Here's my journal entry on the topic and overall on the North Island Tour I took in New Zealand which allowed me this awesome opportunity:
Days 67-81~North Island Tour 09/20/03-10/04/03
"On the weekend before I left town I stayed at Kelly's house in Dunedin and finally met Abby (my host-sister). We all had a great time walking up to Dunedin's park, going swimming at the pool, and in general having an awesome time. I left early Monday morning for the airport and caught 2 planes to Wellington. I made it there by around 11:45 and then got to the train station around 12:30. The trip was interesting to say the least, and I must say I had a good time finding the luggage lockers. The city was GREAT. I loved the streets, the people, the atmosphere, and just took my time taking it all in. Eventually I got some Indian food for lunch and decided to chop off my hair. :-) I like the new cut. I met up with the 26 person crew that evening.
I'm not going to write much about the tour, because I don't even know how to describe it. But, in short, it was like a dream world. I thought nothing about the States, nothing about Tapanui, and nothing about my normal life in general. All that mattered for that two weeks was what was happening "right now." I've never felt so free, so confident, so alive... and yet somehow dead (a topic for another day), in my entire life. Over the time I did Blackwater Rafting, learned to dance the Chacha, spent the night in a Maori Marae, took on a warrior challenge, swam in a frozen river, dressed a drag queen, played pool in a sports bar, got taken home by the police (voluntarily- we needed a ride and it was late!), took an elevator up Sky Tower, visited the tip of the North Island, boogie boarded some super steep sand dunes, swam in some Polynesian Pools, did a reverse bungy (Sky Screamer), made a Phoi, Sky Dived, and slept so little I went a bit crazy by the end of the tour. Life was amazing."
My Sky Diving experience actually took place on October 2, 2003 (date of this post) at an ungodly hour of the morning. I completed this challenge with Tandem Master Freddy over Taupo, New Zealand. My fall was from a height of 12,000 feet and lasted about 40 seconds before the shoot was pulled. I even have a certificate to prove it! Not that certificates really prove anything anyhow. More importantly, I have a video of the entire fall! Ok, so that's in ATSC formatting back when we all had VHS, but hey- I'll get it converted some day. Either way- see picture and you'll know I did it.
Some thoughts, even years later, about Sky Diving: YOU MUST DO IT!!!! There are very few extremely scary things that I've done that I would totally do again, and Sky Diving is at the top of the list. For first timers, I highly suggest a tandem dive (I'm not even sure you can do it by yourself to be honest). While the fall is horrifying at first, I thought for a little while that I couldn't breath because the air was passing me by too quickly, you fall for so long that your brain starts to pop endorphins. By the time you are floating slowly down to earth you are just enjoying the ride. Once you hit ground zero you are so happy you just want to get back in the plane and do it all over right away.
This goal may be off my to do list, but it is most definitely a goal I will visit again in the future.
