This was a birthday treat for myself in December of 1998 and took place at Paekakariki (near Wellington) in New Zealand. The Fly by Wire location was later washed out in a flood and never returned to the spot. You were basically hoisted up in the device you see and swung like a pendulum across the valley, with the large fan behind you used to try and control the swing, trying to get as much height and precise 180 degree turns as possible to ensure the best swing.
After giving a presentation in Dunedin in September 2008, I headed off to Queenstown for a break. This was the longest jump (134 metres) that I have ever done and it was in the worst weather ever. The jump platform is suspended over a valley and was moving around quite a bit in the wind and rain. It wasn't just a matter of jumping...but waiting for the platform to calm down a bit. The Jump Master asked if I had done any bungy jumps before, and when I said yes, he suggested I did a bullet dive (arms held by your sides to fall faster) in the torrential wind and rain. It might look like I was winched up quickly after the jump, but in fact that part of the video is just sped up a bit.
After giving a presentation in Dunedin in September 2008, I headed off to Queenstown for a break. The Shotover river provides a perfect location for the drivers of the Shotover Jets to do their amazing turns. It was great fun and the driver's skills were impressive. Looking from the front of the jet, I'm at the very back row, second from the right. When the camera changes to the back of the boat, the back of my head is on the left of the video in the row closest to the camera.
This was a tandem bungy jump in July of 1999 at Taupo...a great spot to do a jump, although it was the shortest drop of any of my jumps.
We went on (or rather, in) the Zorb in January 2008. Basically it's a big inflatable ball with some water in the middle to stop you spinning so much (the water helps you float in the miidle of the ball as it spins rapidly outside). I wanted to use the Zorb where you are strapped into the inside (that causes the Zorb to spin much faster) but the winds that day (and low walls surrounding the Zorb area) meant that wasn't possible. Whilst the video is a bit tame, it's a great ride and we all enjoyed it!