Bungy Jump Age Limits: Who Can Jump In Queenstown

What Is The Minimum Age To Bungy Jump In Queenstown?

The lowest bungy minimum age in Queenstown is 10, at the Kawarau Bridge Bungy, the 43 m jump the operator calls the world's first commercial bungy. Nevis Bungy, at 134 m, requires jumpers to be 13 or older, and every Nevis combo follows that 13-plus rule. The swing and zipride products at Kawarau open even younger, at age 8, because they carry different harnesses and weight rules.

One company sets all of these numbers: AJ Hackett Bungy NZ, the only bungy operator found in Queenstown, running the Kawarau Bungy Centre in Gibbston Valley and the Nevis Playground in the canyon of the same name. Its third site, The Ledge at the top of the Skyline Gondola, is reopening for summer 26/27 per the operator, and its pages list a minimum age of 10 for the Ledge Bungy, but it is not bookable now and no tour card exists for it here.

Age is only half the eligibility question. Every product also carries a weight range, and the two limits work together: a 10-year-old who weighs under 35 kg cannot jump at Kawarau, and a 13-year-old who weighs under 45 kg cannot jump at Nevis. The full weight rules, including the tandem limits and the river-level rule that drops Kawarau's maximum to 130 kg when the water is high, are covered in the guide to bungy weight limits, and this page sticks to the age side of the ledger.

It is worth being precise about why the two bungy sites sit three years apart. Nevis is a bigger jump in every dimension the operator states: 134 m against Kawarau's 43 m, an 8.5 second plunge the operator describes as the highest bungy in New Zealand in its own words, and a stricter weight band of 45 to 127 kg. The operator's FAQ and legal pages are where the age, consent and health rules are published, and any question this page does not answer can be put to the operator directly on 0800 286 4958 or +64 3 450 1300.

The age numbers also tell you something about how the operator thinks about risk at each site. The bigger the drop and the longer the freefall, the higher the minimum age climbs: the gentlest product in the family, the Zipride at 60 kph with a harness seat rather than ankle bindings, takes the youngest riders. The bridge jump, three times shorter than Nevis and reached by a walk-on deck rather than a cable car, sits in the middle. The pattern is consistent enough that a parent can read any future product announcement and make a fair guess at where its age will land before the operator confirms it.

What Are The Age Limits For Every Queenstown Bungy, Swing And Zipride?

Kawarau Bridge Bungy: 10 or older. Kawarau Swing and Kawarau Zipride: 8 or older. Nevis Bungy, Nevis Catapult, Nevis Swing and every Nevis combo: 13 or older. Ledge Bungy (reopening summer 26/27 per the operator): 10 or older. Each age belongs to its own product and never transfers to another, so a child cleared for the Zipride is not automatically cleared for the bridge jump.

Here is the full age picture in one table, with the weight range that sits beside each age rule. The weight figures are the operator's stated ranges; weather can change operating weight ranges and the crew assess on the day.

Two details in that table deserve a second look. The Zipride has its own nested rule: children aged 8 to 9 ride tandem with an adult aged 20 or over, which is the youngest participation of anything the operator runs. And the Nevis Swing sits at age 10 even though its bungy neighbour sits at 13, so a 10-year-old can ride the swing into the Nevis canyon but cannot jump the bungy there.

If the decision in front of you is simply which jump to book, the 43 m original at Kawarau is the one that takes the youngest jumpers, the 134 m Nevis is the one for jumpers 13 and over who want the bigger drop, and the Kawarau combo pairs the bridge jump with the swing under one age-10 rule.

What Do Parents And Guardians Have To Do On The Day?

Any jumper under 18 needs adult consent at check-in, and any jumper under 14 needs an adult aged 18 or over on site, though that adult does not have to take part in anything. Bring photo ID, arrive at the stated check-in time, and the consent is handled at the check-in desk rather than in advance paperwork.

The two rules are separate and parents trip over the difference. Consent is a signature question: a 16-year-old arriving with written consent from a parent who is elsewhere still satisfies the consent rule, but if that 16-year-old is under 18 the adult-on-site question is a different test that only applies under 14. A 12-year-old at Kawarau needs a grown-up physically present at the site for the whole jump, and that grown-up can stand on the free spectator deck, since spectators at Kawarau watch at no charge. At Nevis, an adult spectator spot is NZD 50, free for under 10s, which matters for families weighing up the family day at the bungy.

Check-in times are short and strict. Kawarau asks jumpers to check in 15 minutes before their jump, and the free Bungy Bus from central Queenstown asks passengers to check in 30 minutes before departure. Under-18 jumpers should have their consenting adult reachable at those moments, not just at the jump itself.

