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WOW! WHAT A DAY!!!
Cacking my pants this morning when my alarm went off at 6am to get up and ready for skydiving. Decided to wear two pairs of pants wedged with toilet roll as a few of yesterday's bungee jumpers
said they pee'd a little. Hmmm. Managed a few flakes of cornflakes and a slice of toast and decided to drink minimally.
After 3 wee's at the hotel and another two at the site, I was kitted out and feeling a little better after watching the videos and having the talk through. Strangely, felt even better when in the
plane. Had decided to upgrade from 9000ft to 12000ft after a great sales pitch. This meant 45 seconds of free-fall and over 6500ft. As the highest peak around Queenstown is 6000ft, my tandem man said
we were starting at double the height of that peak and that he would pull the parachute when we were about level with the mountain. I was hoping he was using more precise equipment to know when to
pull it.
At 12000ft, crammed into this tiny plane that was just a space (no seatbelts or chairs, just a floor and rails), Julie the Crazy-Twin-Aussie went first but I couldn't see her go as my photographer
was in the way (yes, I elected to have my own video and camera man that cost me almost as much as the jump!). As Cliona-The-Token-Irish got ready I was thankful I wouldn't see her go, until photo-man
moved at the last second and I saw her vanish in a heartbeat. SHHHIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTT!!!
We were then moving to the door. Well tandem-guy was and I had no choice as I was attached (multipley). As I hung my legs over the door and tried to ignore my camera guy hanging on OUTSIDE the
plane for dear life just to get my 'release' shot, I looked to the sky as instructed and thought of a word being with F very loudly in my head. And then the push...
As we left the plane and went into a spin, I closed my eyes and gasped the biggest gasp ever, but quickly remembered they had advised to keep them open to stop disorientation. Good advice as I
think I might have felt sick, but for a few seconds I was still disorientated as we spun god-knows-where and I saw weird upside-down mountains and the like. On realising we were the right way round
and freefalling, I felt the most AMAZING rush EVER. It was absolutely undescribable. Knowing I was freefalling, attached to some guy I didn't know and had put my trust in, 12000ft (less by now) above
New Zealand. As it is sunny and 21 degrees today (27 tomorrow), the view was awesome. After a few poses for the camera and a bit of smiling (wow, G-force makes it hard to close your mouth after!), I
tried to ignore the neighbouring freefalling camera guy and enjoy it, which I did LOADS. Then, before I knew it, it all went quiet and I was being pulled upright and a few seconds later, tandem guy
was telling me that we had a good parachute that was open and he did some checks, we had a chat and then he started twisted and turning down. Now, funnily enough, the pics show my gob open at
freefall, but I know nothing except 'this is Effing amazing' came out, but at parachute twists I screamed like a little girl. I think it was something to do with the ground being more real and a lot
closer.
So I landed, I'm alive, and a lot poorer, but very happy and buzzy and the proud owner of some crazy pics and a dvd of my flight (haven't seen it yet, gonna watch later with Chris).
I'm alive mum, and it was fab!!!
This afternoon I went on the Shotover river jet boat (360 turns etc) which was understandably tame compared to the morning's activity, so I wasn't too excited. The only excitement really being
when the jetboat blew one of it's V8 engines on a 360 and we had to get rescued. Sounds exciting, but it was basically a climb onto a flat rock and jump into another jetboat.
Have done a little shopping as Chris is on his Mad dog body rafting thing. The jetboat man told us the water today is 4 degrees in the river, so I'm expecting a very exhausted boyfrined! Shame
we're off to the ice bar tonight to get cold again! (A bar where EVERYTHING - glasses and bar etc - is made of ice).
And if you're wondering... I didn't pee a drop :)
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