Today we woke up with a plan. The plan was that if we looked out of the window and there was blue sky, we would skydive. If not, then it's not meant to be as the weather forecast was only rain for the foreseeable future.
It was blue sky.
We called up the company 'taupo tandem skydives' and our booking time was 1140. With a one hour drive to do in 70 minutes we wasted no time and headed back down from Rotorua to Lake Taupo, the famous skydiving capital of the world.
We arrived excited, but to be honest completely oblivious to the events that would unfold (we survived in case you are wondering at this point - hence the blog). We were given a brief intro on the different packages, and although initially we wanted the 12,000 ft drop with no video or photos(cheapest option), it took about ten seconds for us to opt for the 15,000ft drop and video photo package (expensive). That meant a 60 second free fall. Still completely oblivious to what this meant, but a bigger number must be better right?
We waited for a few minutes before we were introduced to our tandem buddy, I had a guy called Leski, a French dude with 2000 skydives under his belt (a rookie) and Sophia had a guy called Brad who had done 14,500 (a pro). I didn't know this before the process began otherwise I would have found that a little disconcerting! I also felt my life was in this guys hands, and I completely accepted that. He was tightening my harness and checking this and that, it was only then I had a thought of all those nervous patients waiting for an operation with me holding my syringe of white stuff in the anaesthetic room.....
Before we knew it we were in the little single propped plane and heading to 15,000 feet. The lake and mountains disappearing beneath us and it was only then the nerves started to kick in. Sophia cool as a cucumber of course. The oxygen mask came over our faces, and this distracted me for a little bit longer as I began calculating all sorts of stupid altitude stuff in my head. We were about to jump out of a plane.....
Before I could even reconsider the situation, the tiny plane door slid open and I was hanging out dangling like an autumn leaf about to make its long awaited journey to earth. I daren't look down. Then before I could take a breath, literally, I was rolling around in mid air at 15,000ft, or 5km above the mighty earth. All I could do was scream, scream and scream again. The world spinning around me so fast that I could barely think about what was happening. Thr air rushing past my face making breathing impossible. Did I even take a breath for the 60 seconds of free fall? What I do remember is that it was the most amazing feeling in the world, and for just a moment I absorbed the spectacular scenery around me.
A sudden shudder and I felt the amazing deceleration as the main parashute opened. Then most bizarrely still at 5000ft I felt like I had already landed. It was incredible and I was able to appreciate this beautiful country for a few more seconds. I saw Sophia in the distance and her parashute had opened too, and so it was all good!
Our landings were unspectacular and we couldn't hide our elation at what was undoubtably the best experience of our lives.
Seeing our photos and video shortly afterwards brought the whole thing down to earth (forgive the pun) and we could absorb what just happened. Incredible.
Steak for dinner and a day to remember.
