Probably the most terrifying thing I've ever done

When I first decided to go to New Zealand, I have to admit that I was more drawn to one of the most beautiful and diverse natural environments available in what is a relatively small land-mass, than to the prevalence of activities to satisfy the adventure junkie. I thought, rather snobbishly, that such thrills were all well and good, but the real beauty and interest in a place lay in a place's people and natural environment, and not in the number of different ways you can simulate near-death experiences. Well, I have not been disappointed by the beauty of Aotearoa (the Maori name for NZ), but I will deal with that later. For now, I will deal with the activity which has inspired me to put pen to paper (metaphorically) for the first time in too many months, which was the Canyon Swing over the Shotover River, near Queenstown.
During my first few days in Auckland, I realised that I probably would not be able to leave New Zealand without having thrown myself off some high place with some safety equipment attached. I assumed, naturally enough, that I would do a bungy jump (an activity that was re-invented near Queenstown some 20 years ago, and has since dominated the adrenaline seekers' agenda here). However, I decided not to, partly because the idea of bouncing up and down on a glorified elastic band didn't much appeal, partly because "everyone does it", partly because of the cost, but mainly because I don't want to do everything on my first visit to this wonderful place, since I would like to return one day. I had not imagined that I would do a sky-dive, but I did, a couple of weeks ago in Taupo, and that was amazing. I wasn't that scared, really, I was just overawed by the sensation, and by the view. In fact, when my tandem pulled the cord to open the parachute after 60 seconds of free-fall, it was rather relaxing.
Something I certainly did not anticipate doing, mainly because I didn't know of its existence, was the "Canyon Swing". It's quite difficult to visualise how it actually works, so I recommend visiting their excellent website if you're interested, but the basic principle is that you are attached to two cables (each capable of supporting more than a tonne) which are supported by a connection to other cables midway in a deep canyon. You start from a platform at the top of one side of the chasm, then you jump off. At first you just fall vertically downwards for 60 metres, which lasts a couple of seconds, before the cable starts to pull you towards the other side of the canyon. You then swing like a pendulum a couple of times before they winch you in. Sounds fairly straightforward, doesn't it? Well, having done it yesterday (not once but twice!), I can testify that it's absolutely terrifying! If you don't believe me, have a look at the videos! To see the second jump, just click play below; the first one is here.

Although there was no point when I actually believed I would die, the instinct not to jump was overwhelming, and the initial sensation was truly exhilarating. Would I do it again? Well, after the second jump, I said to my friend James, "I'm never doing that again". Is that definite? Who knows? Only time will tell, but I'm certainly not in a hurry!