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SUB NOTE: HAVE ADDED PHOTOS. LOTS TO MAKE UP FOR THESE BEING THE LAST ONES. ENJOY! x

(This is a long one guys, you have been warned - New year, mad jumping, Milford and an epic walk all in one. I was going to mention that you would be rewarded your reading efforts by showing you lots of photos, but alas I've misplaced my USB wire after the last blog, so sadly there will be no more photos - which I'm actually quite sad about. I can still transfer photos to CD though with weird things known as chip readers, and will be doing so in a couple of days, so watch this space as I may be able to get some posted from CD...).

A jump, a bang and a whole new date!

Simon Wadsworth
2006-09-04 17:31:23

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life. The incredible 450ft Nevis Wire bungee with 8 seconds of freefall, will have to wait til when I next come back to NZ (which I suspect won't be too far into the future) and when I'm less poor. The 140ft Karawau may seem tame in comparison, but I assure you, standing with my toes over the edge of the bridge, my ankles bound together by the total strength of a towel, and the river grinning at me from far below, tame it was not! Unlike a parachute jump, this time it was completely up to me to make the move, a move I envisaged couldn't be toooo hard - a somwhat naïve thought in hindsight. But competing against all my brain's subconscious might to protect me, I took the plunge. What a rush! 3 seconds of free-fall, the ultimate feeling of falling and pleading for the elastic to take some effect soon, while "hey guys...the err...river is err..getting quite close now..". Bouncing up and down about 4 times, I grabbed like a wild monkey at a pole and was lowered to a boat (that incidentally overlooks the cliffs where the Pillars of the Kings were digitally superimposed on either side of the River Anduin at the end of the 'Fellowship of the Rings' for the nerds amongst you, like me). Like the skydive, an awesome experience I can't wait to repeat, despite having a blood-rushing headache for the rest of
the day.

Queenstown's population explodes during the summer months, so after a couple of 'normal' days here, I decided to head back up to the [slightly] more peaceful Wanaka for New Year. This included recovering from a hangover by a friend and I visiting the "Happy Fun for all the family" Puzzling World. I know what you're thinking - it sounds horrible, but as those who know me will know, the prospect of puzzles, rooms full of illusions, and a maze to get lost in (the first of the world's makeshift mazes now hugely popular in Japan) tragically sets my fingers tingling with excitement, much to the humility ...