Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge
The bridge where commercial bungee jumping was born, above a glacier-carved gorge.
The Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge is a historic 1880s wire-rope bridge spanning the vivid turquoise waters of the Kawarau River, about 23 kilometres east of Queenstown. It's the site where AJ Hackett and Henry van Asch launched the world's first commercial bungee jump in 1988, turning a remote piece of gold-rush infrastructure into one of New Zealand's most recognisable adventure landmarks. Even if you have no intention of jumping, this place earns a visit for its history, its setting, and the sheer spectacle of watching other people hurl themselves off a 43-metre bridge above one of the South Island's most beautiful rivers.
The bridge itself is open to walk across for free, which gives you a close-up view of the gorge and the river below — that colour, a product of glacial silt and mineral content, genuinely stops people in their tracks. The main draw for most visitors is the bungee operation run by AJ Hackett Bungy, where you can jump solo, tandem, or watch from the viewing platform and the glass-fronted bungy centre below. Jumpers have the option of being dunked into the river at the bottom, which has become something of a Kawarau signature. The site also includes a small museum charting the history of bungee jumping, an obligatory merchandise shop, and a café.
If you're not jumping, arrive in the mid-morning when light hits the gorge well and jumpers are going regularly — there's enough activity to make it genuinely entertaining as a spectator experience. The Queenstown Trail cycling and walking route also passes through here, so it integrates naturally into a half-day along the gorge. Parking is free on site. The 24-hour access listed applies to the bridge itself; the bungy operation has its own opening hours and requires advance booking.
