AJ Hackett - where bungy started!

On the road from Makarora to Queenstown we stopped at the AJ Hackett Kawarau bridge - home to the first commercialized bungy site. The 43 meter jump began operation in 1988 & continues to flourish with tens of thousands of jumpers each year. That day half a dozen or so Stray mates all jumped & got to experience one of the craziest thrills there is. I will stick with my one jump in Taupo, but it was cool to see this historic site.
History of Bungy Jumping
The inspiration for bungy came from a Vanatu (Pacific Islanders) ritual. These people would throw themselves off of large bamboo structures with only vines tied to their feet. The Oxford University Dangerous Sports Club saw this and began experimenting with bungying in the 70s and were the first to invent the modern day bungee. This group inspired Hackett and in 1987 he bungeed off the Eiffel Tower & started the world wide craze of bungy jumping. Of course he was arrested shortly after, but that only adds to the fame right? Then in 1988 Hackett with his partner Henry van Asch made bungy jumping available to the public with the commercial operation of bungy at the Kawarau Bridge.

AJ Hackett's crazy dreams didn't stop there though. In 1999 he opened the highest bungy in the Southern Hemisphere, known as the Nevis. Located also outside of Queenstown, it is a 134 meter jump. The latest invention is the Ledge Urban Bungy Swing, a swing that sails 400 meters over Queenstown. What will he think of next?

Information for this post came from the AJ Hackett Bungy webstie http://www.bungy.co.nz/index.php/pi_pageid/34 and Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_J_Hackett, as well as my visit to the AJ Hackett Kawarau Bridge.