Coming up trips
AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand expects to launch its new three-person swing — the first in the South Island — at the Kawarau Bridge, near Queenstown, in September.
A steel structure the Kawarau Swing will sit on, under the viewing deck, was lifted into place last week.
When it opens, the new tourism attraction will be adapted for single, tandem or three-person rides, swinging people up to 43m high across the Kawarau River before winching them back to the platform on the southern bank of the Kawarau Gorge.
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Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Coming up trips
REPORT: APL / PHOTO: SUPPLIED AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand expects to launch its new three-person swing — the first in the South Island — at the Kawarau Bridge, near Queenstown, in September. A steel structure the Kawarau Swing will sit on, under the viewing deck, was lifted into place last week. When it opens, the new tourism attraction will be adapted for single, tandem or three-person rides, swinging people up to 43m high across the Kawarau River before winching them back to the platform on the southern bank of the Kawarau Gorge.
Otago Daily Times
5 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Feedback sought on draft freedom camping bylaw
Community feedback is being sought as the Queenstown Lakes District Council finalises a draft bylaw which will allow freedom camping only under specific restrictions. It is no secret that the district is a prime spot for freedom campers, but over the last few years the number of visitors taking part in this has increased. According to the council, between 2008 and 2018 the estimated number of international visitors engaging in freedom camping in New Zealand rose from 10,000 to 123,000. As a result, the council has taken steps to draft a bylaw that allows for better management of freedom camping activities across the whole region. The Freedom Camping Act 2011 permits freedom camping by default on most council land in New Zealand. While the Act prevents councils from prohibiting freedom camping across all their land, they can create bylaws with rules to manage the activity's impacts in order to protect areas Until now the QLDC has not had a bylaw in place but a draft freedom camping bylaw has now been completed. It was informed by a robust technical assessment that identified and examined which areas of the district needed to be protected. It includes provisions to manage freedom camping on land controlled or managed by the QLDC to protect the area, access to the area, or the health and safety of visitors. In a statement, the council said freedom camping would be allowed in certain areas but would be subject to specific conditions. Limitations would include time restrictions, the use of specified parking spaces, leaving no waste, lighting no fires, and a requirement for vehicles to be certified as self-contained with a toilet and grey-water facilities. A key proposal would include banning freedom camping on most roads including any on-road vehicle parking spaces within the district's urban areas. The bylaw would allow freedom camping with restrictions in 158 carparking spaces across 15 specified areas and on most rural roads subject to restrictions such as how close to the road a freedom camper can park themselves. The draft bylaw does not propose to regulate freedom camping on any reserve land or privately owned land and camping on reserves will continue to be administered under the Reserves Act 1977. The full draft has been made public on the QLDC's Let's Talk engagement platform and those interested in the proposals are encouraged to express their thoughts. Two drop-in sessions were held on Monday and Tuesday this week in Frankton and Wānaka and an online webinar is set to take place at noon on Monday, July 28. The results of the consultation will be considered by a hearing panel made up of councillors and will help to inform any changes to the draft bylaw before it is adopted. It is expected to be finalised and in place before summer. — APL
Scoop
6 days ago
- Scoop
Queenstown's Triple Swing Action Getting Closer To Reality
Queenstown's newest adventure tourism attraction at the global home of bungy is getting closer to opening, with construction of the hotly anticipated three-person swing well underway. The Kawarau Swing is the latest innovation created by tourism pioneers AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand (AJHBNZ). Located at the historic Kawarau Bridge, it will be the first three-person adventure swing in the South Island and is on track open in September. The Kawarau Swing will be accessed off the same viewing deck that receives about 400,000 visitors and spectators a year. Drilling is complete under the viewing deck and this week the steel structure that the swing platform will sit on was lifted into place. Mechanical components and steel structures are being fabricated off-site and, once the foundation work is complete, things are expected to come together quickly, AJHBNZ CEO David Mitchell says. When it opens, the Kawarau Swing will be adapted for single, tandem, or three-person rides, swinging guests up to 43 metres high across the Kawarau River before winching them back to the platform on the southern bank of the Kawarau Gorge. Ideal for families and people seeking a different experience at the world's first commercial bungy location, the swing will complement AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand's existing bungy and zipride experiences at the historic Kawarau Bungy Bridge site. 'Not everyone who visits the Kawarau Bridge chooses to do a bungy jump,' Mitchell explains. 'That's why we've designed the Kawarau Swing to appeal to people who are seeking a different experience, which hits that sweet spot between the full-on adrenaline rush of a bungy and the pure joy of a zipride. 'As the swing comes to life, all stages of development will incorporate AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand's proven safety systems, built on more than 30 years of experience in delivering thrilling yet safe adventures,' Mitchell adds. About AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand Ever since it was launched with a buzz by AJ Hackett and Henry van Asch back in 1988, AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand has been in the business of fuelling people with courage and adrenaline. The world's first commercial bungy operation opened at the Kawarau Bridge in November 1988 and AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand has remained committed to levelling up the exhilaration across Aotearoa, with bungy, zipride, swing, catapult, skywalk, skyjump and bridge climb across Queenstown, Taupō and Auckland.
