Kawarau Bridge Bungy: The Original Jump Explained

What Is The Kawarau Bridge Bungy?

The Kawarau Bridge Bungy is a 43 m / 141 ft jump from a historic steel bridge over the Kawarau River in Gibbston Valley, about 25 minutes from Queenstown on SH6. According to operator AJ Hackett Bungy NZ, it is the site of the world's first commercial bungy, opened in November 1988, and one of three Queenstown sites the company runs, alongside the Nevis Playground and The Ledge at Skyline.

The history matters here more than at most attractions. The operator's own telling is that AJ Hackett and Henry van Asch developed the bungy cord, and that Hackett jumped the Eiffel Tower in June 1987 to publicise the idea. The first commercial operation opened at this bridge in November 1988, at NZD 75 a jump at the time, and the company describes the site as "recognised as the birth of adventure tourism in New Zealand". Those are the operator's words, repeated here as its claims rather than as independent history. You can read the company's own account on the operator's about-us page.

Practically, the jump today works like this. You jump from a platform attached to the bridge, and after the jump you are lowered into a boat on the river below and brought back up to the bank, rather than being winched back to the platform as happens at Nevis. The operator offers a tandem option and a water touch option, both covered below.

If you are weighing this jump against the bigger Nevis product, the core trade-off is simple: Kawarau is lower, cheaper, more accessible and open to younger jumpers, while Nevis is 134 m and takes about half a day with transport. The dedicated pages on how high the Queenstown bungy jumps are and on which Queenstown bungy is best work through that comparison in detail.

How Much Does The Kawarau Bridge Bungy Cost?

The operator's price for the Kawarau Bridge Bungy is from NZD 320 for an adult and from NZD 280 for a child, and those are "from" prices that change by date and time, never fixed figures. The operator also sells bundle options, including the Kawarau Bungy & Swing Combo from NZD 460 adult. All amounts are NZD and there is no other currency price to print.

The price includes more than the jump itself. According to the operator, booking direct includes photos and video with "instant delivery to your device" and an activity t-shirt. There is no separate camera price to quote, so treat the media as part of the package rather than an add-on you budget for. The full current prices live on the operator's combos page and the activity's own page.

Two discount rules are worth knowing before you book. The operator states that booking two or more activities nationwide, with the zipride excluded, takes NZD 50 off per activity, and three or more takes NZD 70 off per activity. Repeat customers get 20% off a future single activity, excluding combos and the zipride. The operator also runs a best price guarantee, matching a cheaper live price if you contact it before booking. One cost that is not refundable is the 1.99% card transaction fee, which stays with the operator even on a cancelled booking.

Payment methods the operator accepts are Visa, Mastercard, EFTPOS, WeChat Pay, AliPay, UnionPay and Afterpay, which matters if you were counting on a specific card. None of that changes the from-price itself, but the card fee is worth remembering when you compare the final charged amount against the headline number.

For the jump itself, the featured product is the 43m Bungy, World's First, the bookable Kawarau Bridge slot. Check availability for your dates, since the from-price moves with demand.

Beyond the single jump, the combo layer is where the value sits if you want more than one activity in a day. The Kawarau Bungy & Swing Combo pairs the bungy with the 43 m swing, which runs single, tandem or triple, and it is the same site, the same bus and the same check-in, which makes the logistics simple. Bigger cross-site bundles also exist, including Nevis Bungy plus Kawarau Bungy from NZD 615, for anyone planning to jump both bridges in one trip.

A little arithmetic makes the numbers easier to plan around. The 1.99% card fee on the NZD 320 adult from-price works out to about NZD 6.38, so the final charge lands near NZD 326 before any date-driven movement in the from-price. The child rate sits NZD 40 below the adult rate on the single bungy, the only product in the table with a stated child price, so families comparing bundles should check child rates direct rather than assume the same gap carries across.

The discount rules reward grouping, but not every product benefits equally. The multi-activity reduction applies per activity, so NZD 70 off each of three beats NZD 50 off each of two, and the zipride stays excluded either way. The 20% repeat-customer credit covers a single future activity only, never combos or the zipride, so it pays to point it at a standalone bungy. The Thrillogy's stated NZD 115 saving against its NZD 495 price implies the three activities would total NZD 610 if booked separately.

Who Can Jump: Age, Weight And Health Rules

The Kawarau Bridge Bungy is open to jumpers aged 10 and up, weighing 35 to 160 kg solo or tandem, with the maximum dropping to 130 kg when the river is high. Tandem pairs have a combined maximum of 235 kg and a weight difference of at most 30 kg. Anyone under 18 needs adult consent at check-in, and under 14s need an adult aged 18 or over on site, though that adult does not have to take part.

