Bungy accident at Hanmer Springs

Bungy jumping over a picturesque South Island canyon has been shut down after a Sydney woman slipped from her cord and fell into the icy cold river.

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The woman, who has been flown to Christchurch Hospital, was holidaying with her partner when her shoe came off and she slipped from the bungy cord into the Waiau River near Hanmer Springs, Westpac Rescue Helicopter spokesman Stuart Farquhar said.

"She was doing a bungy jump and, on the second bounce, her shoe became dislodged and as she came down she slipped through the bungy and fell into the water," Mr Farquhar said.

A spokesman for Thrillseekers Adventures, the company that owns the bungy jumping operation at Hanmer, said he could not confirm how the accident happened but said no further jumps or adventure sports would take place.

"Until further notice the whole operation is shut down," Blair Hartland said.

"They won't be resumed until there's been a full investigation into how the accident happened.

"This is the first time we've had an accident like this and the staff there are very upset." 

Mr Hartland said the woman fell about midday and was now in Christchurch Hospital, with her partner accompanying her.

"Obviously we're very upset about it, especially since it involves one of our valued Australian customers," he said.

"We don't know the cause or the reason it happened. Police are obviously involved in the case and are investigating the cause."

A Christchurch Hospital spokeswoman said the woman was in a stable condition but was still being treated in the emergency department.

The Thrillseekers Adventures website says customers jump from a 135-year-old ferry bridge and fall about 35 metres, sometimes dipping their heads in the Waiau River below.

"Thrillseekers bungy still gives you time to experience the full range of emotions as you plummet down to the surface of this wild river," the website says.

"Each person's reaction is different but the full gambit can range from excitement and pure elation to abject terror."

First jumps cost $116 and customers can jump again for $80, the website says. 

The company provides bungee cords and ankle harnesses for each jump.

Mr Farquhar said he understood Thrillseekers had a boat that brought the woman to a small island in the river.

"That's where we landed and the paramedics worked on her and took her back to Christchurch Hospital."

Mr Farquhar said the woman had "reasonably serious but stable injuries".

Mr Hartland said bungy jumping had been going on at Hanmer Springs for about 20 years but Thrillseekers had bought the operation in October last year.

"We've got a very clean history; we've got an accident-free record and obviously we're very disappointed and devastated that this has happened," he said.

Hanmer Springs is about two hours' drive north of Christchurch.

Meanwhile, a young Australian climber is stranded with a suspected collapsed lung in a hut on on Aoraki Mount Cook.

Bad weather is hampering efforts to rescue the 34-year-old man, who called for help about midday yesterday.

- SMH, The Press and Keith Lynch