One minute you’re enjoying a lovely stroll around Lake Waikaremoana in New Zealand and the next you’re several feet under water with a heavy hiking bag strapped to your back, pulling you down as you desperately fight for oxygen. Luckily, the incident didn’t cost anyone their lives, but it sure as a hell was something these French hikers will never forget.
I don’t speak French, but judging from their tone these hikers were having a jolly ol’ time enjoying the beautiful landscape of Te Urewera National Park. Little did they know, shit was about to get real. Very, very real. “Look, a sturdy metal bridge,” they must’ve thought to themselves. “Let’s cross it.” Halfway through their crossing, this seemingly sturdy bridge collapsed, hurling the hikers into a free fall and into the chilly waters that laid 26 feet below. Thank God there was water below.
At the end of the video the text says, “8-meter fall, nobody seriously injured, we got lucky. Be careful. Advice: Always cross suspension bridge one by one.” This incident serves as a reminder that you must always be vigilant while hiking and never judge a bridge by its deck and suspension cables.
