Auckland Harbour Bridge to go on bungy menu

By REBECCA WALSH

Bungy jumpers after a new challenge will be able to leap off the Auckland Harbour Bridge from next year.

Thrillseekers will plunge 40m from a "jump pod" built under the bridge.

The venture, run by AJ Hackett Bungy, was granted resource consent this week and is expected to be running by January.

Henry van Asch, co-founder and executive chairman of the company, said the Harbour Bridge had been a feature of New Zealand bungy culture since AJ Hackett leaped from it in the late 1980s.

"It's just a great thing to do in New Zealand.

"A lot of visitors don't get to Queenstown and the South Island. We have wanted to give them something to do in Auckland ... It's a fantastic opportunity."

Mr van Asch said the jump - about the same distance as the original bungy at Kawarau Bridge near Queenstown - was a "great height".

"It's not so big that people when they are about to jump get really frightened ... but it's big enough to get them excited," he said.

"It doesn't matter if you are an accountant worried about everything or an extreme skier looking for the next thrill - there are no boundaries."

For $125, adventure-seekers have the option of remaining dry or dipping into the water below.

The less adventurous can pay $39 to watch from a viewing platform.

Mr van Asch said safety issues had been worked through over the past four years.

The bungy would operate to standards agreed on by Auckland yacht clubs, Transit New Zealand, Ports of Auckland and harbour authorities to ensure the safety of jumpers and marine users.

The jump pod would not be visible to commuters on the bridge, and a retrieval system would return the jumper to the platform.

More than 55,000 people bungy jump at one of AJ Hackett's four sites around New Zealand each year.

It is hoped the Harbour Bridge jump will attract about 15,000 people in its first year.

The jump is a joint venture with Auckland Bridge Climb, and Mr van Asch said the two companies would work closely.