Mokai Gravity Canyon product reviews

Once again, here I am at the beautiful Mokai Gravity Canyon enjoying the excellent scenery, and the views of other like-minded crazies out on day-passes to ride the adrenaline rush in a variety of ways.

After 2 years since my last visit, I was curious to see how things had changed, if at all... and I was very glad to see some great improvements, and sad to hear that some bad timing would put a bit of a dampener on my favourite ride... the bridge swing.

For the good changes:
    •  New staff... none of whom were snotty kids eager to "get the ride over with" so they could go home. All were fully friendly, professional and unflappable. Not a one gave in to my pleadings to let me escape, nor did they give me any hard attitude about my refusal to do the bungy. (There was never any serious plan for me to actually *do* the bungy... it was part of the test to see how they coped with someone backing out at the last minute.)
    •  All new T-shirts with some great witty sayings... unfortunately none really suitable for little kids.
    •  Nice new certificates automatically printed out for all rides actually done. Certificates include a discount voucher for your next visit, and a discount voucher for Taupo Bungy, for the truely insane thrillseeker.

Things that hadn't changed:
    •  Still the same ultra-high level of professional attention to your safety and enjoyment.
    •  Still the same awesome views and incredible staff standards.
    •  Still the same hike up the hill to get to the Fox launching stage. Sadly. No cablecar as mentioned on our first visit 2 years ago.

Let-downs:
    •  See above re: cablecar.
    •  Finding out that there WAS a camera rigged up for the bridge swing but it had recently malfunctioned majorly and wasn't going to be repaired due to a whole new kick-ass system about to be installed shortly. We arrived in the gap where there was no way to record our swings short of taking our own personal camcorders with us... which we did.

Overall... great new pricing makes it affordable to repeat attractions throughout the day... we ended up riding the Fox twice, once as entree, and again as dessert... great staff who made it a thrilling way to spend 4 hours (you should set aside a whole hour for each ride you want to do. Even though each one takes but a few minutes, there are delays while other nutty sods take their turns, so patience is a virtue.)... and there is even a really nice cafe on-site for those with tougher stomachs. I highly recommend the bacon, egg and tomato pie (or whatever you call it... not a quiche.) and you can even enjoy a fine chilled brew, if you are over 18 and can prove it of course.

It's funny how opportunities present themselves and how we react to them. I recall a good friend and fellow reviewer asking me if I would be interested in going to Gravity Canyon and do the bungy, something I always planned on doing..... someday. It felt at the time, as I readily agreed, like a future plan in like a couple of months time, but in the next couple of days I get a phone call letting me know it was all set up for the next weekend. Quick, I thought, but was still very keen. Then the day arrived, quick, I again thought, but was still kinda keen, excitement was the new fuel I ran on by that morning.

On the ride out excitement finally turned to nerves. Am I really going to do this? I was thinking, followed quickly by DAMN STRAIGHT I AM!

Gravity Canyon is a tidy and relaxed cafe-like venue, and the staff were very friendly and supportive which worked to settle some jitters. Safety is no joke to these people, which to the mad buggers giving things a go is a very reassuring thing. Every harness has at least 2 - 3 checks before you go anywhere and for the people who don't go, the viewing platform they have offers a perfect veiw of all the activities.

