Skydiving in Taupo!
Mwahahaha! Didn’t think I had the backbone, did you? I can sum the experience up in three words: best. day. ever!!! Oh, it was so much fun! I kept waiting to get nervous and freak out a bit, but I was actually more excited than afraid, even when they threw me out of the plane. Everyone that worked there had done thousands of jumps over the course of several years, so I wasn’t really worried about anything going wrong. Taupo’s supposed to be one of the best places to try skydiving in New Zealand because it’s really cheap in comparison to other places and has an incredible view. Why don’t I take you through the whole thing?
Not Us, But Some Great Scenic Shots of the Lake on Other Days
It all started the day that I arrived at Blackcurrant. I mentioned before that Henry had just been promoted to manager, so he was still very new to how things work. Apparently one of the clauses in the manager contract is to jump out of a plane. He didn’t read the fine print. I guess the theory is that so many tourists come in asking about activities around Taupo that the manager should be able to answer questions with first-hand knowledge. That’s the official version. The more accurate explanation involves Beth knowing a guy who could get him in for free and everyone dying to see Henry scream like a little girl. He was a good sport, though. He was reluctant and a bit anxious at worst, but at least he’s better than Paul, who practically makes the sign of the cross at the mention of skydiving. What a girl.
Anyway, Nikki and Henry were scheduled to go skydiving on Wednesday and get the manager discount, so they invited anyone else to come as well. Hannah desperately wanted to go but couldn’t because of a bad ear infection. I felt so bad for her. I guess she’s wanted to skydive ever since she came to New Zealand, but she couldn’t at first because she was over the maximum weight. Then she worked out like crazy and lost 30 kilos but couldn’t again because of an especially nasty fever…that also gave her an ear infection. So she had to sit it out and watch from the sidelines. Paul, as I mentioned, is a sissy, and Beth obviously had to run the shop. Darren was…somewhere else at the time. That left me. The question was posed: Do you want to go skydiving with us on Wednesday? That was Monday night. It gave me one day to decide, and it looked like the weather was going to hold through the week. I figured “what the heck” and decided to go for it. It’s pretty expensive and maybe a bit sooner than I would have probably gone, but the opportunity presented itself, and I knew that I would regret not taking them up on that offer.
More Shots of the Lake and Drop Zone
Tuesday was my first day of work and went off without a hitch. It was also a gorgeous day without a cloud in the sky. Wednesday came around, and the clouds rolled right in. At first, we weren’t sure if it would be a great day for it and almost cancelled. The guys at the skydiving place were kind of looking at the sky a bit too, wondering if the conditions were alright. I think we got in just before it got to the point of no return. It was still cloudy, but there was enough of a break to see the surrounding area. I’m told that each kind of weather has its positive and negative sides. On the negative, lots of clouds meant that we really didn’t get to see much of the view from way up. I guess on a really clear day you can see both oceans. To be honest, though, your mind gets so scrambled during freefall that you really can’t figure out anything, much less enjoy the scenery. And clouds mean that you have a point of reference, so you can see how fast you’re going by how close they’re getting. On a clear day, it’s harder to tell how much longer you have to fall.
Anyway, after cleaning up on Wednesday, it was looking like a green light. I really didn’t have much time to think about it or get nervous at all that morning because I was busy doing my job, so it was just a matter of grabbing my bag and putting my hair up just after lunch. Henry was looking a bit green around the gills by then, but he hid it well with a ton of forced enthusiasm. It’s actually pretty hilarious to watch his DVD because he’s so cocky and gung-ho about it in the pre-interview, but he just falls apart by the end of the tape.
The people came in a van to pick us up, and there were a few other jumpers loaded up already from another hostel. We all had to fill out some morbid sheets of paper about “next of kin” and all that, but it was pretty chill all around. There are about three or four major skydiving companies in Taupo, and they’re all right next to each other a couple kilometers out of town. They all basically offer the same thing, but there are slight differences between them. For example, our company videotapes you falling down with a hand-held camera, while another company might have the camera mounted to the guy’s helmet. I think another one allows you to pick music to go with the fall on the DVD. By the time we got out there, it was around 1:00 or so, and I was definitely pumped for it.
The Plane That Took Us Up. Tiny Little Thing!
I had met Jenna, the sales and marketing coordinator, the day before, so I chatted with her a bit in the entryway while they were getting ready for us. She’s from Southern California and on a Working Holiday too, so we have quite a bit in common. She helped us pick out the packages that we wanted and went over a few things with us on the sofas. There are two basic options: 12,000 feet or 15,000 feet. 12,000 feet is a little cheaper but involves 30-45 seconds of freefall, whereas 15,000 feet is more expensive but guarantees a minute of freefall. Looking at the prices, I was a little reluctant to spend a ton of money before securing a steady job. I probably could have saved a good $100-200 by getting the cheapest option, but a little voice whispered to me that it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and that I’d better make it count. I won’t say how much it ended up being, but I went with the 15,000 feet Silver Package, which includes the jump, a free T-Shirt, the hand-held camera DVD, and at least 24 high-res photos. The only package better than that was the Gold Package, which also includes the freefall DVD and a sweatshirt. The difference is that the hand-held camera is taken by a third person not strapped onto you and is focused on you. The freefall camera is strapped to the wrist of the guy you’re falling with and is more about your point of view. Both are good, but only the Gold Package includes both. Nikki and Henry got the Gold Package because it’s free for them.
We somehow wound up in the same airplane even though there were several other groups around us. I got assigned to a guy named Joel (the tandem jumper) and a girl whose name I can’t remember (the handheld camera operator circling around us). Another guy jumped out with us, too, but he was just in training and floated around in the background.