The operator's FAQ page is where the supervision wording is published, and it words the on-site rule as "13 or under", which is the same under-14 rule stated from the other direction. If your family configuration is unusual, a split family, a school group, a 13-year-old travelling with a 19-year-old sibling, ring the operator on 0800 286 4958 before booking rather than guessing at the desk.

One more practical note on consent: it is given at check-in, which means the desk needs to be able to connect the jumper to the adult. A parent dropping a teenager at the Gibbston Valley car park and driving to a winery should make sure a phone is answered for the fifteen minutes around check-in, because the crew will not proceed on a promise. For school groups and sports teams, the operator can talk through group consent arrangements in advance on the same number, and it is a five-minute call that saves a standoff at the bridge.

Can Children Under 10 Do Anything At The Bungy Sites?

Yes, at Kawarau. The Kawarau Swing takes riders from age 8 with a 30 kg minimum weight, the Kawarau Zipride takes riders from age 8 (ages 8 to 9 tandem with an adult aged 20 or over), and spectators of any age watch free. Nevis has nothing for under 10s as jumpers or riders: its bungy, catapult and combos start at 13, its swing at 10, and only spectator spots under 10 are free.

The swing and zipride are genuinely different products rather than consolation prizes, though this site sells them only as parts of combos, not as standalone tour cards. The swing runs at 43 m, the same height as the bridge bungy, in single, tandem or triple formations, with the operator's price from NZD 240 adult and NZD 200 child. The Zipride runs 130 m at 60 kph with the operator's price from NZD 50, and its photos-only policy differs from the photo and video bundle the operator includes with the bungy and swing products.

For a family with an 8-year-old and a 12-year-old, the arithmetic works like this: the 12-year-old can jump the bridge bungy, the 8-year-old can ride the swing, and the Kawarau Combo, Bungy & Swing books the two together from NZD 460 for adults under the operator's combo pricing, with the combo open to anyone 10 or over weighing 35 to 150 kg. The 8-year-old is a spectator for the jump itself, free, standing on the deck.

The under-10 free spectator rule at Nevis means a family can travel to the canyon together, but note the transport: Nevis sits on private land with no self-drive access, only the included 4WD Bungy Bus, a 45-minute ride each way. A paying adult spectator spot is NZD 50. Families usually find the self-drive, free-parking, free-spectator setup at Kawarau simpler, and the practical differences are laid out in getting to the Kawarau Bridge from Queenstown.

What Are The Age Limits For Combo Tours?

The four bookable combos split into two age camps. Kawarau Combo, Bungy & Swing is open from age 10, weight 35 to 150 kg, because both of its halves are age-10 products. Every Nevis combo, the Bungy & Swing combo, the Bungy & Catapult combo and the Thrillogy, is 13-plus, weight 45 to 127 kg, because the Nevis bungy inside them sets the bar.

A combo inherits the strictest limit of anything inside it. That is the whole rule, and it explains why two combos sold by the same operator in the same region sit three years apart.

The pricing pattern matters as much as the ages. The operator says the Bungy & Swing combo saves NZD 100 against buying the two Nevis activities separately, and the Thrillogy saves NZD 210, numbers printed on the operator's combos page. There is also a stacking discount the operator states plainly: two or more activities booked together nationwide, Zipride excluded, take NZD 50 off per activity, and three or more take NZD 70 off per activity.

None of the three Nevis combos carries a published rating. The Nevis Combo, Bungy & Swing is rated 5.0 with no review count stated, and the Thrillogy and the Bungy & Catapult combo carry no rating at all. Ratings never transfer between products here: the 5.0 across 122 reviews belongs to the standalone Nevis Bungy 134 M and to nothing else.

A worked example shows how the combo age rule plays out in a real family. Take two siblings, 11 and 14. The 14-year-old clears every product in the table: bridge bungy, Nevis bungy, all four combos. The 11-year-old clears exactly one combo, the Kawarau pairing, and is locked out of all three Nevis combos regardless of weight, because no exception is stated for age. A parent wanting both children in one booking session is therefore choosing between a split booking, Nevis for the teenager and Kawarau for the younger one, or one shared Kawarau day. Both are common; only one of them keeps the family on the same bridge at the same hour.

Is There An Upper Age Limit For Bungy Jumping?

No upper age limit is stated for any Queenstown bungy product. The operator's eligibility rules run on age minimums, weight ranges and health disclosure, not age maximums. What the operator does require, at every age, is disclosure of the medical conditions on its list and, for a few of them, a doctor's certificate before jumping.

