Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
The Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge is a bridge which runs over the Kawarau River in the Otago Region in the South Island of New Zealand. The bridge is mainly used for commercial purposes by the AJ Hackett Bungy Company for the purposes of bungy jumping; the site was the world's first commercial bungy jumping site. The bridge also forms part of the Queenstown Trail which allows walkers/runners and bikers to pass over the river. The bridge is inside a Department of Conservation reserve.[1]
Contents
Location
The bridge is between the start of the Crown Range Road and Gibbston within the Kawarau Gorge which is in the Wakatipu Basin. It is 43 metres (141 ft) above the Kawarau River.
History
The bridge was completed in late 1880, and formed a key access route to the Central Otago goldfields. It was replaced by a new highway bridge on State Highway 6 in 1963. It is classified by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust as a Category I historic place.[2]
During the filming of Lord of the Rings, the upper part of the river was used to film the characters traveling by boat. During this filming, the boat controlled by Orlando Bloom lost control resulting in one of the cast members being stuck under water. The cast members were eventually rescued by the boat crew of the AJ Hackett company operating at the base of the bridge, whose normal role was to collect bungee jumpers following their jump.
Name
The bridge is known by a variety of names including; Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge, Kawarau Suspension Bridge, Kawarau bridge and Kawarau Bungy Bridge.
