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What a great adventure this was. I was the only one on the tour. I'd like to thank my guide Anneka Mitchell for a fantastic time. The weather was windy, sunny, cloudy and rainy during the course of our hour and a half walk around the bridge. I also got a bunge jump demonstration as well.
The bridge was original built in the later 1950s but soon after it was built they realized they needed to expand it. So they had as they called them "nippon clip ons" installed on the bridge. What they did was to add two lanes on each side of the bridge. They clipped on to the bridge. These clip ons were designed in Japan and thus the name. The original bridge expands north to south and you could see the joints created for that purpose. But the clip ons were not desinged that way. They expand well actually they move up and down to compensate for the different weight on the bridge. The original bridge is made with bolts and rivots (which you really have to watch as you're walking over them). The clip on is made of a solid welded/molded piece of steel.
It was just a great time. On the way back down I got the bunge demonstration. I'd rather jump out of a plane than bunge. They've built an enclosed bunge platform underneath the bridge. It looks sort of like the fusealage of a plan. One of the sides opens up and they jump to the water below. They are attached by each of their ankles to the actual bunge cord and also at their waste. Once the guy who jumped did his first dive (he touched the water) he pulled a cord which released his ankles. This then brought him to an upright position and he did a couple of additional flips. It was very cool but well not for me.
We then completed our trip back down. It was just amazing.
Art dropped me off and picked me up. Then we went for our next adventure which is in the next post.
I have to say each day just gets better.
Tonight we are going to plane our road trip. Tomorrow I'm calling NZ sail to book for Friday.
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