thoughtsandcrosses: February 2011

And somehow, in the blink of an eye, it's February 24th 2011. Here I am now in a hostel in Te Anau, down the west coast of the South Island of New Zealand. Internet in New Zealand is not like internet in the States. You can get it everywhere in the States, but in New Zealand it's not so readily available. I spent about a month in the north Island, and managed to couchsurf most of the way, but the South Island is sparsely populated compared to the North and couchsurf hosts are not so easy to find, and thus far have been too busy to accommodate me. So the past 10 days have involved much more hostelling than any other part of my trip. But enough about that.

The North Island provided so many adventures and people, it was fantastic. From the Tongariro Crossing with 100 other couchsurfers, to the few days spent in Rotorua with 18 other couchsurfers who all went white water rafting together, to the road trip with Gary (whom I met at the Tongariro crossing) which took us from Turangi, up through Thames, through Auckland, and all the way to Cape Reinga, the northern most point in New Zealand where the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean met, back down the west coast on my own, then to the Waitomo Caves, then to Wellington and over the cook straight to a totally new experience in the South Island.

My first few days in the South Island were spent by the Abel Tasman national park where I went on a 13km hike along the Coastal Track. Then I made the phone call. You know which one. The one that booked my place on that little aeroplane into the sky. The one I would jump out of. I got back from the 13km hike and decided if I procrastinated any longer, I just wouldn't do it. So I got the number from the leaflet, rang them up, and it was done. 8:45 am the following morning I would head off for my tandem skydive. On returning to the hostel I was staying at I got chatting to two girls, Tamara & Leiya from Canada, and when Tamara heard I was doing a skydive the following morning she exclaimed "Where? I want to do one too?". So I showed her the flyer. 10 minutes later she returned from the payphone. I now had a partner in crime. 8:45am the following morning, we would both jump from that plane.

(at this point, if at all possible, please search youtube for 'aeroplane noises' or something similar to have on in the background whilst you read on)

(thanks AJ for the idea)

The entire experience was pretty quick to be honest. We got there bang on at 8:45, got shown a DVD of previous people's jumps, got put into our jump suits, told a few security things, and then got in a plane. The plane was a tiny metal thing, rattling along as we took off, and we were set for a 20 minute ride up to 16500 feet. The ride was spectacular, it was a beautifully sunny day, and you could see for miles over the Abel Tasman I had walked the previous day and across to the southern end of the North Island. At about 12000 feet we were given oxygen masks, and my tandem jumper went through a few things, showed me where I was attached to him, showed me everything was secure, and reminded me of the procedure when jumping. Basically, you sit on the edge of the plane, wrap your legs back and under the plane, wave at the camera on the wing, then tilt you head back so you make what they call the 'banana' shape, and then go. Whilst I was a bit apprehensive, I wasn't massively nervous, and I was really enjoying the ride and the spectacular views. But then. Oh. Then. Then a little green light flashes, and before you have time to think, the side door is slid open, and suddenly there is no longer the safety barrier of a window pane between you and the earth. Now there is just air between you and the earth. But you don't even have time to think about that. Suddenly we were edging forward, suddenly I was on the edge of an aeroplane staring at the ground 16500 feet beneath me, suddenly I'm waving at the little camera on the wing and then. Oh. Then. Suddenly I'm no longer sitting on the edge of a rattly little aeroplane. Now I'm hurtling towards the earth at 120 mph. Wow. Words will never explain the experience, but I had about 90 seconds of freefall, just hurtling, wind in my face, the views around me for miles and miles, just breathtaking (that's the breath I could barely take in anyway). Then the parachute comes out and everything slows down. The adrenaline was rushing, but I was still taking it all in as we floated back down to earth, making a few stomach turning circles down along the way. You land by keeping you legs up in the air so the tandem jumper does all the work and then you slide in on your bum, and you're done. Mother earth is back in touch with you. The biggest rush of my life. The most adrenaline I have ever felt rush through my veins. And it was all over. I may have come down from the sky, but I wasn't sure I'd ever truly come down. Forget being high as a kite. You want to try being as high as an aeroplane, and just falling.

This is just one story of many from the past few weeks in New Zealand, and I hope to write more soon about my hike onto a Glacier, a stunning cruise through the Milford Sound, and the sad sad news of the earthquake in Christchurch. Mother Earth is a wild wild beast and has provided some of the most stunning scenes I have ever witnessed alongside some of the most devastating I have ever seen, and that's just in the past few days...