Be a bit of a devil at QEII

Press, 19 July 1989, Page 15

Be a bit of a devil at QEII

forum for young people

by

MICHAEL, RENTOUL

The cheapest bungyjumping in the country will start at the Queen Elizabeth II Park pool from August 5, the park’s manager, Peter Francis, says. Increasingly popular with young people, bungy jumping is a supervised sport but one with an element of the dare-devil, according to the organisers. An Auckland company, Bungy Jumpers, Ltd, will conduct a six-month trial at the QEII pool, using a 16m tower at the side of

the diving well, with a launching platform over the pool. A single jump will cost around $25, compared to $B5 for jumps off some bridges in Queenstown, Peter Francis says. Meanwhile, the Queenstown man who grabbed world media attention by bungy-jumping off the Eiffel Tower in Paris, has been awarded a Trade Development Board export award. A. J. Hackett, partowner of New Zealand’s first bungy-jumping company, picked up the

award for the impact of his firm on tourism. The A. J. Hackett Bungy Queenstown company has helped 10,000 people jump the 49m off Kawarau Bridge near Queenstown, and brought in more than $500,000 in foreign exchange, it claims. _ The company began with a one-month permit last December. Recently, A. J. Hackett has been campaigning for a national safety standard for bungy-jumping. The sport, which involves people jumping off

a bridge or some other high point with strong rubber bands tied around their ankles, has occasionally led to injuries. A. J. Hackett believes some jumps are so unsafe. “It’s only a matter of time before someone is killed.” Safety considerations include the condition of the bungy cord, the rigging system, and the space available for the jump. The company carrying out the six-month trial at QEII would have responsibility for safety, Peter Francis says.