A New Zealand Must Do – AJ Hackett Nevis Swing

We’ve always been a fan of swing sets, as I think every kid has. Swinging high and jumping out of the swing for that half second free fall really gets the little kid juices flowing. I’ve still been known to run and jump on one whenever I happen to pass a park or playground.
I’ll start describing this by saying this isn’t that kind of swing. The AJ Hackett Nevis Swing holds the stats to be called the biggest swing in the world.

New Zealand is well known for being the home of bungy jumping, and AJ Hackett was the madman behind the idea of jumping off the side of a very high point connected to nothing more than a big rope made of rubber bands.
Have you seen an actual bungy rope? It’s really unnerving…it seriously is made of rubber bands, and the outer ones tend to be shredded from being stretched so many times. We’re actually pushing off real bungy jumping until it’s summer again because a lot of the jumps here tend to dunk you head first into a river or the ocean. The Nevis Swing is the next best thing.

You have to walk across a swinging steel bridge out to the platform that is hanging in the air by metal cords. Your nerves get worked up a bit as the bridge and platform move with the wind, and when you do make it across, you’re greeted by a pair of sketchy looking Kiwi twenty-somethings that are waiting for you with harnesses. They are there to harass you and scare you while they hook up your gear. They don’t baby people in the outdoor adrenaline industry here like they do in the States. I can’t remember how many times I had to gently coerce someone into repelling off of a canopy tour platform or going across a rope bridge over a gorge. Here we would be allowed to call them names and harass them until they cry. I can’t wait to start guiding again next summer.

These clowns hooked us up and harassed us, and it was while that was happening that I realized that I may actually have gained a fear of pretty extreme heights somewhere along this journey of getting older. Either way, we were stoked and ready to do the damn thing.

Smile, because there’s nothing else to do while you dangle hopelessly, high above a canyon floor.

Then the clips holding you from above let go…

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

Feeling like you’re dying has this awesome way of making you feel really, super, ALIVE!

Have you ever been skydiving or bungy jumping? What is something “extreme” that you have always wanted to do? Let us know in the comments below!

Global Giraffe is a travel blog that is focused on keeping it real. This isn't a fluffy rainbow magical travel blog, here you'll find real life situations, tips and advice for the every day person that wants to know more about places they've never been to. Global Giraffe is led by Dan and Teryn. After leaving Denver, Colorado, they decided to try to take on the world, one odd job at a time. They are currently residing in Asheville, North Carolina. For more updates follow Global Giraffe on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.