparently)

Arriving in the building, I was already a bit nervous, as was the Japanese couple on their honeymoon behind me, as they tried with some broken English to cancel this portion of their trip, but they weren't allowed to cancel that close to departure time, so they just went along for the ride. We drove up to the canyon after watching a safety video that basically scared us more, showing different jumping/departing methods and the steep canyon walls and river below. We got to the canyon quickly, and things were pretty quiet as people made small talk and thought about what they were about to do. Some time during the car ride, the Japanese guy decided that he'd do the jump, since he'd already paid the money. He also was talked into doing the "Indian Rope Trick," though I don't know that he knew what he agreed to. This method ties you up to the ropes, then they have a smaller rope hanging out over the edge where you hang on for dear life as long as possible before giving in and having to let go, sending you falling into the canyon. The guides also liked to have a bit of fun with the guests and try to scare them a bit more, so after securing all of the safety ropes and hanging him out over the edge, they both started yelling "No! No! Yuki, don't let go!!" Of course, he couldn't really do anything at this point, but I'm sure it really worked to scare him even more, if that's possible. A few other people chose a method where they sort of push you off with your back to the canyon, so you don't have to look down too much, but the guides kept grabbing the rope, holding them out over the abyss, then pulling them back in at the last second. Another method by one of my group members was sitting back in a plastic chair that they attached to his harness and simply leaning back in your chair, sending you spinning through the air, but they also messed with him and pushed the chair back and forth for an agonizingly long time. They also have a video camera overhead and attached to the guide's hat, so we were able to watch everything on video from the platform, seeing the faces of fear, regret, despair, anger, and more close up.

I was the last one in our group, and by the time it was my turn, I could feel my legs shaking a bit. I'd been suited up with the harness for a while and had seen all of the other jumps. Despite trying to stay calm, it gets harder and harder to do that the closer you get to the edge of the platform. Also, I gave my camera to one of the spectators beforehand to get a few pictures of me on the edge, but that was the last thing in my mind once I got a look down. There was music playing and a few other people around, but I certainly don't remember being able to pay any attention to them. I had decided to do the frontwards jump, meaning that I'd try a bit of a swan dive into the canyon. I figured if I was going to do this, I'd like to be able to look down and see the drop to get the full effect. I tied in to the cables, and then I was ready to go, as the guides began to talk to me, trying to scare me. They pointed out the spots below where it looked like someone had hit and slid down the rock, wondered if my blood would spatter everywhere, just things like that. I tried to remain calm and not worry about it, and I think I did a pretty good job until reaching the edge. I put my toes over the edge for a few seconds, which then turned into almost a minute as the guides continued to talk, and I tried to avoid thinking about what I had noticed as I glanced below...the sheer drop. Such a beautiful, peaceful canyon, about to become a place of torment. Eventually the guide asked if I was actually going to do it, though I was never 100% sure that I was completely tied in, so then he said that I should go ahead and put my arms out. "Like now..." he said, so I put my arms out a bit and felt his foot pushing in behind mine, nudging me forward. So, I kept my arms out and did my best attempt at a jump, which turned out to be more of a step forward and tiny hop. The images in my mind of a graceful, fully extended swan dive didn't quite materialize, as I knew they wouldn't, though I did manage to go facing front while looking down. The immediate fear escalated as I could feel the speed picking up and watched the canyon walls speed by, faster and faster. I could feel my stomach high up in my chest, and I hoped that the rope would catch. I was in sort of a standing position, each nano-second becoming more and more scared and the ground approached. I started to turn a bit as the ropes did catch, though the speed hardly slowed down, and I circled down to the bottom of the canyon and close to the river below as I made the huge arc created by the ropes. After the ropes caught, I turned and had my head facing down and my feet sticking straight up in the arms, arms outstretched as I think my body couldn't fathom any sort of movement as I was in a bit of shock, but I was able to enjoy the swing as I started to breathe again and became more aware of the surroundings again. I could feel the blood rush in my head and looked around to see what was next, though I was just looking at the upside down walls of a canyon. Then I felt the winch pulling me back up to the platform, finally managing to spin myself around into a sitting position before making it back up to the top and firmly grabbing on to the platform the moment that I could put my feet down. Exhilarated and superbly frightened, I walked back off the platform, took the harness off and assessed my situation. I had made the jump completely safely, though my head was still spinning and my body still wasn't quite working properly. I looked back out at the jump that I had just made, proud to have had the courage to make it but ready to get back to solid ground. I climbed back up the stairs with my heart continuing to race, and I finally felt myself calming as I got in the building. Of course, I had to pay a bit more money to buy the picture of me jumping, but I couldn't forget this moment.

To see a generic video of it, some pictures or more information, check out http://www.canyonswing.co.nz/ The video on the homepage is pretty good.

(The platform and canyon below)

(There's me just as I'm jumping off the platform, away from the ridicules and taunts from the guides)

(Here's the official picture - you can see that my glorious swan dive was a bit of a flop, but I did manage to keep my arms out, so that's good)