Thursday, 7:42am Eastern Daylight savings time
Our day began with a Jet boat ride in shotover canyon. This boat draws very little water and evidently is very maneuverable. We went very fast past some rocky walls.
If the rocks were fake and boat was on a track it would be scary. But the rocks were real and hard, the river is real and therefore variable and we rely on the skill of our driver. Laurie lost her hat, I think when her hair stood up on end. The driver had a talent for splashing the rear passenger which was me so even though I was wearing a rain coat my pants ended up wet in a very embarrassing way and I swear it was river water. We bought the video but can not post it yet so you'll have to wait.
On to the next adventure.
Our tour group went to see the bungy bridge. That's the way they spell it here. Any way you spell it it is a giant rubber band. According tt the pictures in the ad, the jumper is attached at the ankles. Since my left knee is not properly attached I had visions of my shins bouncing back up with the bungy and the rest of me continuing into the river below. Swimming to the boat (assuming I survived) would be challenging without feet. I didn't want to pay for my jump for the next 50 years so I had already decided to pass on this option. We also heard you can get a detached retina as the pressure builds up in your eye and I was thinking about that fish which our prevoius captain caught and wouldn't want to end up like him (not that I would end up on the captain's plate). Laurie and I opted for hang gliding instead. It seems much more gentle and a great new experience.
Back at the bungy bridge Laurie was getting coffee so I went to the observation platform. A young girl was ready to jump and she was clearly harnessed at her waist. Off she went not so gracefully and I knew I could do better than that. This led me to the information desk. The kind young lady confirmed that the harness bears the weight. Time was short (we were there with our group to observe) but I heard another of our group had signed up so with no time for thinking out came my credit card (no refunds if you get cold feet) and I was committed. My pants were already wet from the jet boat ride. The first part of registration is filling out your toe tag. They have a real sense of humor. Next you empty your pockets so they can weigh you. That's when Laurie came out of the rest room and saw me emptying my pockets onto the counter. They write your weight on your hand and print out a boarding pass. No liability release.
Laurie and I had Indian food for lunch back in town then met the van for our Paragliding adventure. We were signed up to glide, seated, with a pilot behind us. Laurie and I had separate rides. The "wing" is much like the kite for kite boarding and I hoped I'd have better luck at this. Our pilots were French. They drive you up to the top of a mountain used for skiing. The wind seemed good but it was cloudy. Three riders took off before us. Laurie and I were supposed to take off simultaneously but I looked back and she wasn't in the air. She had some trouble taking off which is why she is icing her knee tonight. It is on the opposite leg of her sore ankle. I think she is feeling somewhat better now.
I don't think Laurie had as much fun as me
If the rocks were fake and boat was on a track it would be scary. But the rocks were real and hard, the river is real and therefore variable and we rely on the skill of our driver. Laurie lost her hat, I think when her hair stood up on end. The driver had a talent for splashing the rear passenger which was me so even though I was wearing a rain coat my pants ended up wet in a very embarrassing way and I swear it was river water. We bought the video but can not post it yet so you'll have to wait.
On to the next adventure.
Our tour group went to see the bungy bridge. That's the way they spell it here. Any way you spell it it is a giant rubber band. According tt the pictures in the ad, the jumper is attached at the ankles. Since my left knee is not properly attached I had visions of my shins bouncing back up with the bungy and the rest of me continuing into the river below. Swimming to the boat (assuming I survived) would be challenging without feet. I didn't want to pay for my jump for the next 50 years so I had already decided to pass on this option. We also heard you can get a detached retina as the pressure builds up in your eye and I was thinking about that fish which our prevoius captain caught and wouldn't want to end up like him (not that I would end up on the captain's plate). Laurie and I opted for hang gliding instead. It seems much more gentle and a great new experience.
