Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge

While traveling through New Zealand, we visited the Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge, which spans the blue-green waters of the Kawarau River on the South Island. I knew before we arrived that I would not be jumping, but watching others step onto the platform, overcome their hesitation, and leap into the gorge became an experience in itself. We spent part of the day there as one jumper after another disappeared beneath the bridge before bouncing above the river.

The bridge was completed in 1880 and originally provided an important transportation link to the goldfields and farming communities of Central Otago. A newer highway bridge replaced it for automobile traffic in 1963, but the original suspension bridge remained standing above the gorge.

Its history changed dramatically in 1988, when New Zealand adventurers A. J. Hackett and Henry van Asch opened the world’s first permanent commercial bungy-jumping operation here. The jump begins from a platform approximately 43 meters, or 141 feet, above the river. Twenty-eight people made the leap on opening day, November 12, 1988, helping establish Queenstown’s international reputation as a center for adventure tourism.

Our visit allowed us to experience the excitement without making the jump ourselves. There was something compelling about watching each person approach the edge differently before finally letting go. The bridge preserves its nineteenth-century transportation history, but it is the courage, hesitation, and exhilaration repeated above the river each day that now define it for visitors from around the world.