New Zealand: Tongariro Crossing and a Skydive

‘It is the greatest shot of adrenaline to be doing you have wanted to do so badly. You almost feel like you could fly without the plane.’ – Charles Lindbergh.

‘You should do a skydive this weekend…’

The thought had crossed my mind. It was one of the top ten things I wanted to do in New Zealand while I lived there and I had earmarked Taupo as the destination for a potential skydive. But I hadn’t really considered that my fantasy could become reality during our trip to Tongariro over Waitangi weekend. I wasn’t even prepared!

However, the thought stuck. As we drove north, I found myself wondering what I needed to prepare for anyway? All I would be doing was falling out of a plane. The instructor would do everything else. I just needed the money to pay and the nerve to do it.

Well. I had money saved. And apparently, I had the nerve. I hobbled across the courtyard of our accommodation post-Tongariro Crossing to make the call and book myself in to jump out of a plane at 12,000ft the following day. And I didn’t even have butterflies when I put the phone down. But, let’s back up.

The Tongariro Crossing

The Tongariro Crossing is billed as one of New Zealand’s ‘One Day Great Walks’. It’s a nearly 20km hike across a rocky, volcanic landscape, with epic views across the North Island from the top of the ascent. I would be hiking it over Waitangi weekend.

As a lover of all things geological, this was my paradise. I was in my element, enthusing about the geothermal activity and the Emerald Lakes. But the hike is also tough. I has incorrectly assumed that it would be okay. Not a walk in the park, sure, but nothing too strenuous. How wrong I was! It is a tough climb to the plateau, with two main uphill sections labelled ‘hard’ and ‘difficult’. We questioned the difference…

It turned out that the difference was this: ‘hard’ was very steep, but lots of steps with lots of rest stops. It was tiring, but not a complex climb. ‘Difficult’, on the other hand, was shorter and sharper. It also involved negotiating a slippery gravel ridge, with a chain to hold onto so you don’t slip and fall. For someone who doesn’t have a head for heights, I found this tough, but I inched along and made it across.

The Emerald Lakes

Having completed ‘hard’ and ‘difficult’, we stopped to have a snack and catch our breath. The Emerald Lakes lay below us. There was lots of steam, which lent to the atmosphere of the hike. And best of all, there were no more major uphills!

It became apparent that there was a, however, major downhill. A path so steep it seemed practically vertical, all loose scree and gravel, ideal for slipping, falling and hurting yourself. I inched down, hating every moment of the descent.

Luckily, the reward at the bottom made it all worth it. Lunch beside the Emerald Lakes themselves, which were beautiful. We stayed about an hour or so before moving on. One more brief uphill and we were on the descent. Two or so solid hours of downhill walking, which was hard on the knees and tired feet.

The main attraction on this side of Tongariro was the volcanic activity. Huge jets of steam erupted from the side of the mountain to our right as we walked off the mountain. Finally, we plunged into the forest and walked the last few kilometres to the end of the hike. A quick bus back to our accommodation and a soak in the hot tub to complete the day.

Before I knew it, it was the next day. And that brings me neatly back to that skydive…

Jumping Out of a Plane at 12,000ft

I wasn’t nervous when I woke up, or when we drove to Taupo. I was probably on autopilot as I chose the music I wanted for my video and donned the really unattractive skydiving garb. Sexy blue jumpsuit, a harness, pleather helmet and plastic goggles. I posed for photos and did my video interview.

One by one we boarded the plane and taxied to the runway for take off. I obliged my instructor by sitting on his lap and letting him strap us together for the jump. Under normal circumstances, I might have enjoyed this part, but on this occasion, it just felt a bit awkward. 

I was second to jump. As we edged to the open doorway, with the wind whistling in, the nerves struck. But it was too late by then. There was no going back. All of a sudden, we weren’t in the plane anymore and my mind and body didn’t have a clue what was going on. It was a blurry, mad rushing world of wind and noise and emptiness and speed.

It was ten seconds before I opened my eyes. We stopped tumbling over and over and fell straight. I began to enjoy myself. I screamed and did all the crappy hearts and thumbs up for the video camera. That video makes me so happy when I look back on it now. It’s hilarious. You can see the exact moment I begin to enjoy the skydive and it makes me laugh. I look like such an idiot!

Slow Descent

With a wrench, the parachute opened. We were now floating back to earth, admiring the views, on a high from the incredible adrenaline rush. I was unable to comprehend everything that had just happened. It is a cliche, but I’d never felt so alive. I never wanted it to end.

But end it did. Minutes later, we landed with a gentle bump. We were back on solid earth, safe and sound. Out of relief, I hugged my instructor. it was all over in the blink of an eye.

I was thrilled that I’d had the guts to complete the dive and stayed on a high for days.

A Fantastic Weekend

Waitangi weekend was wonderful. We enjoyed perfect weather, hiked one of the most beautiful walks I’ve ever completed and I jumped out of a plane, letting go of all my fear. I never meant for the Tongariro Crossing to be overshadowed, but this weekend will forever go down as the time when I conquered a fear and skydived.

I will remember the tough slog across the volcano and the excellent company. There was that moment when we realised we had no cutlery or crockery and had to improvise with Tupperware and McDonald’s takeaway cups for our wine. But yes, mostly I’ll remember that skydive, the rush, the amazing, terrifying jump and those stunning views across Lake Taupo and Tongariro, which we had conquered just the day before.

NB: This post was edited on the 29th January 2019. You can read more from my time in New Zealand here.