We set off at 10:00 and made our way to Taupo where we only
had one thing on our itinerary. We pulled up outside the i-site at about 11:00
and approached one of the members of staff simply wanting to enquire about said
thing…
… 20 minutes later we were signing the waiver forms, then
donning our overalls and harnesses…
… Then we met our partners and camera-men who escorted us to
the small, pink plane…
… Pep talks were given and words of re-assurance uttered as
we climbed higher and higher; both of us exchanging nervous, “What the heck are
we doing”, looks every so often…
… 15,000ft and the shutter door was lifted as our oxygen
masks were removed. Corrie’s camera-man climbed out and hung on to the side of
the plane to film her…
… Seconds later Danny witnessed a man who was attached to
Corrie push her out of the plane and then the two went tumbling towards the
earth!
Danny was next and his camera-man also clung to the side of
the plane whilst Danny’s partner shuffled him closer to the open door before
launching the two of them out.
What an adrenaline rush. The both of us were free-falling
for 10,000ft at over 200kph; such an incredible thrill and tonnes of fun. We
had the wind rippling our cheeks and you could feel the chill of the altitude
on your hands and face. Corrie managed to keep her screams going for the
entirety of the free-fall (unlucky for her jump partner!) The views from here
were unparalleled and after 60 seconds of freefalling madness we both felt the
satisfying jolt of the parachute opening successfully. The next part of the
ride was a very scenic float down to the ground, with more great weather
offering the best views of the land.
We were both buzzing and high from the rush of what we’d
just done… and survived! It was amazing and an unforgettable experience. We
both agreed that doing this was actually less scary and nerve-racking than
doing the Nevis Swing back at Queenstown – mainly because you have the
resistance of the air as you’re falling.
We sat and watched everyone’s videos before going to collect:
them, our photos, and our t-shirts from the main desk and then we drove back to
town for lunch.
Lunch was just as incredible as we ate at Burger-Fuel, a
place comparable to Fergburger – Danny has now allowed Fergburger and
Burger-Fuel the joint top spot of his all-time best burger places!
After munching our way through such a wondrous lunch we made
our way to Huka Falls and stopped here briefly to take in the power of the
water crashing into the river.
Then it was on to the Craters of the Moon where we paid a
small fee to walk around the geothermal area; taking in the bubbling tiny mud
pools, the craters and the vents of steam spattering the landscape. We spent
about an hour here before leaving.
We stopped at Countdown for food stuff then made the short
drive towards Rotorua and turned off to a campsite at Waikite Valley where
there are also some on-site thermal pools free to use. We settled in and made
our tea before opting to spend 40 minutes in one of their private hot pools
which was bliss. This was also just what our muscles had being longing for!
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