NZ Day 7: Bungy Jumping and Wine Tasting

Here's Dana standing next to our room at the B&B. OK not really. This is a replica of a house from "Old Chinatown" near historic Arrowtown. Arrowtown boomed during the gold rush, and since Chinese people were not welcome in the white town, they built their own self-sufficient dwelling in the hills nearby. The park and exhibits are interesting, way more so than the tourist trap of Arrowtown itself. Unless you want to buy a rock the size, shape, colour and price of a gumball... from a gumball machine. Now if you have a kid, don't worry - there is a disclaimer for your 5 year-old to read that will set him straight before he spends that coin he borrowed.

From Arrowtown we went straight to my 11:30AM bridge jump booking. I have a fear of heights so I was expecting to be scared out of my wits. It was quite cold as I prepared to jump - and the drizzle didn't help - but I wasn't very nervous. I can get over my fear with logic and the jump felt very safe, even thought they basically just wrap a hand towel around your ankle, run a cord through it and push you off the ledge... maybe because it's all just so official. At the jump centre they weight you and write the weight on your hand in permanent marker... 91 kilos (201 pounds)?!?! No way! I was about to ask for a re-weigh without my shoes but decided to wear the weight on my hand for a while to keep it in mind. I still have not washed that hand. I jumped backwards after the crew recommended against my idea of attempting a flip. "First jump, keep it simple," they said. The length of the cord was measured perfectly with my weight so that I could get as close to the water as I wanted. My arms and head submerged. And by the way, I have washed that hand. Many times. The 91 will just not wash off. It's like it's a curse. If you're going to Queenstown, bungy jump. It's well worth it. Video here:


What goes great after bungy jumping? Wine tasting! Dana and I spent the rainy afternoon exploring Central Otago and trying wines from some of the best emerging wineries in the world. I must make special note of Peregrine: best pinot noir. Fantastic. And the setting for these wineries could not be better.

Dana and I popped back by the Kawarau Bridge Bungy for another look. While I was taking photos, some guy asked if we wanted a photo together.
"Sure!"
Photo taken.
"Thanks! Lots of Americans around these days."
"Ah yeah, I'm from New Jersey."
Dana pipes in, "I'm from Jersey! Where are you from?"
"I'm from [somewhere in NJ]."
"That's right by me, I'm from Highland Park."
"I have a good friend from Highland Park."
"What's his name?" (long shot)
"Adam Ravens."
"No way!"

It turns out Don was best man at Adam's wedding. Adam married Alicia, a long-time family friend. Dana was their baby-sitter not long after and had actually met Don before! Small world. So we ended up hanging out with Don & Todd (who was bungy jumping) that night in Queenstown, along with some packpacking pommies we met. Great fun. Oh, and that's Todd standing on the bridge behind Dana and Don... because of all the excitement we nearly missed his jump!