Taupo SkyDiving

I finally pulled myself away from Rotorua, ready, now, to venture onwards. I decided that I wanted to do something that's been on my mind for a long long time.

I've always been jealous of birds and the view they had of the world. That unique perspective. I wanted to fly like them, if only for a moment. Understand that world.

So I went to Taupo, the skydiving capital of New Zealand. Taupo sits around the largest lake in New Zealand and it's absolutely beautiful there. It's about a 2 hour bus ride south of Rotorua.

I paid top price in order to have all the perks necessary. I wanted the handicam video (which is a video that is attached to the wrist of your skydiving instructor), the DVD (filmed by a separate jumper), and pictures. Unfortunately, I was not able to upload the video because it didn't work and I know nothing about computers so you'll have to settle for pictures! ( but the video is so much cooler!)

I jumped 15,000 feet, which was about 60 seconds of free falling before the parachute opens.

I didn't feel like I was falling. I felt like I was flying really fast! It was awesome.

You know when you go on a rollercoaster and on the way down, your heart goes into your throat? Well, I didn't feel that at all. I was so excited and only had a split second feeling of anxiety before I was grinning like a fool.

My arms were pulled out that way, the pressure from the fall was so great that I could barely move them!As you can see, I couldn't stop smiling
I look like a duck here with the pressure of the wind pulling my skin back. Or maybe The Joker, from Batman...

Here I managed to put my hand out and hold the photographer's hand. It was hard work!
Yee-hah!It's number one man!
Awesome view of the lake as we're coasting/crashing downwards
Here the parachute is being opened after a minute of freefall.
You can see how we're being pulled upwards.
It pulls you pretty hard man!I couldn't control any of my body parts. But I didn't try either. I was just enjoying being a puppet and just letting things happen.

Here we are landing.

I kept grinning for another couple hours after reaching the ground, completely floored by the experience and understanding why people do this for a living. At first I thought they were adrenaline junkies. And yes, I guess to a certain extent you could say that, but there is a sense of freedom, of being part of the universe that is indescribable and so precious.

Some divers dive up to 20 times in one day and it never gets old. It's pure joy when you're up there.

I don't know if I'll ever have the money to do this again, but if I ever do get a chance, I'll definitely do it again. Don't be afraid, there are so many other things we do on a daily basis that are more dangerous. This is pure freedom.