Wharewaka

Next stop: Lake Taupo, for some skydiving from 15,000 feet. We were fed oxygen after climbing through 8,000 feet as the air here is piercingly thin. We lucked out with weather but the air was very cold at higher altitudes. It was my second jump so I kind of knew what to expect; Beth on the other hand had never jumped before but remained quite stoic throughout. I think I was more nervous that her actually. The plane ride up was pretty straight forward... but as soon as they opened the door at altitude, gusty wind perforated the small tin turboprop where about 20 of us sat, all facing the rear of the aircraft. I was second to last out the door, and Beth was last. I gave her one last high five and thumbs up, and out I went with my tandem pro master. I let out a magnificent war cry and the first 5 seconds were absolute bliss... for me, I released all attachments in this life including my body and was just a form of awareness experiencing the magnificent pull of gravity to the fullest, becoming one with the atmosphere and bonding with the earth. Then as my war cry ran out of gas, I realized that the air was frighteningly cold and was deeply interrogating my lungs and sinuses. The lack of atmosphere here made breathing a little rough for a time as back home it's quite easy to breathe while free falling. About 60 seconds of free falling flashed over in what seemed like 10 seconds, and before I knew it, the chute was open. Landed softly and even had the chance to wave mid-air to Beth on the way down. Beautiful day and such a beautiful country. Next stop: some shitty hostel before our next big adventure.Read more