Queenstown - Bungy Jumping

There is a big debate about where is best to do a bungy jump in New Zealand. I figured where else to start for a bungy novice than the Worlds First Commercial Jump Site. At only 43m high it's one of the smaller jumps (also ideal for a beginner to the sport!) but AJ Hackett have been running bungy from Kawaura Bridge for over 25 years so I felt as safe as I could about to leap off a bridge tied on with a big elastic band. It's bookable from the AJ Hackett office in Queenstown (At 'The Station'), online or you can rock up at the centre and book on the spot. It's better to have as little time as possible between booking and jumping if it's your first time, much less time to dwell on it!

With a transfer from Queenstown included in my package and Kawaura the first stop, it's only about 20 minutes from the town centre. From the minibus window you spot the bridge and get a full height view to the swirling rapids below. The threat of rain and the dark clouds only added to the tension building in my stomach!

The Kawaura site itself is well equipped with both the bridge bungy and a canyon zip line on offer. Combo packages are available if you want to try both and it was recommended to save the bungy and zip line first. After a serious check in where they weigh you in everything you'll jump in to make sure you get the right bungy chord your hands get covered in stamps to confirm that you're all good to jump.

A view deck allows you to see other jumps before your own which is great and terrifying in equal measures. On site toilets come in very handy for last minute nerves! After psyching myself up for a good 15 minutes I took the stairs onto the bridge and made my way to the jump spot in the middle. There are 2 launch pads that jumpers take in turns, and the staff are fantastic! Friendly and chatty, they try and take your mind off what you're about to do all the while you're sitting getting your ankles strapped up with a towel and some Velcro.

Despite the cold, I was still asked if I wanted to get dunked in the river below which I'm sure would be an added bonus in summer but not something I was prepared to do in the middle of a New Zealand winter! After hooking on the bungy chord I penguin waddled to the edge of the platform gripping the handrail incase the wind blew me off before I was mentally prepared!

With a few nervous smiles and waves to a camera which films the whole jump as well as some well placed cameras for photos, the countdown began! Once you're there it's difficult to back out, particularly with everyone on the view deck watching. Every part of me was telling me not to lean forward, I attempted a swan dive but at the last second my legs gave out and I half fell off rather than the graceful leap I was planing!

It's a strange sensation as time seems to pause for a second after you have decided to jump off before you feel the stomach-lurching falling motion. A very different feeling to skydiving for sure. Not that there's much time to think about what do to, but it's better if you try and get into an upside down vertical dive position as the more upright you are, the harder (and more painful) the first bounce back will be when you get yanked up.

I found it a very much 'love to hate' type feeling, I want to do another one despite not loving the motions! After bouncing around dangling by my feet, the bungy was lowered and I got picked up with a little dingy in the river which is much better than being winched back up to the bridge like I had expected! It looks much higher from the platform looking down than it does lying on your back in the boat looking back up again. After unhooking my ankles and sailing back to shore there's a staircase to climb back up to the top which takes a while with jelly legs!

My mind is a bit of a blur as to what they said to me in the boat, I definitely struggled to find words to describe what I'd just been through! The adrenaline rush you get from the leap (and fall) made me light headed and wobbly in a good way, I could not stop grinning all the way back up the stairs to check out my photos!

With a bunch of photos and a video available in a series of different packages and a free T-shirt and keying with any purchase it's definitely worth it! Both are available for a period of time after your jump on the AJ Hackett website should you change your mind which is a great idea. An extensive gift shop and cafe are also at the centre and food is recommended after rather than before if you're a bit anxious!

A few tips for jumping:

1. You will look down once you jump so no need to look down while your mentally preparing yourself to jump!

2. Try and get into a diving position so the bounce back is easier

3. Shout something cool, don't just scream! Remember you're on camera!

4. Enjoy it while it lasts because it doesn't last long!

5. Most of all, make sure you do jump! You'll regret not jumping more than you'll regret doing it.

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The Great Ocean Road - Australia

The best advice I can give when you book a Great Ocean Road Day trip with Great Sights is to arrive early to get a good seat! The front four seats on the upper deck provide the best views in every direction, failing that any window seat on the left side of the bus.

After an early start we set off, the bus itself (operated by GrayLine) is actually really comfortable with recliner seats, footrests, air con and even on board wifi. Leaving the city before rush hour is great and we were soon crossing Westgate bridge, don't forget to look behind you crossing the bridge for a city skyline photo! The western suburbs give way to Geelong, Victoria's largest provincial town and less that 90 minutes after leaving the city we drove through Torquay and onto the start of the Great Ocean Road (GOR).

The first stop of the day was in Anglesey, where we had our first glimpses of the ocean. Included on the trip at this stop is a cup of freshly brewed Bush Billies tea (coffee is available from a local cafe) and a chance to try some Australian delicacies including Lamington Cakes and Vegemite (it's not for everyone!). It's a nice touch to a relatively uninteresting stop, especially compared to the rest of the stops we made!

As the Bass Strait came into full view, the road became the Great Ocean Road I had expected! The overcast morning began to clear and blue sky and sunshine poked through. We had a photo stop at Urquhart Bluff looking back along the coast with an already pretty spectacular view of the golden sandy beach and the breaking waves. Little did I know at this point, it was only going to get better!

