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03/07/06 - BACK ON THE BUS: SKY DIVE!
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Whilst working in Wellington, looking back at all the fantastic memories from the Oz and Kiwi Experience, it was really great knowing it wasn't all over yet - there was more to come. I was on the Oz and Kiwi bus for 2 months solid and then I've had 2 months off. It felt kind of strange to suddenly be back in 'travelling mode': going to new places, meeting new people and doing some great activities.
Today we were heading up the North Island to Taupo. This is where I was going to do my sky dive. I had deliberately allowed a few days here since it's now winter and sky diving is obviously very weather dependant - I didn't want to miss out. However, when I signed up for it that morning on the bus, I didn't think anything of it because it was pissing it down with rain. Then the driver said "well apparantley the weather is beautiful in Taupo so you'll all get to do your sky dive today!". What!? You mean I've actually got to do this - TODAY!?!?! Oh shit.
We arrived at the sky dive centre in Taupo around 2pm, the sky was completely clear. The first thing they did was show us all a DVD, "When Sky Dives Go Wrong". Not really, it was just a sample of the DVD we get afterwards. We all got kitted up and the first group went up (I was in the second group). When the first group got back though, they had to fix something with the plane, which meant my jump was delayed by half an hour. This allowed the nevers to really kick in!
Unlike a bungy, where YOU have to build up the nerve to jump off; with a tandem sky dive you're strapped to one of the guys who works there - he jumps out, he opens the parachute - all you have to do is enjoy the ride. The guy who had my life in his hands was Pete from Germany. Just before we got on the plane he introduced himself and the woman who was going to film me. The DVD costs $150 because they have to pay someone to jump with you to film it.
Finally we were ready to go and about 20 people in total crammed into the tiny plane. I was going to be first to jump which meant I was sitting right by the hatch on the side of the palne. It took 15 minutes for the plane to cimb to 12,000 ft, and I was starting to get really nervous. No where near as nervous as when I did the Nevis Bungy mind you, mainly because it still seemed a little hard to believe I was actually going to jump OUT a perfectly good airplane.
Once we reached 12,000 ft the camera lady opened the hatch and climbed out the plane. Now there wasn't any build up or suspense here. There was no inching our way up to the edge, dangling out for a bit, counting down 3,2,1 and go. The hatch was opened and we simply turned to face out the plane and just kind of slid out...
My automatic reaction was to go "OH SHIT!!!", but there wasn't anything to be afraid of. It didn't feel like we had jumped off the plane, it didn't feel like falling and my stomach didn't go. It just felt like I had moved from inside of the plane to outside it, and now I was floating in the air. It was AMAZING!!! We did a flip as we came out and then were in the 'laying down' position. The wind was blowing so hard against my face and I could feel all the air going into my mouth as we reached a speed of 200km/hr. It was UN REAL. The camera lady was floating right by us, I gave her a high five and did a Superman pose for the camera (had to be done).
Even though I freefell for 55 seconds, it didn't feel like that long and before I knew it Pete opened the parachute. My harness at first really yanked up my groin which was really uncomfortable. I thought I wouldn't enjoy the parachute bit, I thought I'd be like "Yeah, I'd like to get down now please!", but actually it was great. You feel so free up there as you glide back down to earth, with amazing views of Lake Taupo, Mt Ruapehu and Mt Ngauruhoe (Mt Doom!).
It took a few minutes to get down. After a while Pete started spinning us round one way then another, it was really uncomfortable but good fun. As we approached the ground Pete told me to start running. It's amazing how he slows us right down just before touching the ground, and we landed sort of sitting down.
Afterwards we all watched the DVD and the footage was unbelievable. When I got back to the hostel I needed to lie down for a bit and listen to some chill out music because the adrenaline rush lasted will into the evening.
So how does it compare to a bungy? Well the bungy is a lot more intense. It's all about facing your fear, going against all your instincts, making yourself jump off with ground coming straight towards your face. The sky dive has a different kind of adrenaline rush. You just fly through the air experiencing a sensation like you've never felt before. In short, the bungy is intense and exciting; the sky dive is just good clean fun.
That evening everyone off the bus went out for drinks. That's the great thing about the Kiwi Experience - at the start of the day I didn't know a single person on there; by the end of it, I had a group of 20 new friends to hang out with. Quality.
Next: Mt Doom & Hobbiton
Previous: Life In Wellington
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