Kiwi Exp. - Lk. Mahinapua to Franz Josef

The scenery was postcard perfect with a tricolour of clear blue sky, lush green landscape before a crystal white horizon of mountains. The blue of the sky was complemented by the deeper shade of Lake Mahinpua, which lapped its shores in the chilly morning breeze.

The beautiful scenery continued as we drove to Franz Josef, frost twinkled on fern in the shadows whilst in the sunlight rivers dashed over pebbled beds. Reds and ambers hung from trees as all the while the mountains of the Southern Alps loomed in the distance.

Once at Franz Josef we immediately set off to undertake a 16,500 ft skydive over the mountains and Franz Josef and Fox glaciers. This wasn't something we had planned to do prior to arriving in New Zealand, hence the lack of announcement beforehand. However the opportunity to do such an incredible thing in such a unique location was too great an opportunity to miss.

Our South African instructors/tandem divers, Mark, Francois and Nico were fantastic hosts, joking whilst making us feel safe. Nervous excitement tingled through our bodies as we dressed into our gear and received our safety briefing. Under the afternoon sun we strolled out across the short runway to squeeze into a single prop aeroplane that then rumbled off the tarmac to start the ascent. Sitting on the floor of the plane with our respective tandem diver behind us, we watched the ground drop away from the small windows. At the tail end of the plane by the exit door, it was only wide enough for one person to sit with the plane's body curving closely around. Out of one side we watched snow topped mountains and glaciers, and on the other, rainforest and the Tasman sea glinting in the unobstructed sun.

Our breath steamed as the air cooled and at 10,000 ft we were give oxygen masks to help us breathe at altitude. After final safety checks and a tightening of straps to our tandem divers we arrived at 16,500 ft when the exit door was swung open. We turned to position ourselves in the doorway where our legs dangled out to be whipped by the air as noise and light filled our senses. With the world under our feet the last words we heard were 'Ready. Set. Go!' before tumbling out into a 11,500 ft free fall to the earth below. The aeroplane flashed past our vision and the sun briefly blinded us as we twisted and sped away. Air rushed through us as our hearts galloped and our minds struggled to keep pace. Yelling but unable to hear ourselves we levelled out into a bird-like spread to gaze across the panorama all around and below. The force of our fall rippled the skin around our faces as we took in the visual spectacle, all the while hurtling downward.

At 5000 ft our parachutes opened and our bodies lurched to a slower descent. We were then able to hear ourselves breathe and whoop with adrenaline. Fields and farmhouses circled under our toes whilst rainforest, lakes and the sea spread out to the horizon. Truly exhilarating and unforgettable it was smiles and laughter all round as we calmly landed back down on steady earth.

We arranged for our skydives to be videoed and photographed by Go Pros strapped to our tandem divers. Unfortunately the camera used for Kim's skydive did not work correctly meaning that she did not have a working video of her experience. Francois advised that he would contact her tomorrow after he tried to rectify it but for now we were living off the adrenaline and memory of what we had just done.Read more