Celebrating 30 years of bungy in New Zealand

Tuesday, 8 May 2018

Bungy founder Henry van Asch helps launch New Zealand's biggest tourism event, Trenz, with a heli bungy jump above Otago Harbour.

A taste of Queenstown was spotted in the sky above Dunedin.

Bungy pioneer Henry van Asch helped kickstart New Zealand's biggest tourism event, Trenz, by jumping 150 metres out of a helicopter hovering over Otago Harbour on Tuesday morning.

The jump was also a celebration of 30 years of bungy in New Zealand, the AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand co-founder said.

Hackett and van Asch launched the first commercial bungy jumping operation at the Kawarau Bridge in Queenstown in 1988.

Tuesday's jump comes as the company refreshes its brand and launches a new campaign telling the real life stories of customers as they overcome their fears to jump.

The annual Trenz tourism conference has attracted 1500 industry figures to Dunedin and introduces New Zealand tourism operators to international travel and tourism buyers.