Weekend 1!

This weekend was definitely one that got my heart racing and blood pumping! My roommates and I began the weekend by meeting up with some of the other teachers Friday night at a local pub. (The pub serves free food, so we definitely wanted to check it out!) Then, we had an early night in preparation for Saturday’s festivities.

We hit the road to Queenstown around 10:30 a.m. for our first adventure: bungy jumping! Queenstown is only an hour away, but the roads to get there are through the mountains and very windy. It is often times challenging to see, as there are many blind corners. Keep in mind that driving is on the left side of the road with the steering wheel on the right side of the car! Therefore, just getting there was an adventure in itself. Then, upon reaching downtown, the A.J. Hackett bunjy was spotted. We quickly pulled over, and my stomach immediately went into my throat. I spent some time watching others take the jump, and then headed in to register myself. Of course, I had a lot of questions, such as, “what happens if I don’t jump” and “have there ever been any injuries?” The workers eased my mind, took my money, and assured me I would love it! We had thirty minutes to wait, so I headed back outside to watch some more, hoping that would make me feel better. When the time was up, I headed back inside to tell them I was ready and then headed on top of the bridge. There were four of us jumping, and the two boys went first, then me, and then Emma. (The other girl is waiting for her boyfriend to arrive so that they can jump together, but I figured I would spare Bill J) Then, I got all suited up. They put a harness around my waist as a back up, and tied my legs together. It seemed like two towels held together by a strap that was wrapped many, many times. (I told them to make it as tight as they could, because I did not want to fall out!) The waist strap connected to the feet, and that was all. I inched my way to the ledge, holding desperately onto the workers. They told me to smile at a few cameras, and then counted down from three. At that moment, I fell forward off the bridge! (One of the worker’s best piece of advice was to jump as soon as the countdown ended, and this was exactly what I did.) It was such a weird feeling free falling from above, but I noticed a lot of pressure on my head and ears. I truly think my eyes were closed almost the whole time, because I cannot remember seeing anything. After I felt the rope catch me, I bounced up a few more times, praying it would be over soon. I hung there for awhile, yelling for the workers to help me down quickly. When they did, I tried to catch my bearings and settle down. Then, I climbed out of the boat and headed back to flat ground!

Overall, I don’t know if I loved it, but it was definitely an experience I am glad I had! Besides, how many people can say they bunjy jumped in New Zealand?!

            After the bunjy jump, we continued driving towards the downtown area of Queenstown. We stopped along the way to eat our packed lunch, and we ended up watching a bit of a rugby game. Then, we headed to our next adventures, the gondola and luge. I opted to just do the gondola, as the luge was very similar to go-carts and I was a bit queasy, but the views from the top of the mountain were amazing! I am going to try and upload them tomorrow after school, with the picture from Fergburger, a local favorite! After all the adrenaline was wearing off, the group explored Queenstown some more, stopping to try some fudge and gelato, and then headed back home to Alex.

         Today, my roommates and I were planning on bike riding to Clyde, but it ended up raining all day. (We all found this somewhat strange as we were assured that it never rains this time of year!) Instead, we treated ourselves to a “super-thick shake” from a local café. After yesterday, I decided I deserved it J