Student Bloggers

As I was looking at study abroad programs last year, I noticed that many pictures from New Zealand included bungee jumping. As I did more research, I learned that the first commercial bungee jump was in New Zealand and there were many different bungee options in the adventure capital of the world, Queenstown.

From then, I was hooked. I knew I had to conquer the tallest bungee in New Zealand, the Nevis.

As I continued my abroad search, there was something about Queenstown that pulled me in. Although I am not studying abroad in Queenstown, it was the idea of the town that reeled me into New Zealand. I could tell that Queenstown had such an adventurous feel with the many activities it offers. As I have recently returned from my weekend in Queenstown, I am very pleased to say my high expectations were met.

As a part of the Arcadia program, we had an activity weekend in Queenstown. As we filed onto the bus, many people were skeptical about the weekend since the weather was calling for rain. However, as we soon learned, the weather in New Zealand is unpredictable and changes rapidly. As we entered Queenstown, the beauty of the South island of New Zealand hit us right away. We passed Lake Wakatipu and I have never seen water so blue. It was paired perfectly with the blue sky, which no one was expecting. It was as if I was seeing all of the New Zealand instagrams I followed come to life.

After we settled into our Hostel, we traveled through Lake Wakatipu on a jet boat, which also originated in Queenstown. As we zoomed through the lake, the beauty of New Zealand was captivating. Everywhere you turned there were huge mountains combined with the sky which amazingly enough was still blue.

After the ride, as happy and excited as we were, everyone desperately needed food. We went to the classic burger place that “you must try in Queenstown” known as Fergburger. I must say it definitely deserved the hype. The line was out the door but worth the wait. A bunch of us took our burgers and ate them by the harbor. I have felt so content just starring at my surroundings. The harbor was beautiful; it didn’t even feel like we were in New Zealand. Then you looked up and saw the mountains in the background and I felt as if I were in two different places at once.

The next day, we were scheduled to do an eight-mile hike on one of the great walks, the Routeburn track. As I looked out my window that morning and saw the rain, it was disappointing, but I knew we would power through and still complete the hike. I can confidently say I never been that soaked, yet happy at the same time. Through the entire hike no one complained about how everything we had was wet, or how cold everyone felt from the dampness. It was so enjoyable to be surrounded by people who want to hike and be outdoors just as much as you do, no matter what the weather conditions are.

Of course, the rain finished off right as we returned from our hike, but we were able to enjoy that night again by the harbor, which was very nice. However, the whole weekend I had been looking forward to Sunday, the day of the bungee jumping.

As I woke up that morning, I couldn’t believe that the day I had been thinking about for so long was finally here. Before the bungee, we took a Gondola ride up, and saw the famous view of Queenstown, which although I had seen in pictures, still took my breath away.  We then had the opportunity to do a luge ride, which was very fun and something I had never done before!

After we finished our rides, it was finally time. We walked back to the town where the station for the bungee jump was. From there, we took a very windy but scenic bus ride to the station where the jump took place. I had so many different emotions of nerves and excitement rushing through me at this point.

When we arrived at the station, they went through the procedures of everything and explained how we would be safe 100% of the time. I had heard previously that bungee jumping was actually one of the safest activities to do in Queenstown so I did in fact feel secure.

The jump is so high that you’re in a station that is suspended in the sky. By the time I got to the station I felt extremely nervous, but knew I had to do it at this point, and I would absolutely regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t. I unfortunately ended up being the last to go, but eventually it became my turn. I slowly walked to the ledge and took a look out at what I was about to jump into. I heard the worker say 3…2…1… bungee, and then I jumped.

There are absolutely no words to describe the feeling. The first three seconds go by so quickly, but once I comprehended that I in fact was falling, I looked around and oddly enough it was very peaceful. I kept thinking that I couldn’t believe I just jumped. It was the most surreal feeling.

After that, the weekend unfortunately had to come to an end. As we drove home, I felt so accomplished; in just two days I had conquered so much. I cannot wait to go back to Queenstown and experience the many other adventurous activities it has to offer!