Queenstown invented commercial bungee in 1988 at the Kawarau Bridge, and jumping there — 43 metres above a mint-green river, from the original ledge — remains the classic gateway drug. Graduates progress to the Nevis: 134 metres from a pod slung across a canyon, with eight and a half seconds of freefall in which to reconsider everything. No fitness required, just paperwork and nerve. Book the first morning slot for calm winds and a smaller audience.
Featured in Ten adrenaline days out: canyons, bridges and big jumps · Adventure