Many times have I driven past the big sign pointing towards Gravity Canyon, and for the first time ever, I was finally getting to go and at least explore it further. We headed towards GC with my stomach already twisting and tearing itself into knots. I enjoyed getting the old adrenaline pumping, but it had been a long time since I had done just this, and never EVER to this extent before. Was I really crazy enough to leap off a bridge with what seemed like nothing more than just a thick rope entwined around my feet? The thought brought back the reoccurring nightmares I'd had as a kid that had been very "bungy-like". Well, I was here to at least TRY and conquer my fears- even if by only trying the Flying Fox, and maybe the Bridge Swing.
From the start, the staff were friendly and very helpful- more than happy to talk about the rides in an effort to alay the fears of their customers in order to make the visit a far more enjoyable, and rewarding one. They went out of their way to give my son a chance to enjoy and be part of the experience as well, despite being too young to try any of the activities other than the Chairlift, which most definitely earned them serious kudos with me. He seriously loved getting to bring the members of our group back after we'd raced along in the Flying Fox, being allowed to hit the return button- and of course, getting to sun himself down on the raft waiting below the bridge as he awaited those of us who even contemplated trying out the Bungy jump (the last event of the trip, and unfortunately, one that neither I, nor my brother, were up to trying- by that stage we were well and truly overdosed on the adrenaline, and simply couldn't handle any more).
The café was cool and comfy (a great relief on a piping hot day), where we were able to sit and relax, trying to psych ourselves up for what we were about to do, and later on, to recuperate from the activities as we prepared for the next one. T-shirts and caps etc were there to pick from if you were wanting something to remind you of the insane thrill you'd experienced that day, along with certificates given to prove you'd done whichever of the activities you'd just done, and a DVD of the Flying Fox and Bungy Jumps to take home if you wanted to show off to your friends and prove that yes, you had really been that adventurous (and crazy) that day- for a small fee of $35.
The overall feel of the place was warm, friendly, fun and supportive; surrounded by NZ's beauty at its best while experiencing the thrill of a lifetime. Well worth the money asked for the activities, and I'll be saving hard to go back again in the near future. I came in with overwhelming fears, unsure if I'd be doing anything more than just watching the others- and left there having putting a good deal of my fears to rest, and knowing that if I could do things like this, then from now on, there really was no excuse!!
A HUGE thanks to the staff of Gravity Canyon- you guys are doing an awesome job out there! -grin-

OH MY GOODNESS!
Where to start?
The team at Gravity Canyon, for the most part, were amazing.
Fully encouraging of the customers to give it a try. Supportive, and understanding of fears that customers may have. The only negative thing I have was a certain staff member who was gently kicking the back of my foot, on the bungy, ultimately being the reason I backed out of the jump.
I can't fault the procedures at Gravity Canyon, especially the safety side of things. Every buckle, clip, and hook is double checked by two staff members, before anyone is allowed anything close to jump/release point. So definitely a 10 for that.

The Gravity Canyon Experience... how to sum it up? I suppose I could use the old cliché and say "awesome" but that would still not do the experience justice. There are really no words in my vocabulary to describe the feeling of whizzing through the air at 150+km per hour, of virtually freefalling for about 50 metres before coming under support.
Or the adrenaline induced quivering that follows.

If you want a rush bigger than most people have felt in their lives, GO TO GRAVITY CANYON. You will never forget this.

If you are travelling through the central region of the North Island, and have even the slightest trace of adventure in you, you simply HAVE to stop in and give this place a try!

Not only can you hurtle along the river canyon at massive speeds on the most extreme flying fox around, hurl yourself off an 80m bridge, swing out over empty space at high speed and take a relaxing trip down on a water-powered chairlift but you can also sit back in the delightful cafe and watch videos of the lunatics who went on these rides before you, have a snack and/or a drink, and chat to the lovely staff who are happy to explain what you are about to do to yourself in great detail.

Speaking of the staff... Of those we encountered on our adventures, most were happy, friendly, even a little good-naturedly cheeky, but always professional, even when faced with a 6yr old boy who wanted so badly to ride the flying fox but was under the 10yrs/38kg minimum limit... so they really made his day by letting him hit the 'RETURN' button when we were riding the fox. They kept him safe and happy while we tried to find out what a bullet feels like! He was also allowed to ride down to the catch raft under the bridge and wait for one of our party to bungy down to meet him. At every step, they took as good care of him as they did of us, and that was not only impressive, but really appreciated.

The only one staff member we didn't feel too happy with was an impatient jumpmaster who was caught on video gently kicking the heels of our bungy-jumping reviewer... causing him to back out and refuse to jump. He wasn't pushy, even though he did make a couple of offers to give the lad a push off the bridge, but it was the end of the day and it was clear he was a bit impatient to get the jump over with so he could pack up and head home. Now, this would HAVE to be a rare occurence, and one you are unlikely to encounter, so don't let it put you off at all... You can bet he won't be doing that again after the 'talking to' from his boss.

Overall, a great place to step outside your comfort zone and really get to grips with the idea that you MUST put yourself on the line every now and then, just to remind you what it is to LIVE LIFE, instead of merely being alive. For a total height/falling phobe like me, this was a thrilling chance to face my fears and see how much I could really take. I loved it, every minute of it. But I don't recommend driving afterwards, the way your body will crash as the adrenalin wears off is pretty chronic, and you may want to have a non-thrillseeker along as safe driver.