Hiking and Bungy – Queenstown New Zealand

After sorting through a myriad of options, we decided not to do the gondola ride, or the luge or the steamboat ride to the working sheep farm.  We decided to hike, but then we had decide which hike.  We settled on Sawpit gully above Arrowtown, the preserved gold mining town.  It was a 3 hour strenuous hike up a rough gully  and over some pristine alpine meadow and spectacular views (see picture at the bottom of this post ) When they say strenuous in New Zealand, you should believe it.   It had taken us us so long to actually get going that it was 3 PM when we walked back into Arrowtown.   Turns out the info center does bookings for activities and the original commercial bungy jump was just down the way.  So off I went to bungy.

Decision made.  This was the Kawarau bridge bungee.  It is ONLY 140 feet above the river.  Soon I had plunked my money down and I was studiously not thinking about the plunge.   There was really not much fear in advance, since I had already been skydiving in the past. But there was that moment when I stood on the platform, stripped of my glasses and looked down at the river.   It does amazing things to the brain and the sympathetic nervous system (read:  adrenaline).

Look at the Camera -What camera? No Glasses

Before I had time to fully register the situation, I took the plunge.  Great GoogelyMoogely.   Will post more pictures than words for this one.   Yes that is me,  I have the t shirt to prove it ! the video is posted on Youtube/mayanrental

Ok, so I like to think I am not concerned about what people think, but in fact, it is not completely true.  I am very happy to not have to hang my head and say I went all the way to New Zealand and didn’t bungy.

After another pleasant hour sipping Tanqueray and Tonic and discussing the days exploits with the other Queenstown house guests, it was off to dinner at Ivy an Lola’s interesting restaurant.  The wall was decorated with antique radios and interesting music from around the world, perhaps from the 50’s ?? was playing.  The food was equally creative.  Linda ordered catch of the day in a mix of black bean , green bean and a variety of other flavors.   My dish was pork belly and pork loin in a dazzling array of flavors from jalapeno jam to pesto, to kumara (the local sweet potato), to goat cheese mousse (oh well you can’t win them all, Linda ate that one).  Quite a lovely dinner.  I only use the word lovely when we are in New Zealand or in the British Isles.

The only flat section of the Sawpit Gully trai