Freefalling at Mt. Doom
I just sat down at this computer with a pile of papers in front of me thinking that one of them would be my itinerary from this week. Unfortunately, that paper is MIA and this trip has been so jam-packed with stuff that I'm afraid I'll forget to include some of the awesome things I've seen or done during my short stay in New Zealand.
I think I left off my last entry in Rotorua, where I was a Maori chief and got to taste some of New Zealand's world-famous roast lamb for dinner. While several of the English members of my team complained the dinner wasn't "Maori enough," I loved it. Sometimes when you travel you just have to grin and bear things and I would definitely recommend Rotorua to anyone planning to travel here. The Maoris are an integral part of New Zealand's history and it's important to at least acquaint yourself with the nation's history if you're going to get the best possible appreciation for everything Kiwi country has to offer.
From Rotorua, I headed north to Taupo (I think). I'm actually in Taupo again today as I joined a different bus headed back to Auckland this morning in Wellington. Now, Taupo. Um, sorry, I just need to take a deep breath as I recount what I did in Taupo since, in the words of my driver, it was EXTREME! Ok, I'll get to the point for those of you who are dying to know what was so intense about my stop here the other day. I'll give you a hint: it involved a plane and a parachute. Stumped? Ok, I'll give you one more hint: I had never been so terrified to get on a plane in my life. (I think you catch my drift at this point...)
It occurred to me that I could actually skydive a couple of weeks ago when I caught a friend of mine's DVD of her Cairns jump back in Sydney. Of course, everyone's nervous when they jump but the heaps of people I'd spoken to who took the plunge convinced me the thrill and the personal satisfaction far outweighed any risk involved in the dive. I was also inspired by Stacey's jump, thinking that this was something I could absolutely not leave New Zealand without doing. I didn't tell my parents until after the fact although I did tell my brother and a few friends at home that I was thinking about it. After a little research, I learned that Taupo was the absolute best and least expensive spot to jump on the North Island (and possibly in the entire country.) Even though I made the appointment to jump the day before, I wasn't sure if I would go through with it more or less until I arrived at the dive center. (I also said the same thing about buying the DVD, photo, and t-shirt package but a very persuasive American working at the counter convinced me I wouldn't regret it.)
There are a million details I wish I had the time and the eloquence to relate in this entry. I wish I could just upload my entire jump DVD and share it with all the people who might not believe I actually went through with it. Jumping out of a plane at 12,000 feet is not something I will probably do again. Even though I think I could do it, there are far too many adventures and more intense thrills I think I can make happen for myself. The particular spot I jumped at, also, was special since it was over Lake Taupo, the largest lake in New Zealand. I also had an excellent view of Mt. Doom (again, ask a LOTR fan) and a flawlessly blue New Zealand horizon. There were a few other things that made my jump special, as well. First of all, I think my tandem practically invented the art and the science of skydiving. Now, I don't mean any disrespect but while the other jumpers had stereotypical longhaired surfer-type guys to jump with, my guy was old. He wasn't old old, but you have to figure that anyone with twenty-five years of experience in skydiving is the person you want behind you pulling that chute cord at 4,000 feet. Second, and I don't know how this happened, but my tandem, videographer and I were the first ones out of the plane. This worked out well since I wanted to be first and the fear of being sucked out of a moving plane might have been a bit worse if I had to watch someone else go before me.
I had gotten enough advice from previous jumpers and jump-hopefuls before I went that I more or less knew was I was getting myself into. The initial shock of the fall was, and I'm being completely honest here, was the only scary part of the fall itself. This lasted about three seconds, just until my tandem opened a small chute that we ride down for about 8,000 feet. I could not believe what I was witnessing or experiencing. Feeling the wetness of the clouds against my face and my cheeks ripple from what seemed to be an endless blast of cold, dry air was absolutely exhilarating. As quickly as it all happened, I never felt so free in my entire life. Every fantasy I ever had as a kid of being able to fly, every dream of being to soar over entire countries in minutes... they all came true on Wednesday. I have no problem admitting that I pretended to be Superman from the scene in the last movie where he ripped through airplane wings and safely carried everyone down onto the baseball field. People warned me also that I would be in such a state of shock after that I probably wouldn't remember the whole thing but, you know what, I couldn't possibly the forget the thrill of that freefall.
The tandem opened our larger chute at 4,000 feet and we drifted gracefully toward the ground at Taupo Airport. I was in such a state of disbelief when that pack came off my legs gave way and I fell on top of the dirt. As someone who has always, always, always erred on the side of caution, skydiving was something I needed to do. I personally don't see a problem with being scared as long as you take some efforts to conquer that fear. There are, of course, plenty of perfectly legitimate threats out there but I believe that by letting fear and worry dictate your life, you are preventing yourself from some of the best things life has to offer. I think it's fairly obvious at this point that I see this semester abroad as an excellent opportunity to work towards becoming a better version of myself. Whether it's by skydiving in New Zealand or riding elephants in Thailand or anything else, there are a million ways to test your limits and find out exactly what you're capable of doing. The hardest part is taking the plunge.
P.S. I promise pictures are coming ASAP...
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