Jumping out of a perfectly working plane is one of those must-do things when you’re in New Zealand. But there are so many places to do it, so how do you go about choosing a location?
Well, Skydive Lake Wanaka is a great choice if you want to see mountains, glaciers and lakes all in one hit.
You will definitely experience the most awe-inspiring 360 degree views, including New Zealand’s highest snow-capped peaks including Mount Cook and Mount Aspiring. You’ll also see majestic mountains which tower above the World Heritage Mount Aspiring National Park, where glaciers feed forested river valleys and glistening lakes.
Truthfully, I was a quivering wreck. I could feel my palms getting sweaty and my legs tensing up as the reality of what I was about to do dawned on me. The last dregs of saliva were disappearing from my mouth as I nervously chewed on a piece of gum which had long lost its flavour.
I started thinking to myself, “there’s still time to back out”, and “maybe they won’t have a jumpsuit to fit me” but all the excuses circling round in my head were quickly obliterated when I heard my name being called out.
I felt the world stop moving. I turned cold and every muscle in my body stiffened up. This was it. This was the moment I’d been dreading. And I knew I had to do it to prove to myself I could.
My legs turned to jelly and I could hardly lift them into the fetching red, blue and yellow jump suit. The madcap guy who was filming my jump thrust a camera in my face and I laughed nervously. My chewing gum had disintegrated into a million pieces and my mouth was as dry as a camel’s armpit. I put one leg out in front of me and willed myself to walk towards the plane. It seemed like the longest walk of my life.
I squeezed myself in to the back of the plane in front of my instructor and looked nervously at the other faces beaming back at me. I sat with my knees wrenched up to my chin, peering out of the window as the ground disappeared below us.
The moment had arrived. We’d reached 15,000ft. There was no time to think. No time to panic. The door of the plane opened and the sound from outside was deafening. The wind was rushing by at a million miles an hour and the blood drained from my cheeks.
I watched as the other jumpers edged towards the door, then disappeared into nothingness. Next it was my turn to move. I felt my body turn to lead. I couldn’t move. What the hell was I doing?
As I shuffled towards the plane door, I felt the wind buffeting my face and I looked out into the clouds. My feet were dangling into nothing-ness and it felt very surreal. I couldn’t remember any of the instructions I’d been told.
Suddenly my instructor grabbed my head and faced me towards the camera. I was petrified. My blood was surging through my body at a billion miles an hour. My heart was throbbing.
This was it. I felt myself falling forwards out of the plane and then I was tumbling, hurtling round and round, faster than a speeding bullet. Oh my God, I was actually free falling – it was unreal. I was spinning round in circles. My mouth was open as if I was screaming but no sound was coming out.
The next thing I knew, the parachute opened and we shot up high into the sky. It was absolutely incredible.
Everything fell silent. The parachute ride down was so peaceful – I couldn’t hear a thing. Finally, we landed okay and I felt amazing. I could do anything. Bring on the next one!
Skydive Lake Wanaka offers an exhilarating 200 kph freefall from either 12,000ft, with 45 seconds freefall or 15,000ft with 60 seconds freefall.
All equipment and complimentary pick-ups from Wanaka are available.
You can choose from DVD footage or freefall pictures or a combo of both.
