1988, Year AJ Hackett and Henry van Asch opened the world's first commercial bungy site
43 metres, Height of the jump platform above the Kawarau River
1880, Year the Kawarau Bridge was originally built during the gold mining era
12 November 1988, Official opening date of the commercial operation
Before bungy jumping became a bucket-list activity found from Macau to Cape Town, it began quietly on a historic 43-metre gold-mining era bridge over the Kawarau River, just outside Queenstown. In November 1988, local daredevils AJ Hackett and Henry van Asch opened the Kawarau Bridge Bungy, the world's first permanent commercial bungy jump site, charging paying customers to leap off a platform tethered only by an elastic cord.
The idea drew on centuries-old land-diving rituals from Vanuatu, but Hackett and van Asch were the ones who engineered it into a safe, repeatable tourism product, effectively inventing an entire global industry from this single Central Otago crossing. The bridge itself dates back to 1880 and was originally built to service the region's gold mining boom, long before anyone imagined it would become an adrenaline landmark.
Today the Kawarau Bridge Bungy still operates from the very same historic structure, making it one of the rare adventure tourism sites where visitors can jump from the actual birthplace of the sport rather than a modern replica. It remains one of Queenstown's most popular activities, drawing thrill-seekers from around the world to retrace that first 1988 leap.
Common questions
Where was bungy jumping invented and can tourists still do it there?**
+
Commercial bungy jumping began at the Kawarau Bridge near Queenstown, New Zealand, on 12 November 1988. Visitors can still jump from that same 43-metre historic bridge today through AJ Hackett Bungy.**
Who started the first commercial bungy jump business in Queenstown?**
+
New Zealanders AJ Hackett and Henry van Asch founded the operation in 1988, turning the Kawarau Bridge into the world's first permanent commercial bungy site. Their company, AJ Hackett Bungy, still runs jumps there today.**
More from Queenstown
1200-Home Fast-Track Plan Sparks Arrowtown Backlash
A proposed 1,200-home fast-track development near Queenstown is drawing sharp criticism, with some unit sizes compared to "a hotel room" and Arrowtown residents organising public opposition. It matters because it signals where the region's housing and worker-accommodation crunch, the same one that shapes staffing and prices tourists see every day, is headed next.
Lake Wakatipu has its own heartbeat
Lake Wakatipu rises and falls in a gentle, rhythmic pulse roughly every 25 to 27 minutes, a natural phenomenon called a seiche, caused by wind and atmospheric pressure rather than tides. Māori legend explains it as the beating heart of a sleeping giant, Matau, curled beneath the lake.
Experiences to book
Queenstown Tourism News Desk · Local updates for travellers, published daily from Queenstown sources. Source: Queenstown Tourism · Published Thursday, 30 July 2026
Live Snow
Today⛷️ Coronet 30cm · ⛷️ The 12cm · 🚫 Cardrona 40cm · ⛷️ Treble 64cm
