Skydive Wanaka

Fly

28 Nov 2018

I spent three weeks in New Zealand visiting friends and family whilst in-between jobs, and a skydive is something that’s been on my list, and would be a highlight of my trip. There aren’t many better places to do it than Wanaka!

On my way to New Zealand, I stopped for three nights in Melbourne to hang out in the city and mostly visit coffee bars and eateries. I then flew into Wellington where my aunty and uncle live. I hired a car from there and drove over to the South Island, down the west coast to Wanaka and Queenstown, then to Mount Cook and Christchurch. Then I headed back up to Wellington and through the center of the North Island to Tongariro National Park to attempt the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, but the weather didn’t play ball. Then I moved up to Rotorua, on to Mount Maunganui, and finally to Auckland where I flew home from. In total, I drove nearly 3000km!

As this was a one-off, I decided to jump from the maximum height option of 15,000 feet. It was an eventful day, waiting for the wind to die down, jumping in a minibus to change take-off point, and then eventually getting up in the plane. The plane is pretty special, the whole right-hand side of the back slides open, with us all lined up inside, nervous jumpers clipped to the instructors waiting our turn. The plane climbs up quickly and at a sharp angle, levelling out at 7,500 feet and 12,500 feet to let the lower jumpers out. Then there’s a few of us left at the back. We shuffle forward and I dangle my legs over the side, peering over the edge of the plane down to the ground and surrounding mountains. I wasn’t scared about the jump as such, but no doubt my heart was beating seriously fast and I was sweating. The instructor began counting down but before the numbers had registered he’d nudged us out the door and we were falling through the sky. I remember screaming for most of the free-fall, it was intense!

I did eventually close my mouth though whilst free-falling and could look around and enjoy the views feeling calmer. The parachute was soon pulled and we settled into a gentle flight down to the ground to rejoin the group. It took me quite a few days to come to terms with the flight, and for my sinuses to recover from the pressure changes.

Whilst in NZ I rode MTB in Makara Peak and Rotorua on the North Island, and Wanaka and Queenstown on the South Island. I did well with the weather and scenery on the rides and my travels.