Back at the bungy bridge Laurie was getting coffee so I went to the observation platform. A young girl was ready to jump and she was clearly harnessed at her waist. Off she went not so gracefully and I knew I could do better than that. This led me to the information desk. The kind young lady confirmed that the harness bears the weight. Time was short (we were there with our group to observe) but I heard another of our group had signed up so with no time for thinking out came my credit card (no refunds if you get cold feet) and I was committed. My pants were already wet from the jet boat ride. The first part of registration is filling out your toe tag. They have a real sense of humor. Next you empty your pockets so they can weigh you. That's when Laurie came out of the rest room and saw me emptying my pockets onto the counter. They write your weight on your hand and print out a boarding pass. No liability release.
I tossed the contents of my pockets, which included a spare camera battery, into Laurie's bag which is reminiscent of a black hole. I also gave Laurie strict instructions on how to shoot a video of me and to practice on the victims prior to me. Off I went to the bridge to wait in line for my turn. That's where I learned that the waist harness is a backup only. If your feet somehow slipped out of the binding (or your legs disconnected) it would come into play. No refunds, remember. The team leader in charge assured me that nobodys legs had come off yet and if I could jump off a four foot platform and then run away (not a bad idea) I should be OK. I had forgotten about the detached retina thing completely.
As I was next in line I leaned over to see if Laurie was OK and she informed me that my camera battery had just died (we got great videos of the previous jumper) and she could not locate my spare. Too late now, she turned to her own camera instead. My ankles were wrapped in a towel and I was tied in what looked like a secure knot. You are given the option of having your head dipped into the river. I opted to stay dry.
When they stood me up and I hopped up to the platform, holding on for dear life, I looked down and thought what the hell am I doing up here? It is only 43 meters to the water. This happens to be the mild option offered in Queenstown but that is irrelevant. It's a long way down. They tell you to look at their camera for a picture (nice shots) and then he loosened my death grip on the rail and told me to go. They said if you jump far out it is a more gentle ride. Normal people instinctively don't jump off bridges and I thought of myself as normal. They are not allowed to push you. I wasn't about to turn around and there was nowhere else to go so I took a nice forward leap and off I went into thin air.
It was a gentle ride and you bounce up and down a few times (hanging by your ankles) then you are met by a boat which they lower you into. I was surprised to find myself out of breath, and pleased that I could see the boat and finally walk back up to the bridge.
Go here for some entertainment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7JawroeQvs
The video they shot is pretty good.
Here goes nothing. They told me the farther out you jump, the smoother the ride.
Thank G-d it's over. Thank G-d my legs are still attached. I think my arms are stuck though.
The video they shot is pretty good.
"What was I thinking?"
Here goes nothing. They told me the farther out you jump, the smoother the ride.
Nice view for a short while.
Thank G-d it's over. Thank G-d my legs are still attached. I think my arms are stuck though.
On to the next adventure.
Laurie and I had Indian food for lunch back in town then met the van for our Paragliding adventure. We were signed up to glide, seated, with a pilot behind us. Laurie and I had separate rides. The "wing" is much like the kite for kite boarding and I hoped I'd have better luck at this. Our pilots were French. They drive you up to the top of a mountain used for skiing. The wind seemed good but it was cloudy. Three riders took off before us. Laurie and I were supposed to take off simultaneously but I looked back and she wasn't in the air. She had some trouble taking off which is why she is icing her knee tonight. It is on the opposite leg of her sore ankle. I think she is feeling somewhat better now.
The ride is lots of fun. I just felt like I was sliding out of my seat and didn't want to test the harness so i slid myself back as far as I could. My pants had dried by now. it is a fantastic ride and because I tild my pilot I was OK he thought it would be cool to make some tight turns. I bought that video too even though I was able to use my own camera (replaced the battery). They have a camera out on a stick which is a nice vantage point.
Adventure #3. Paragliding. Laurie's knee is almost all better. I have videos (both mine and purchased) which I will post eventually. Avoid them if you are prone to motion sickness. The ride does not make you sick but the video will. Our pilots thought it would be fun to swing us around a bit.
Tomorrow morning we check out of our hotel, put our bags into storage to spend a night on a boat in a fjord. Then we check back into the same hotel for our last night. They would have let us keep our stuff in the room but the need the room for Christchurch people. We're exhausted and I've been up way too late. We'll have no internet for a few days and I wanted to get these reports off.
Regards,
Steve & Laurie.
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