The weight ranges are the rules the operator states for this product only, and they do not transfer to the other sites. Nevis products, for comparison, run at ages 13 and up and 45 to 127 kg, so a 12 year old or a jumper over 127 kg fits at Kawarau and not at Nevis. Weather can also change operating weight ranges on the day, and the crew assesses each jumper on site. There is no strict height limit; you must fit the harness.

The health rules are the operator's list, and the honest advice beyond it is to check with your doctor and tell the crew when you book. The operator asks you to disclose high or low blood pressure, heart conditions, epilepsy, high myopia, broken or fractured bones, dislocations, fragile skin, neurological disorders, diabetes, asthma, prosthetics, panic or anxiety attacks, and recent sprains or muscular injuries. Pregnant guests and people with photosensitive epilepsy cannot take part, and osteoporosis, scoliosis and recent concussion require a doctor's certificate. The full list is on the operator's safety page, and the site's guide to jumping with a medical condition works through the practical side.

Kawarau is also the operator's stated preference among its Queenstown sites for guests with more severe mobility impairment, with participation at the operator's discretion. If that applies to your group, phone before booking on 0800 286 4958 rather than guessing. The site's guide to the bungy age limits and the one on the bungy weight limits list every product side by side if you are juggling a mixed group.

Tandem Jumps And The Water Touch Option

Tandem jumping at Kawarau puts two people on one cord from the same platform, subject to the combined weight limit of 235 kg and a maximum 30 kg difference between jumpers. The water touch option dips you toward or into the river at the bottom of the jump, but the operator is explicit that it is not guaranteed: it depends on river level and crew discretion on the day. Neither option changes the from-price.

The tandem option is the main reason families and couples pick this bridge over Nevis, which has no tandem bungy product. Sharing the jump with someone else changes the booking, since you book one tandem slot rather than two solo slots, and the weight rules above are what the crew checks first at check-in. The site's deeper page on tandem bungy at Queenstown covers how pairs are matched and harnessed.

The water touch deserves a plain explanation because people book around it. You can request it, the crew will aim for it if the river level allows, and if the river is high or the crew judges it unwise on the day, you get a standard jump instead. Book it as a possibility, not a promise, and if it is the main reason you are choosing this jump, ask the crew at check-in what the river is doing. More detail sits in the guide to the water touch at Kawarau.

Recovery after the jump is fixed by the site's design: you are lowered into a boat on the river and brought back to the bank. At Nevis and The Ledge, by contrast, the operator lifts you back to the platform. Neither method changes the jump itself, but it does change what your spectators watch from the shore, and spectators at Kawarau watch for free.

Getting To The Kawarau Bridge: Bus Or Self-Drive

The Kawarau Bungy Centre is on SH6 in Gibbston Valley, about 25 minutes and 23 km from Queenstown, or 30 minutes and 27 km from Cromwell, with free parking on site. You can self-drive and budget about 1.5 hours for the whole visit, or take the free Bungy Bus from central Queenstown and budget about 2.5 hours. The bus leaves from the Queenstown Bungy Centre at the corner of Shotover and Camp Streets, in The Station building.

Two things in that paragraph decide most people's plans. First, the bus is free but has limited seats, so you reserve it when you book rather than assuming a spot on the day. Second, bus customers check in 30 minutes before departure at The Station, while everyone checks in 15 minutes before their jump slot at the bridge itself. Self-drivers only need the 15 minute bridge check-in plus the drive, which is why the total time is shorter.

The address the operator's FAQ gives is 1693 Gibbston Highway. One wrinkle worth knowing: the same Bungy Bus network also serves Nevis, and a Nevis pickup at Kawarau can be requested, which matters if your group is split between the two sites on the same morning. The dedicated guide to getting to Kawarau Bridge from Queenstown covers timings in more depth.

Opening Hours, Check-In And Cancellation

Kawarau is open daily including public holidays, closed only Christmas Day. October to April the site runs 8:30am to 5:00pm, and May to September 9:00am to 4:30pm, with the last jump 30 minutes before closing and check-in 15 minutes before your slot. Cancel or change more than 24 hours ahead and the booking is fully refundable minus the 1.99% card fee; inside 24 hours it is non-refundable.

The seasonal split matters for winter travellers, since the shorter May to September day means earlier last-jump slots. Nevis, by contrast, has departure times that vary by day rather than fixed site hours, so do not carry one site's schedule to the other. A no-show and deciding not to jump once you are there are also non-refundable per the operator's rules.

