Free bungy day a drawcard

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 286, 16 May 1989, Page 3

Free bungy day a drawcard

Feedback from locals for a 'locals only' free bungy jump tomorrow has been tremendous, according to New Sensations owner Chris Allum.

From 10am Wednesday, local people will be able to visit the Hapuawhenua Viaduct and throw themselves off, attached to the viaduct by an enormous rubber band - at no charge! Mr Allum said the company is not taking bookings, but instead will offer jumps to locals on a first-come, first-served basis. "It is our way of putting something back into the community", he said. For non-permanents, the cost of a bungy jump is $75, which includes a commemorative tee-shirt. Singlet, sweatshirts and barbequed food will be available on site all day tomorrow. New Sensations Supply Co. Ltd owner-op-erator Chris Allum said he was becoming increasingly concerned about people starting the sport who had little first-hand knowledge or experience.

New Sensations, which runs bungi jumping from the Hapuawhenua Viaduct at Ohakune, and in Queenstown, is the only commercial operation in the country and is trying to work alongside various departments to get safety standards set for the sport. Mr Allum said he was alarmed at the number of accidents which had happened in the past month with other operators. "Commercial bungi jumping is really, really safe . . . it can be really really dangerous if you don't know what you are doing," he said. He said people contemplating bungi jumping should make sure they do it with a reputable company. "We have had 11,000 people jump with us here and at Queenstown and we have never had an accident. Safety has to be the priority of the whole exercise.

"There are other people who are trying to have ago with equipment that we would consider wouldn't be up to standard." Mr Allum and his partner A.J. Hackett have had five years' experience and have been commercial for the past eight months. "It was over four years before we got a system we considered was safe enough," Mr' Allum said. New Sensations has a permit to operate from the Hapuawhenua Viaduct from the Department of Conservation. The viaduct is within the Tongariro National Park and is no longer used by Railways Corporation. The corporation has placed all its other bridges and viaducts out of bounds for bungi jumpers because of the safety aspect. An increase in organisations involved in the sport has prompted concerns about checking equipment and jumping sites.