New Zealand, the world's capital of adventure tourism, just got even more adventurous.
The land of hobbits and skydiving is upping the ante with a human slingshot. The Nevis Valley on New Zealand's South Island near Queenstown -- home of the world's first commercial bungee jump -- is now home to a new thrill-seeker's dream called The Nevis Catapult. Unlike a bungee, which involves a freefall and rebound (basically, you go down and then back up), the catapult pushes you straight out in one direction before dropping you -- 492 feet up and out, to be exact.
Co-founder Henry van Asch says it felt significant to reveal the world-first adventure tourism experience, which he says is faster, higher and more powerful than any other catapult experience in the world, in the Nevis Valley near Queenstown, New Zealand in the company’s 30th year.
Van Asch says fellow adrenaline junkies will rejoice as the Nevis Catapult sees thrillseekers experience up to 3G of force and speeds of almost 100km per hour in 1.5 seconds. The experience propels courageous visitors 150m out across a ravine before dropping suddenly towards the valley floor with a series of jaw-dropping bounces. “In 1988 we took Bungy to the world, and put New Zealand on the world adventure tourism map. Thirty years on it’s wonderful to still be pushing the boundaries globally,” he says.
Those afraid of heights will be pleased to know the Catapult was developed to internationally recognised global safety standards and is regulated under New Zealand adventure tourism and amusement device standards. The specialist new technology for the multi-million-dollar Catapult was developed with the company’s research team before being built in an accredited testing facility in Christchurch and then brought to site for full-scale installation, testing and commissioning. Testing began with weighted barrels, before moving on to a test dummy phase and finally human testing.
A few things to keep in mind: In order to participate, you must be at least 13 years old and weigh at least 60 pounds (27 kg). It costs $255 NZ ($172 USD) to take the leap, and you'll also need to fill out a questionnaire and share any medical conditions in advance.
[cnn]
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