Day Sixteen - Queenstown to Wanaka

sixteen
Originally uploaded by bpelley.

Today, Patrick told Bonney to jump off a bridge and she actually did it! After a leisurely morning in Queenstown, we picked up our campervan, shopped for provisions, had one last Fergburger, and hit the road. We headed up the same road that we used to bike to Queenstown. It was quite a bit faster this time. We stopped for ice cream in the small gold mining town of Arrowtown. It was a bit cute for our tastes, but the ice cream was good. As we headed up through the Kawarau Gorge we passed by the Kawarau Bridge bungy center where Bonney decided to take the plunge. After being informed that she would have to wait an hour while other crazy people jumped off the bridge before her, we sat in the cafe watching the live footage being broadcast over the video screens. This did not help Bonney's nerves! At the appointed hour, Bonney climbed to the bridge and was quickly harnassed and prepared for the big leap (43 meters). Bonney recounts, "I have to say although the first few seconds of the jump were terrifying (I remember hearing in my head, 'you have made a horrible error'), after the bungy cord kicks in, the ride is quite gentle and very fun. I immediately wanted to do it again." It has become quite expensive to do the jumps so Patrick let Bonney go it alone because he had already jumped when he was in New Zealand 12 years ago. Bonney's heart stopped beating fast by the time we arrived in Wanaka, our intended destination for the night.

For more pictures from Day Sixteen, click here.