The best birthday present ever!
Trip Start
May 06, 2006
1
66
81
Trip End
Mar 23, 2009
Taupo,
New Zealand
Friday, November 2, 2007
Let's start at the beginning! After the cancellation yesterday and the not so great weather prediction for today I wasn't sure it was gonna go ahead. However, I honestly could not have had a better day for it! I still wasn't sure this morning when I woke up as it was a little cloudy but it just got clearer and warmer as the day went on!
I was picked up around 12 and we headed out to the airport. We decided on our jumps and packages etc and I went for the 15,000 feet (the highest, of course!) with a dvd and photos. We were the last lot of our group to go up which meant we had to sit around and watch everyone else go - it only prolonged the pre jump feeling. I can't say I was all that nervous just extremely excited and wanting to get up there and get it done!
Finally it was time to go and of course I got the comedian of the group, Brad from South Africa (he used to jump right where I worked out there!), who kept making out that something was wrong or broken before we even left the ground and it just continued in the plane! As we were flying I thought I was fine but when the instructor said "breathe slowly" I figured I must have been panting or something!! We had a nice little chat all the way up though and after dropping someone off at 12,000 feet we headed up to 15,000 feet! We were the last ones to jump so I got to see everyone else fall out of the plane which just made me wanna jump enough more!
I got to the edge, had the quick 'exit photo' taken and then we were off. The feeling of jumping and falling and just generally plummeting towards the ground at over 200km and hour is completely indescribeable! You can't really breathe and your mouth goes totally dry but you have the coolest views and just enjoy the free fall until the parachute opens! After that you just drift to the ground! My guy spun me in circles and made us fall really fast... he asked if I was bored 'cos I was apparently very quiet but I don't tend to scream when I'm scared... I laugh! I thanked him for keeping me alive and he said we hadn't landed yet and that was his worst thing... again, the comedian! I told him the worst that could happen now was that I could break a bone and I was okay with that!
We reached the landing zone safely and managed to stay standing instead of sliding in on our butts which was cool and then the best thing ever happened! The woman from the office came running over and told me I'd just had a free sky dive! I thought I'd won something for being the millienth (sp?) person to jump or something but it turns out they'd forgotten to send someone up with me to take my dvd and photos that I'd asked for (I hadn't even paid at this point so they could've been really mean but they weren't!) so I got to go all over again! AWESOME!!! I must admit I wondered why no-one was with us but I figured I just couldn't see him or something!
I only had to wait about 20 minutes and then I went up with Brad again!! The feeling of doing it a second time right away is also amazing! You know what to expect so the nerves are gone - I just could not wait to jump out and I was much more confident with the camera 'cos I'd already done it without! I cannot stop smiling!! I also got to control the parachute for most of the way down on the second jump (once it was open of course!) so I could decide how fast or slow we went and in which direction! So much fun!
So, I now have 2 skydives under my belt, a DVD of my freefall which is hilarious, loads of photos and a free t-shirt all for the price of one skydive! Stuff like that never happens to me and it feels great!! Unfortunately the weather wasn't quite as perfect for the second sky dive with the photos 'cos the clouds were moving our way but there are still plenty of awesome shots and I'll take the slightly less than perfect weather for a free skydive any day!!
Tonight I'm off for a few drinks! I had planned to do the Tongariro Crossing tomorrow but the weather is gonna be crap for the next 2 days at least so I'm chilling out in Taupo for a bit in the hope it improves! God knows what I'm gonna do - I need more adrenalin pumped into me but I don't have the money for it!!
Anyway, I'll add the pics today - wobbly cheeks and all but I'm not sure I can put the video on 'cos it'll take forever! I'll try though! Don't be scared mum - I lived and can't wait to it for a 3rd time!!
Comments
AWESOME !!
What an experience, you have more balls than me.
Glad you are having such a fantastic time - things in Stubbington still the same so your not missing much.
Miss ya x
cant believe its been this long!!!!
hey there dudette hows tricks????? finally found my p/word to this account!!!! hope the in-bed-tween is going strong and your trumpet is sounding lounder than ever!!!!! hope your not missing the lion/lionesses and elephant's to much, and the sky diving tickles your insides as well your as outs!!! i'll take some time and read the rest of your blogs and come back with a few witty replys!!!!! keep will young close to your heart and the blue peter flag flying!!!!!!