Queenstown, New Zealand

  Queenstown, New Zealand
Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Arrival at Queenstown brought rain!!!! Hey ho! All a good excuse to enter phase 2 of shopping for S America, where I bought my best buy yet - a windbreaker jacket - it's been fantastic in keeping chills at bay! Wimp! Also got some great Salomon walking shoes - at last!


Maybe even more significant than this was the official booking of the SKYDIVE and jet-boating for the next day! Yippeeeeee! C had been getting progressively more anxious at the idea of flinging herself out of a plane, but did very well and with a little research (asking the company if it was safe!!) she signed her life away!

Another utterly pants cinema visit to see '300' - Spartan warriors, lots of blood, arrows, elephants and heroism! Pooh! At best - it was briefly distracting for C ... well, maybe not the death and splattering of body parts!



Arrival at the skydive centre for a video - having done one previously I was able to start getting excited, but this may have intensified the trauma for C! All C's rain dances and prayers for stormy weather and a cancellation were ignored as we drove to the drop zone! Ha Ha!


There we were introduced to the guys who were to be responsible for us falling 200km an hour through the air and who'd packed the parachutes! We put on our jumpsuits and received our stylish white hats and goggles! A brief rehearsal about the 'make like a banana' position and not being able to breathe so much during freefall and trying to smile at the cameraman or you'd look silly and needing another wee and ...... ah! It was our turn!! 3 of us and our crew went up in a cool looking plane - though the interior was cramped - intimately jamming us betwixt each other's legs in a 'Gap Band-like' routine! Suki, our 3rd person's cheeky grin changed to trauma as she jumped first!


Then it was the big C's turn!! She edged to the gaping door and before she had time to check her hair and see if her bum looked big in this, she was gooooooooooooooooone! I was last, but could see C falling speedily below! And out we went. Immediately out of the plane, it was easier to see the cameraman, but as seconds flew by literally, it became harder - such is the series of naff photos we both have of the freefall - the air gushes past so fast, you lose your breath if you alter head position too much! We tried!


The chute opening as I had remembered, brought a position near splits for me, before I could hang back and enjoy the floaty bit down to the ground - where I had a most sensible conversation with Kev, my tandom master, about the housing development we could see below and how Queenstown was expanding and going to be worse off for it! C was on the ground already and bubbling with thrill - QUOTE - "I want to do it again" UNQUOTE!




And this was only the first thrill of the day as we headed to Shotover River for our jet-boating ride through the canyon. The boats are designed to fly over only 10cm deep water and were so versatile that they zig-zagged along the bendy river and scooted past the rock faces, missing with frightening accuracy! It was sadly cold, but we had some squeals and giggles as we zoomed around the multiple 360 spins we did! Excellent fun. Distinctly wetter on the 'after' photos!