Before 1988, bungy jumping existed only as a daredevil stunt performed by a handful of thrill-seekers, most famously members of the Oxford University Dangerous Sports Club who jumped from the Clifton Suspension Bridge in England in 1979. AJ Hackett and Henry van Asch changed that forever when they turned the historic Kawarau Suspension Bridge, just 23km from Queenstown, into the world's first commercial bungy operation, charging jumpers a fee to leap 43 metres above the turquoise Kawarau River.
The bridge itself predates the sport by more than a century, built in 1880 to carry gold miners and supplies across the gorge during the Otago gold rush. Today it operates as the Kawarau Bridge Bungy, still run by AJ Hackett Bungy, and remains the only bungy site in the world located on a heritage-listed structure. Over 500,000 people have now jumped from it, and Queenstown's reputation as the 'Adventure Capital of the World' largely traces back to this single bridge.
For visitors today, the site combines history and adrenaline in equal measure — you can watch jumpers plunge toward the river from a viewing deck for free, or take the leap yourself and follow in the footsteps of the sport's pioneers.
**Q: Where was the world's first commercial bungy jump?** A: The world's first permanent commercial bungy jump opened at the Kawarau Suspension Bridge near Queenstown, New Zealand, on 12 November 1988, launched by AJ Hackett and Henry van Asch.
**Q: How high is the Kawarau Bridge bungy jump?** A: The jump is 43 metres above the Kawarau River, and the historic 1880 bridge it uses is New Zealand's only heritage-listed bungy site, located about 23km from Queenstown.
Source: Queenstown Tourism
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