Today was a big day for Team Hubbard! We’ve been talking for months about bungy jumping, and it was time to put our New Zealand dollars where our mouths were. The site we’d picked for our jump was the Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge. The bridge dates to 1880 and is 141 feet above the water. It’s also the site of the first permanent commercial bungy jumping company in the world — the AJ Hackett Company. Folks have been jumping off the bridge since 1988, and we figured the people at AJ Hackett know what they were doing. Plus, the gorge provides an incredible backdrop. I mean, come on, it’s featured in the Lord of the Rings. (The Argonath were digitally added to the gorge about 15 minutes away from the bridge.).

During the 30-minute drive to the bridge, we listened to a playlist the girls put together of jump-related tunes to get us fired up (hence the title of today’s post). Perhaps faster than we were ready, we checked in and waited to be called for our jumps. Some of us peed just in case we were inclined to wet ourselves.

There were no jumpers before us, so before we had time to think about anything, we were on the bridge gearing up for our jumps.

So how did it go? Well for today’s blog post, I’m going to briefly share the reins and let everyone give their own account (in the order of jumping) of the experience. #controlissues.

Lydie

Okay, let’s do this one first time. First, right? Did she go first to get it over with? Did she draw the short straw? Was she vainly looking for attention? No. And she needs to stop speaking in the third person. I went first because I wanted the moment I jump to be only for me. Not because every other member in my family went and I would look chicken if I didn’t jump, too. I wanted to prove to myself that I am greater than my more-than-slight discomfort with heights. I spent so much of this semester sitting at my desk, hunched over a computer, working like… well a college student, but this was my chance to be a wild kid. I thought of all of this the night before, the car ride there, and in line to check in. Then, we walked up to the bridge, and before I knew it I was strapped up and ready to go. This was the moment. This was my chance to be brave and do something for myself. And here is the beautiful instant when I jumped…

—or more accurately, the moment the worker counted down from 5 like it was a race to beat a microwave beep, and suddenly I was airborne with no memory of leaving the platform. But the fall was beautiful, and I rode a great adrenaline high filled with cheering and screaming. I even got my Spider-Man moment.

And everyone says a picture is worth a thousand words, but here’s a video because it’s cooler.

And now I know how fast it is to turn from a graceful diving bird to a flailing puppet or a human yo-yo — whatever term you prefer.

What people don’t think about when bungee jumping is how you get down. The process for this company is a couple of guys in a boat come and hold a pole up for you to grab, and you are slowly lowered down. They were great to crack a couple of jokes with as I hung upside down like a bat.

And just like that it was over. It truly was an experience I will remember forever, and I can’t wait to trick my kids into doing this one day too. Off to you dad.

Will

Wow. So Lydie just went up to the edge and jumped. I heard her scream as she fell. One of the women watching joked that she loved the sound of a good shriek. I peeked through the cracks in the floor and could see her swinging. She was great, but that meant that I was next. I was definitely feeling a bit nervous. I mean, come on, the drop was 140 feet. The guy helping me get ready joked with me that I couldn’t back out now, since my daughter just jumped like it was no big deal. I stood up and shuffled my feet to the edge. I gave a quick wave to my imaginary fans, who were excited to see a middle-aged man push the envelope of his life insurance policy.

Now, we’d talked about some cool catchphrases to use before we jumped. I was seriously thinking about dropping a “For Frodo,” but the guy helping me started the countdown before I had a chance to get clever. And he counted fast. He hit 1, and I jumped.

There was a moment where my brain was pretty ticked off at my legs for getting me in this situation. But the fall was exhilarating!

The good folks at AJ Hackett put together a great video. With some sweet jams!

I bounced back and forth for a bit and spun around a lot. Soon, two guys in a boat pushed out into the river to pick me up.

I was pumped and riddled with adrenaline. The boat took me to shore, where I ran up some steps and gave a huge hug to Lydie. Still breathing hard, I turned back toward the bridge to watch for Cassie.

Cassie

Best. Day. Ever. After watching Lyds and my dad jump, I was more than ready for it to be my turn. I walked up to the edge of the platform and felt an immediate rush of adrenaline looking down at the river below, but I couldn’t have been more excited. And then, 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. Jump.

I’m proud to say I kept my screams PG.

I got a short and sweet video too.

After a ton of flopping around, I was lowered down. I was pretty happy.

I ran to Lyds and my dad after my jump and we all looked up to watch the grand finale. #mymomisabadass

Julie

So… I jumped. Kind of. I wish I could say something cool like “Best. Day. Ever!” or “Look at me, I’m Spider-Man!” or even “I got this!” But… yeah, none of that happened.

What did happen was that I faced something I’ve been low-key terrified of for a long time: heights. And more specifically, being 140.3 feet in the air. That’s so many feet. Too many feet, really.

Strangely, I felt okay at first. I watched Lydie step up, shuffle to the edge like it was no big deal, and then—she was just gone. No hesitation. She looked so chill and fearless. Then it was Will’s turn – he sprang off that platform like he did this all the time. And Cassie? She practically leapt before the crew was even ready! Who are these people?!? It all happened so fast. The energy was high, everyone was cheering, and then… It was my turn.

Cue full-on meltdown. I started crying—like, actual uncontrollable tears running down my face in front of a bunch of strangers. I told the guy strapping my legs that I couldn’t do it. He looked super uncomfortable, understandably. I mean, I was a crying adult trying to escape a situation I’d literally signed up for. Two female crew members came over to help—talking me through it, trying to soothe me, gently nudging me toward the edge.

I just couldn’t figure out how to jump, or why I would even want to. My brain was melting.

But somehow—after what felt like a lifetime of encouragement and solid crew support —I did it. I didn’t look down. I didn’t dive. I just… fell.

And honestly? I think I blacked out for a second. I have no clear memory of the jump itself. Just this sudden realization, mid-air, that I had actually left the edge. I had actually somehow done the thing.

I’m still not sure how I feel about it. I’m still processing. But I eventually stopped crying, and my body eventually stopped shaking. The adrenaline wore off, and I was finally able to join the rest of my family, who were somehow all completely fine and ready to celebrate. Oh, and trust me that my video is misleading. They edited out the part on platform where I panicked.

So no, I didn’t feel like a superhero. I didn’t scream anything epic on the way down. But I did something I truly didn’t think I could do. And that’s more than enough. At least until my family convinces me to do something else terrifying.

Closing

It was an incredible day. Team Hubbard all jumped.

This is the kind of experience we’d signed up for. New Zealand is amazing!

-Lydie, Will, Cassie, and Julie