A tale of two skydives (Taupo 2.2)

Schmo

Deciding that one adrenaline filled activity was enough for a single day we had set the skydive as our treat for the next day. With the Bungy completed on a gloriously sunny day followed by a clear night the clouds had decided to moved in. I thought that all my prayers had been answered. The campsite was thick with fog and there was no sign of it breaking. We prepared breakfast, packed up and headed off to the information centre where they would shed light on whether the jump was possible on such a cloudy day.

Fiona saw through my feigned look of disappointment as the woman behind the desk told us that the skydive was postponed until the cloud lifted. She advised us to return at 11:15 to check again.

One cup of coffee later and still the cloud was low over all of Taupo. We returned to the information centre, me with my hopes set on a nice grey cloudy day. To my horror a helpful lady behind the counter informed us that though it was cloudy in Taupo, the Airport was clearing up and we should make our way there.

We arrived at the Taupo Tandem Skydive centre, greeted by beautiful clear skies. I began to get even more nervous. So nervous in fact that I had to excuse myself before even filling out the general paper work associated with any such hazardous activity.

All things taken care of, we were greeted by some staff and given the hard sell. We were told about all the silver, gold and platinum packages we were missing out on due to the fact that we were only doing the basic jump. I know this only from signs and fliers that were shown to me as my brain had decided to switch off and preoccupy itself with nerves and thoughts of the jump.

All prepped and ready to go we boarded a small yellow aircraft with a shutter at one end. At this stage I don’t think I was communicative or pleasant to anyone around me.

Seated just in front of my instructor and still unable to make anything more than hand gestures, we taxied to the runway. Normally this would be a very unpleasant feeling for me but for some bizarre reason a wave of calm swept over me. We took off and the beautiful lake Taupo began to grow smaller and smaller as we climbed. Feeling human again and somewhat serene I began to talk to my instructor. We had the usual banter and then he strapped me onto his harness. Never before have I felt so comfortable feeling the warmth of another man.

A short time later we had reached the high point of our flight, the shutter at the back of the aircraft opened. Fiona and her instructor left the aircraft with a scream (not unlike the one yesterday, I thought).

My jump was imminent. All calmness gone again. Serenity nowhere to be found. The instructor shepherded me to the door and with one quick movement we were outside the aircraft.

You wouldn’t hear a docker use the language I used in those first few seconds of freefall but after that I was silent in sheer amazement at how beautiful the world looked (or at least lake Taupo) from such an angle.

Fi

I should start off by warning Dad not to read this. Or if you intend to read it Dad, skip the remainder of the paragraph and then continue. Dad hates heights and so the idea of me doing a bungy was probably bad enough, well, damage done, that’s already been posted. However, I can be a sensitive soul when I choose, so from here on in, my skydive (shhhh!) shall be referred to as “the Flower Show”.

Waking to dismally foggy weather, we traipsed to the information centre to be told we couldn’t “go to the flower show” at the scheduled time, we rebooked for about an hour later. Strolling around Taupo, there was no sign at all of the fog lifting, despite the assurances of the info centre staff that it usually burned off by 11. At the arranged time, still unable to see the water of the lake a mere 70-80 metres away, we returned, sure the flower show would be cancelled completely due to inclement weather. I was gutted. I’d been planning on seeing these flowers since we arrived in NZ. It was to be the highlight of the trip for me. I’ve always wanted to go to a flower show and to finally go, with Lake Taupo and the three big boys (Tongariro, Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe) providing the backdrop, what better place?

It was my lucky day, we were good to go. Schmo was a little less keen on the idea than I was. Despite my paralysing fear of the bungy jump, I was remarkably calm about the idea of throwing myself out of a plane (albeit strapped to some adrenaline junkie) at 12,000 feet. Doh! Sorry Dad – gone and ruined it all.

It might seem unusual. The bungy was 100 odd feet, this was well over 100 times that, and yet all I felt was sheer excitement. Once we arrived, signed the obligatory paperwork and the hardworking staff tried to get us to buy photos, dvds, mugs, key-rings and the whole sha-bang, we were kitted up, in rather fetching red jump suits. Harnessed up and all but ready to go, we watched the safety video. Well, I watched it and Schmo. I saw his face pale, his hands get clammy and his pupils dilate with sheer terror. I’ll admit at this point, I thought he might be better not going. The idea of him being that frightened was not a pleasant one. I offered a final get out of jail free card, which he quietly declined – we were going up.

The flight up to 12,000 feet, our jump height, was incredible. We watched the cloud disappear and saw the lake, the mountains and the surrounding country side spread out below us. It was just stunning. Chatting away to my instructor, he showed me his altimeter at 5,000 feet, the point at which he would pull the cord and open the canopy – wow! – 7,000 feet of freefall, with nothing but the air below me to slow me down!

It seemed like no time had passed when the shutter opened and the first two jumpers were gone. Next was one of the employees – she was training to be the video jumper – to capture the magic moments for people like me. In two seconds, she was gone and I was sitting on the edge of the plane, my head resting back on my instructor’s shoulder, legs tucked under the plane, 12,000 feet of air between me and the ground. Then we were gone. I started to scream as we turned in the air, and then I realised – what am I screaming for? This is amazing.

We plummeted. I could feel the air rushing past my face, and up into my poorly fitting goggles making my right eye water. Did it bother me? No, nothing could possibly have bothered me. I could see the mountains, the lake, everything. I felt a tap on my shoulder and my instructor pointed ahead, the trainee was right in front of us, free falling in sync. What an amazing feeling, to see another person in front of you falling through the air at terminal velocity, to see their face, their expressions, they are in that moment with you – its indescribable.

All too soon, the freefall was over and with a jolt, we were simply sailing. A few adjustments and I was sitting comfortably watching the world go by. I had a nanosecond of worry, when I fell for the “is it just me or is your harness loosening?” gag, but otherwise, it was pure bliss. I think I uttered such articulate phrases as “Wow” and “Oh Wow” and “Wowee”. My instructor pointed out the rainbows we could see above the clouds, which from that height you see as circular – incredible.

I thought it couldn’t possibly get any better, when he asked if I would like to steer the parachute. I turned as much as I could (not much) and asked was he serious? In a few seconds, my hands were secured in the straps and I was turning us (with a little help at first), then righting us again, and then the other way. It might not sound like much - pulling a few straps, but the whole freefall and then gliding down is so overwhelming, to actually have the chance, albeit briefly, to be in control of where I was going, was just awesome!

With a smooth, if speedy descent, we landed. Back on terra firma. To be honest, probably the last place I wanted to be right at that moment. It would not have taken much (or anything in fact) to persuade me to go back up again. However, I did have the chance to see a beaming Schmo come in for the landing. I expected a pale face, what I saw was exactly what I felt. Total elation!

We left shortly afterwards, dvd and t-shirts in arms, smiling from ear to ear. When can I go again????