Canyon Fox and Swing in Queenstown, New Zealand
For a long time, bungee experiences in Queenstown were dominated by A.J.Hackett. But now, there’s a hot new option offering a very different experience.
When we visited the adventure capital of New Zealand (if not the world), experiencing the Shotover Canyon Fox and Swing was a must-do.
We were staying in a local campsite just outside of town and met in the Shotover office in the centre of town at 8.40.
After a friendly greeting we signed all the relevant forms and were given a quick taster of what was to come.
The decor did a good job of setting our expectations…
We jumped in a minibus and headed out to the canyon, about 10 minutes away.
A nice cold morning, coupled with a bluebird sky was setting the scene for an unforgettable day.
The walk from the car park to the jump site was littered with bits of fun, as we headed to our first activity, the Canyon Fox.
Canyon Fox
The Canyon Fox is a 445m zip-wire, suspended 182m across the Shotover Canyon.
As you approach you finally get to see the scale of what you’ll be doing. And it looks impressive!
The Fox looked pretty cool in the promo video:
There’s a rating system of potential options for deciding HOW you’re going to jump.
With some having names such as ‘Chicken Run’, there’s some added pressure not to let yourself down 😉
As with any adventurous activity in the age of health and safety, there’s the usual safety brief, but you’re quickly onto the fun stuff.
Some unfortunate soul gets the chance to go first.
This time, that unfortunate soul was me!
I went for it.
The run doesn’t last that long, but you need to brace yourself for the drop once you go off the end.
Once you’ve got over the hard part…
…you get to experience an unrivalled view of this giant canyon!
Your zipline lasts 445m across and you are suspended 182m high in the air. It’s a unique experience.
Amy’s choice looked a bit worse in the end…going off backwards! 😉
When you get to the other side, there’s another member of the team who un-clips you.
You do a dual zip-wire run back across the canyon. Always good for a bit of a race!
We had a quick wait for the rest of the group in the shop, checking out our digital photos before we headed over to the Canyon Swing.
Canyon Swing
Billed as ‘the world’s biggest cliff jump‘, the BIG one was upon us!
The Swing starts 109 meters over the Shotover River and gives you 60m of freefall before you swing out across the canyon.
As with the Fox, you get to decide how you go.
There’s lots of options, each one a different thrill and catering for different fears.
We were explained what each offered. The team are friendly and clearly have a lot of fun with this part.
The ‘Chair Jump’ allows them to torment their victims with false releases, if you’re game, of course!
Amy chose ‘The Slide Jump’ which looks like a play-park slide off into oblivion!
Check out here full video here (her slide is around 2:10):
Her scream sounds pretty serious! 😉
I opted for the ‘Elvis Cutaway Jump’ (a recommendation to experience falling backwards).
You’re hanging on your back and they pull a cord to release you…
I apologise for the the evil sounding laugh!
The drop backwards was a pretty cool and the view of watching the platform disappear sticks in the memory.
Others did ‘Gimp Boy Goes to Hollywood’ in which you hang upside down and face the ground as you fall.
After everyone was done, we headed back to the shop, bought our pictures and any souvenirs.
We walked back to the mini-bus. On the way back to town, they showed a movie with some of the best, and the worst, from their past guests.
A funny end to a fantastic day!
Physical Requirements
Min 35kgs | Max 125kgs | Min age 10 years
Images
www.canyonswing.co.nz