Once we arrived in Taupo we checked out a waterfall called Huka Falls Waikato River
That night (the night before my birthday- April 11) we all got together in a BASE hostel room, put on plastic Burker King-like crowns and drank wine and tequila. The bartender in the bar downstairs, ELEMENT, gave me a complimentary birthday shot and the receptionist who checked me in handed me a few free drink cards. I already knew it was going to be a good night…and it was.
I had planned my NZ trip so that I would be skydiving on my birthday. The skies were perfectly blue and clear as I thought to myself, “it’s a perfect day to jump out of a plane”. When I was 18, I went skydiving in Miami , 13,500 feet where I had a view of the whole peninsula of Florida , the bay and the Florida Keys … it was amazing! This time, I’d be jumping out of a plane at 15.000 feet with views of the Tongariro National Park, Mount Ngauruhoe (“Mount Doom” in ‘Lord of the Rings’), and Lake Taupo (the largest lake in NZ, larger than Singapore!). My friends Kate and Serena, both English and from the KIWI bus, were jumping on the same day as me and we’d all be in the same tiny plane together.
Adrenaline was pumping through my veins as our little plane soared higher and higher into the sky. Amos, my tandem jumper guide, was strapped onto my back and I could feel him continuously tightening the bits and pieces that bonded us together.
Kate jumped out of the plane first at 12,000 feet and disappeared so fast! It was like watching a bowling ball being tossed out of a skyscraper’s window. I was next to jump at 15,000 feet and as our plane continued to ascend, Amos placed an oxygen mask on my face to help me breath in the altitude we were at.
As soon as 15,000 feet registered on Amos’ altimeter, we scooted towards the open door of the plane and I felt the strong wind hit my body. I tilted my head back against Amos’ chest and before I knew it we rocked forward and were spilling out of the plane, somersaulting and flipping through the air, freefalling and weightless. We leveled our bodies flat and sprawled out like and up-side-down snow angels and continued to fall through the air. The swooshing sound of the wind blasting by at 100 mph is unlike anything else and is spectacular.
It’s hard to explain the feeling while skydiving. But it’s anything but scary. It’s the most blissful and exciting and happy feeling I’ve ever felt. Although I was falling thousands of feet through the air; to me, it didn’t seem like I was falling at all. The views of the land below remain the same the entire way and I had a birds-eye view of volcanoes, mountains, lakes and so much more.
There are many people out there who think skydiving is crazy and terrifying. But, I’m here to say that it’s not scary and it’s the best adventurous thing I’ve ever done. On top of that, it gives you the greatest adrenaline high possible! Everyone should try it at least once in their lives.
After we free-fell for thousands of feet, Amos pulled the chute and we skyrocketed up in the air. Our parachute filled with air and for the next seven minutes we floated down as slowly and delicately as a feather. To go from sound-blasting speed to gentle drifting is another reason why I like skydiving so much. When you’re floating down and still that high in the air, it really does feel like you’re a bird who can see the whole world.
At this point on my NZ trip I had established a little clan… a family of friends I would be spending the next several weeks with. Kate and Sam were a young couple from England , along with Aaron (Sam’s friend from back home), and Serena and Steward (friends who knew each other from home in England
The following day in Taupo we all decided to go fishing on the enormous lake. We hired a fishing charter for the day and set off to do some deep-lake fishing. The captain and his wife played ‘King Of Leon’ all day and we caught a few trout to cook for dinner.
Just like that, we were ready to say good bye to Taupo and head to River Valley
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