There are some great stops along the way before the main Twelve Apostles attraction. An almost compulsory stop for a selfie with a 'Great Ocean Road' memorial arch, Aireys Inlet to spot the lighthouse at Split Point and the surfers catching the waves along the Surf Coast. There's a drop off at Lorne for optional overnight stays in the pretty surf resort full of beachside cafés and bars. A final photo stop at the mouth of the Cumberland River before lunch at Apollo Bay. Lunch isn't included but there are some great options along the seafront included fantastic fish (or shark!) and chips at George's or delicious cakes and coffee at The Apollo Bay Bakery.

With the stunning coastline on one side and the impressive Otway Mountain Range on the other, after lunch the views go into hyperdrive! By this point in my day the sun had burned away all the cloud and we had spectacular blue skies along Ship Wreck Coast.

Gibson Steps gives you the first real chance to get on the beach! The staircase down to the sand is steep but after a short walk around the headland, you get a really incredible perspective on the first few apostles from the waters edge towering nearly 50m out of the Ocean. It's not a very long stop and the climb back up the steps can be hard if you're rushing back as I was!

The Twelve Apostles are most peoples main attraction and the highlight of the trip, and they definitely don't disappoint! There's a great vantage point boardwalk built into the cliff which gives postcard perfect views, but for the best view of all the apostles, I'd whole heartedly recommend taking a helicopter flight! It's not included but for discounted $95 extra you can buy a flight that will fly right over them. The flight lasts between 10 and 15 minutes and the pilot gives a good commentary on what you're looking at, it definitely makes the whole trip extra special and is well worth doing! Not only do you get a unique view from the Oceanside of the towering apostles and into coves and inlets inaccessible from land but also views right back inland.

Obviously they're a natural phenomena and they are not the original twelve, for long periods of time there haven't even been 12! Some have collapsed into the sea while new ones have been created, each with their own individual nicknames like the 'Twin Sisters', 'Salt and Pepper' and the 'Razorback'. From up in the air you can spot the 'Blowhole' as well, a sink hole connected to the waves by a cave at the bottom. Back with my feet firmly on the ground, we moved on to cliff side views of the Razorback and Island Arch Apostles, looking down over the cliff edge is when you realise just how massive they are. Walk out to Shipwreck Point viewing platform and see the site where The Loch Ard sank with only 2 survivors before heading down into Loch Ard Gorge where they were found the next day unable to get out of the cove! Today there is a handy stairway down to the beach, a sheltered inlet with beautiful golden beach and crystal clear blue waves.

The final stop of the day is at the town of Port Cambell. There are a few cafés and tourist shops here to stock up on drinks or snacks for the trip back to the city and to pick up postcards or Apostle memorabilia! It's a long drive back to the city so make sure to use the public toilets! The drive back goes inland, past Lake Colac and takes about 2 and a half hours or so. They did put a movie on but keep a look out for koalas in the treetops and kangaroos on the plains before an impressive sunset shot of Melbourne's skyline coming back across the Westgate Bridge.

It's a long day, over 12 hours and there is a lot of driving as the coach covers more than 500km. However it's definitely worth it, each stop is better than the last and it really showcases some of Victorias natural beauty and one of the most famous drives in the world!

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The Eureka Tower Australia's tallest building to the roof, beaten only by.....

The Eureka Tower Australia's tallest building to the roof, beaten only by the spire on Q1 on the Gold Coast. The highest view deck in the Southern Hemisphere, 88 storeys above Melbourne gives the most breathtaking views of the city.

On a good day the SkyDeck views stretch for miles around, having only lived right in the city centre I had forgotten how big Melbourne is and even that it's right on the coast! If you dare to look right down, you'll spot Flinders Station, Fed Square, the impressive spire of Melbourne Culture Centre and the roof of the National Gallery. You realise how close together the sports precinct stadiums sit and how big the Botanical Gardens are.

The 360 degree views allow you to spot the Etihad Stadium and Melbourne Star at Docklands, Albert Park with its F1 track and right on down to St Kilda pier. The full peninsula view is pretty spectacular, even though the mouth of the bay is so far away you can't see it, the little trail of shipping containers and Tasmanian ferries let you know which direction it's in. It's useful to have directed telescopes that label the key landmarks if you're new to the city!

For the most part the views are all inside and photos through glass however there is a small outside area that gets very windy and offers slightly better photo opportunities if your lens is small enough to take photos through the chain link.

For a small $12 extra fee at the top, you can get 'The Edge' experience. Ushered into a frosted glass tank after putting on shoe covers and leaving bags and cameras behind, the tank slowly moves out over the edge of the building. With some cheesy cracking and creaking sounds effects and a little shaking the frosted glass becomes clear and you can look right down past your feet to the ground 88 floors below, it's a tense moment while you wait for the view! A free bright yellow wristband proclaiming that you survived The Edge and an opportunity to buy novelty tourist photos rounds off the experience.

Drinks and snacks are available at the top as well as a small selection of gifts and postcards which you can send from Australia's highest post box! Exit through the gift shop on the ground floor for the best selection though.