The honest answer for older jumpers is that age itself is not the gate, health disclosure is. The operator's list of conditions to tell the crew about includes high or low blood pressure, heart conditions, epilepsy, neurological disorders, diabetes, asthma, prosthetics, panic or anxiety attacks and recent sprains or muscular injuries. Osteoporosis, scoliosis and a recent concussion require a doctor's certificate. Pregnant guests and people with photosensitive epilepsy cannot take part. That is the operator's list, stated here as the operator states it, with no medical interpretation added, and the practical advice is unchanged at any age: check with your doctor and tell the crew when you book.

The operator's safety page publishes the health and disclosure rules, and it is also the page that says prescription safety goggles are available free of charge for jumpers who cannot wear glasses. Jumpers over 60 planning a first jump may find the over-60 planning page useful for the same reason: the rules do not change at 60, but the questions worth asking before booking do.

One age-adjacent point that is easy to miss: the crew assesses on the day, and weather can change the operating weight ranges. A jumper who cleared the printed rules at booking can still be assessed at the platform, which is why disclosure at booking beats disclosure at the bridge.

How Does Age Change The Booking And Timing Picture?

Younger jumpers widen the party, and wider parties need earlier bookings. The operator's own timing advice is to book the Nevis Bungy four to six weeks ahead in summer, with the peak from 15 December to 15 January and the busiest days 30 December to 2 January. Outside peak, about 48 hours ahead is usually enough. Family groups during school holidays sit inside that peak window.

School holidays and the operator's peak overlap almost exactly, which is the planning fact worth internalising. A family booking a 12-year-old's first Kawarau jump for early January is booking into the busiest stretch of the operator's year, while the same jump in February or March is a 48-hour decision.

The cancellation rule is the family backstop. Cancel or change more than 24 hours before and the booking is fully refundable minus the 1.99% non-refundable card transaction fee; inside 24 hours, a no-show, or a decision not to jump on the day, it is non-refundable. If weather or safety stops the operation, the operator offers a transfer, a reschedule or a full refund. A teenager who talks big for three weeks and changes their mind at the platform does not get a refund, so it is worth knowing that rule before, not after, the drive to Gibbston Valley.

Payments are broad, Visa, Mastercard, EFTPOS, WeChat Pay, AliPay, UnionPay and Afterpay, and booking direct includes photos, video and an activity t-shirt per the operator, with instant delivery to your device. Photo ID is required at check-in, which for a 16-year-old usually means a school ID with a date of birth or a passport.

Transport adds another layer for family timing. The Kawarau site runs on a 1.5-hour self-drive budget or 2.5 hours by the free Bungy Bus, while a Nevis day needs about 3.5 to 4 hours all in, because the 4WD ride into the private land is 45 minutes each way. A family splitting between sites on consecutive days should plan two different mornings, and the bus check-in cut-off of 30 minutes before departure bites harder with children in tow.

What Trips People Up When Reading Bungy Age Limits?

The three classic mistakes are assuming the age rules transfer between products, forgetting the weight range that sits beside every age, and misreading the two supervision rules as one. A child who is old enough for the Zipride at 8 is not old enough for the bridge jump at 10, a 10-year-old under 35 kg is not heavy enough to jump Kawarau, and consent from a parent does not replace an adult on site for an under-14.

The fourth trap is subtler: applying the Nevis bungy's 13-plus rule to the Nevis Swing, which actually starts at 10. Families rule out the whole Nevis canyon for a 12-year-old when the swing there would take them, weight permitting, at 35 to 160 kg solo. The reverse trap exists too: the Kawarau Combo, Bungy & Swing is age 10, but its weight ceiling of 150 kg is lower than the bridge jump's own 160 kg, because the combo inherits the stricter of its two products' limits.

The fifth is booking the wrong lead time. The operator's four-to-six-week summer advice for Nevis gets read as a general rule for everything, when Kawarau bookings outside the peak window usually firm up on 48 hours' notice. The sixth is the tandem assumption: a parent planning to jump tandem with a child should read the tandem bungy rules first, because the combined maximum of 235 kg and the 30 kg maximum difference between tandem pairings rule out more combinations than people expect.

And a final one for parents of teenagers: under 18 needs adult consent at check-in, so a 17-year-old arriving with a group of friends and no adult, no signed consent and no reachable parent can be turned away at the desk even with a paid booking. One phone call to the operator on 0800 286 4958 before the day settles what form that consent needs to take.

Weighing the whole decision, not just the age gate? Whether a Queenstown bungy is worth it tackles the price question, and which Queenstown bungy is best compares the two sites head-to-head. For depth on both jumps and every combo, see our Queenstown bungy guides.

Common Questions About Bungy Jump Age Limits