They suited us up into these awesome red jumpsuits that allowed me to pretend I was an astronaut or fighter pilot. There were all these clips and harnesses to slip into, but we basically just stood there with our arms out while they hooked us up. Each suit had a little brown cap and goggles attached at the shoulder, but we didn’t put them on until just before the drop. I’m told that the little pack around our waists was supposed to contain a life jacket, but they never really went over that part, so I guess the guy would have done that if it came down to it. I should probably mention just how safe the whole operation is at this point. I was talking it over with the guys who’ve been here for a while, and apparently there is your main chute that is rolled by the seniority guys (who each have at least 10,000 jumps under their belts). Then there is your reserve chute in case that one fails - which is packed separately by another company in the New Zealand government that specializes in that stuff. Finally, if your operator forgets to pull the chute or is knocked out for any reason, one of the chutes is designed to open up automatically at 700 feet, regardless of whether you’ve pulled it or not. I think there have been all of 12 slight mishaps (as in reserve chute over main chute) in all of their years of business, so that’s a pretty good track record. And as far as I know, no one has actually died.
Back to the plane. We were crammed into this tiny little space that resembled a tin can on wings and told to smile for all of the cameras floating around. I think flying in a plane after this will seem very anticlimactic without the knowledge that you’re going to be jumping out of it later. The actual takeoff was completely routine and mild compared to the adrenaline rush of the jump, and we were able to cruise around for a good 20 minutes or so and enjoy the view. 15,000 feet is a long way up, so it took quite a long time to get up there at a steady climb. The coolest thing was the fact that you could see your breath in front of you as you got higher. You always forget about how cold it gets in the higher altitude until you’re presented with the evidence. I got on first with Joel, so I was way in the back, facing the rear. That meant that Nikki and Henry went before me.
A Little Teaser of my Exit Photo. My Hair is All Over the Place.
I actually didn’t even see Nikki go because I was preoccupied with looking out my window. I was expecting some kind of impromptu speech or pep talk along the lines of “This is it, guys!” or “Everybody ready?!” but they actually just opened the door and jumped without any ceremony involved. I started to get just a bit nervous when they shuffled me towards the back of the plane and I saw the wind whipping around outside, but it was nothing compared to Henry. I swear he went three shades whiter than normal and made the best “unhappy face” I’ve ever seen. Think of an upside down smiley face on a person. His exit photo is hilarious as well. He claims that he was fine until he saw his girlfriend disappear out the window, but I secretly think that was the point when he lost his acting ability. So Henry went over with much screaming and flailing of limbs. You’re told to keep your legs straight and motionless when you jump, but he did some variation of a “running man” in midair. Watching the DVD later, we all just about died laughing when someone shouted, “Look at his legs!” It’s still a subject of much amusement on our part and severe humiliation on Henry’s.
Then it was my time to go. I’ll let the video speak for itself.
www.youtube.com/watch (<<< Click on this! Might have to hit Control and Click)
It’s true that you don’t really remember the first little bit after the jump. You’re told that your mind goes into shock and can’t really process for a good 20 seconds or so at least. That’s why the 15,000 feet deal is supposed to be better - by the time you’ve figured out what’s going on in the 12,000 foot drop, it’s time to pull the parachute. Thank God my face didn’t do the whole “inflatable balloon” thing where your cheeks fill up with air and you look like an idiot. I just kept smiling to keep my muscles tight, and that seemed to do the trick.
Images From the Initial Jump
I really can’t describe the actual feeling of falling except that it was incredible and that I’d do it again in a heartbeat. We pulled the parachute just as we fell through the clouds, so it was like falling face first into a wooly blanket and then gliding through to the other side. Our chutes were the more gradual kind that open slowly over a thousand feet, so there wasn’t an uncomfortable jerk out of nowhere.
Just a Couple of Shots of the Actual Freefall. Go to Facebook for all of them!
The slow glide down to the ground was just spectacular. I was still flying high from the rush, but it was amazingly cool to still be so high up and admire the view. Joel guided us in by using the cords on his hands and spun us around in circles a few times, which was awesome. You definitely feel a little bit of G-Force when you’re whipped around in a tight circle like that so high up. I still have a few bruises from where the harness cut into my legs, but that’s pretty normal, and it was worth it. At one point, he said, “I’m just going to make you a bit more comfortable” and released one of the straps around my chest, causing me to drop down an inch or two. That was a little freaky for the split second that I thought I was going to fall, but it did make it easier to breathe after that.
I don’t know how we managed it, but we somehow passed Henry on the way down. He was the one that wanted it over with the most, and he got the major scenic route. Lucky. Nikki hit the ground first and had a very graceful landing. I came in pretty fast and landed right on my butt. I was told to lift my feet up as we landed, but I guess he meant towards the chest and not out perpendicularly. Oh well. My actual jump looked good. Henry was up there for a LONG time - so long that Nikki and I were beginning to wonder. He finally drifted back down and gave a giant victory cry. I guess he got into it about halfway down.
After that, it was pretty much a last little bit for the camera and some celebrating all around. Henry kissed the ground, and we all jumped around like morons for a while. Then it was time to take off the suits and watch the footage in the lounge area. It just gets funnier every time. Paul and Beth have expressed interest in making Henry’s exit photo their desktops.
And that was pretty much it. We stayed around until about 3pm just coming down off the high and watching the video repeatedly. I got a very cool green T-Shirt that I wear underneath my other layers pretty much whenever it’s clean. We were driven back to the hostel and celebrated by having brandy-spiked coffee and ginger cookies. It’s hard to top a day like that. I’ve tried to go hiking and exploring on my time off since then, but nothing really compares to jumping out of a plane. I’d say go for it if you guys ever have the chance.
That’s all for now! Tune in next time for more scenic hiking pictures and a view of Taupo from on top of a mountain. Bye guys!