Sunday 20^th September 2020 | Yathmas Day

11:39, Spoon & Paddle Cafe, Taupo, New Zealand

It’s 11:39 on a glorious Sunday morning and I’m sat outside a café in Taupo, sipping a cappuccino. The song Easy by The Commodores is playing, with Lionel Richie’s voice as smooth as the honey on the French toast I’m waiting on. I feel like I’m living what Lionel is singing. 

Rewind an hour, and I was hurtling towards Earth, fast approaching terminal velocity, having jumped out of a plane attached to nothing but a man called Andy and a yet-to-be-deployed parachute. 

Funnily enough, the other chap jumping with us was also called Andy. Unlike the mountain range, these Andys were anything but an uphill struggle. They were great company as our little plane climbed to 15000ft – I almost forgot about last night’s steak churning around my stomach. I’d been feeling alright about the skydive, until this morning when the ridiculousness of voluntarily jumping out of a plane finally registered. While I paced around beforehand, my brother-in-law’s words of wisdom from his skydive experience had come back to me.

“Just get on the plane.” 

Now that I was actually in the plane, what should I do? There was barely any time to think, between getting strapped up, taking in the views outside the windows and mumbling something about this being my first skydive to the Andys. (There was of course, plenty of time for Andy to mention that the pilot was younger than I was). 

We were at the front of the plane and therefore the last ones to jump.  I watched as the others edged down the plane and quickly disappeared into the outside. Before I knew it, I was being gently nudged towards the open door. And. Then. We. Just. Fell. 

It was incredible. 

I can’t think of anything like it. The freedom of just…falling. I had to screw my eyes up against the wind and couldn’t even catch my breath to yell out the four letter words that sprang to mind. I remember the brilliant blue of the sky and the water below. I remember all my facial features being pulled up a few inches and I’m pretty sure I’m still waiting for my face to return to normal. But what a rush! 

The views were excellent! I was looking out over New Zealand’s biggest lake, Lake Taupo, with Tongariro National Park in the distance. Somewhere in that view was Mount Ngauruhoe which features as Mount Doom in The Lord of the Rings films and also in the great Maori legends of the Tongariro Mountains. 

Andy let me have a go at steering with the parachute once it was deployed and we enjoyed a chinwag as we floated gently down to Earth –  as if it was the most normal thing in the world.  Once we landed it was a series of adrenaline fuelled high fives with everyone else who had jumped and revelling in the buzz which I hope lasts a while.  

I had been wanting to skydive for as long as I could remember and I’m so glad that I finally got to do it. I’m sure the photos of my face falling to Earth will be less than flattering – but hey ho. This was a great way to start off my 27^th birthday.

Skydiving definitely works up an appetite – here at the Spoon & Paddle Café I can’t wait for my French toast to arrive. I haven’t fully decided how to spend rest of the day, but after this morning’s activities, I’ll probably do as Lionel would do and take it easy.