Weather policy is the other half of this. The operator runs in most weather including rain, and if weather or safety stops the operation you can transfer, reschedule or take a full refund. The one genuinely non-refundable outcome is standing on the platform and choosing not to jump, so anyone genuinely unsure should read the guide to bungy with a fear of heights before booking rather than after. The operator's own wording on all of this is on the operator's FAQ page, and the site's page on cancellation and weather gathers the full policy in one place.

What Photos, Video And Spectators Get

The Kawarau price includes photos and video with, in the operator's words, instant delivery to your device, plus an activity t-shirt, with no separate media price to pay on site. Spectators are free at Kawarau, which is a real difference from Nevis, where a spectator spot is NZD 50 for adults and free for under 10s. There is no stated footage format or delivery guarantee beyond the operator's own wording.

Because spectators cost nothing and parking is free, Kawarau works as a group outing even for people who never leave the viewing deck. If someone in your party wants a taste of the site without jumping, the operator also sells the Kawarau Zipride from NZD 50, a 130 m / 426 ft ride at 60 kph, open to ages 8 and up with 8 and 9 year olds riding tandem with an adult aged 20 or over.

The media inclusion is worth a sentence of honesty. The operator's promise covers inclusion and delivery method, not what the footage looks like or exactly when it lands, and no source states those details, so nothing more can be claimed here. If media matters to your decision, the guide to bungy photos and video in Queenstown gathers what the operator does state across its products. Spectators who want a fuller picture of the day can also read the site's page on watching a bungy as a spectator.

Kawarau Bridge Bungy Vs The Nevis Bungy

Kawarau is the 43 m, 1988 original: ages 10 and up, 35 to 160 kg, from NZD 320, about 1.5 hours self-drive, with tandem and water touch options and free spectators. Nevis is 134 m / 439 ft, which the operator calls the highest in New Zealand, ages 13 and up, 45 to 127 kg, from NZD 395, and about 3.5 to 4 hours door to door, with return transport included in the price.

The decision usually turns on three questions. Who is jumping: a 10 to 12 year old or a jumper over 127 kg can only do Kawarau. How much time you have: half a day disappears at Nevis, while Kawarau fits between other plans. And what kind of jump you want: the operator's 8.5 second plunge figure belongs to Nevis, and no freefall seconds are stated for Kawarau at all, so anyone comparing raw drop time should know only one side of that comparison is stated.

Nevis sits on private land, so there is no self-drive option at all: the operator's 4WD Bungy Bus is the only way in, a 45 minute ride each way, with the return included in the ticket price. Kawarau, by contrast, you can reach in your own car in 25 minutes from Queenstown. That alone decides the question for travellers with tight schedules or their own vehicle.

Nevis also has its own combo layer. The Nevis Bungy & Swing Combo, from NZD 620 with the operator stating a NZD 100 saving, pairs the bungy with the 300 m / 984 ft swing the operator calls the "Most Famous Swing in the World", and it is rated 5.0, though no review count is stated for it.

What Trips People Up When Booking The Kawarau Bridge

The recurring mistakes are booking too late in summer, assuming the water touch is guaranteed, mixing up the two check-in times, and expecting the refund policy to cover nerves. Summer Nevis slots need booking four to six weeks ahead, and while Kawarau is usually more forgiving, the operator's peak of 15 December to 15 January applies site-wide. The bus check-in is 30 minutes before departure, and choosing not to jump on the day is non-refundable.

A few smaller traps sit in the details. Under 14s need an adult on site, not just a signature, so a group dropping a 12 year old with an older sibling who then leaves does not meet the rule. Glasses cannot be worn on the jump, though prescription safety goggles are available, and the operator's safety page says they are free of charge. No drugs or alcohol, and the operator may test. Weather can change the operating weight range on the day, so a jumper near the 160 kg limit should phone ahead, 0800 286 4958, rather than discover it at the platform.

Finally, do not confuse The Ledge with this bridge. The Ledge, at the top of the Skyline Gondola, is reopening for summer 26/27 per the operator, with no bookable tour page here yet, while Kawarau and Nevis are the two bookable sites. Anyone waiting on the Ledge should check the operator's page for status rather than any third-party summary.

Decide your date and check availability in our Queenstown bungy guides, confirm the from-price and the bus seats in the same sitting, then lock in your booking while the free-cancellation window still applies, since the operator draws its refund line at 24 hours.

Common Questions About The Kawarau Bridge Bungy