AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand to launch new thrill level in 2017

AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand,

AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand, the world’s first commercial bungy jump operator, has announced that a new extreme experience is under development in Queenstown.

The announcement was made at New Zealand’s largest travel expo TRENZ and the product comes with the backing of the government in the form of a $500,000 grant.

The ‘Nevis Thriller’ will be located at the site of the Nevis Bungy and Nevis Swing, near Queenstown. The new experience will, naturally, combine height, speed and flight.

AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand managing director and co‐founder Henry van Asch says the new experience, which has the working title Nevis Thriller, will play a key role in keeping New Zealand at the cutting edge of global adventure tourism.

“The Nevis Thriller will attract visitors to New Zealand to experience an extreme activity that is not available anywhere else in the world.”

The full details of the new product are yet to be revealed but the Nevis Thriller promises to push people to the limits in a way not previously experienced. It will also cement the Nevis site (home to New Zealand’s highest bungy and swing) as the world’s most remote and extreme adventure tourism destination.

The Nevis Thriller is set to open to the public in early 2017.

AJ Hackett and the bungy

Since New Zealander AJ Hackett dived off the Eiffel Tower 20 years ago, his bungy-jumping craze has continued to scale new heights of daring.

Hackett is a classic example of Kiwi ingenuity, a man who harnessed three of the country’s great passions - sport, adventure and the outdoors - with his entrepreneurial spirit.

Inspired by ancient Vanuatu land-diving rituals and Oxford University's Dangerous Sports Club extreme sport experiments, Hackett joined forces with speed-skiing buddy Henry van Asch to investigate the possibility of jumping from great heights while tethered by elastic cords. With the help of Auckland University students, they developed a super-stretchy cord with which to take the plunge.

Queenstown - Adventure Capital

The Queenstown region has always been a magnet for adventurers and entrepreneurs and these pioneers became the mainstay of New Zealand’s adventure tourism industry.

World-first innovations such as commercial jet boating and bungy jumping have forged Queenstown’s enduring reputation as the ‘Adventure Capital of the World’.

Tandem paragliding was pioneered in Queenstown by Bruce Grant. Watching pilot and passenger running off the edge of a mountain together with the canopy rising behind them, then gliding from Bob’s Peak into town has become an iconic Queenstown sight.

NZONE Skydive became New Zealand’s first commercial tandem skydiving operator in 1990 and the first to introduce freefall photography. The company now employs 70 highly skilled personnel and is involved in development of skydiving skills through its unique XLR8 free fall training programme. More than 170,000 people have experienced the multi-award winning thrill.

Other innovators and entrepreneurs have followed in the wake of these early pioneers and Queenstown now offers a huge range of adventures from river rafting, parasailing and canyoning to abseiling, zip-lining and kite skiing.

PHOTO: The ‘Nevis Thriller’ will be located at the site of the Nevis Bungy and Nevis Swing, near Queenstown. PHOTO CREDIT: AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand