30DEC2019 – DAY 17: THE ADRENALINE RUSH

I woke up feeling quite refreshed in my solo room after the exhaustion from the day before. The bus was full with the new group’s replenished numbers that I missed meeting the day before. As we left Auckland heading for Paihia, I quickly made friends with some of the new members. We made a brief 10 minute stop at Parry Kauri Park to check out some 800 year old kauri trees including The McKinney Kauri. While the rest of the group made the 2 minute walk to the lookout platform, I booked it down the 15 minute loop trail in 7 minutes to get a more immersive experience among the towering forest. Back on the bus, we finished our drive out to Paihia on the coast of the Bay Of Islands. I grabbed lunch from the first burger place I found. What a mistake that was…! After 20 minutes, I got my burger …with cheese (among all of the other veggies I didn’t ask for). After not having lunch, I hopped back on the bus for our brief ride over to the NZ Treaty Grounds. We were all given earpieces and recording devices to listen to the guide as we made out way around the treaty site. Learning about the history of how New Zealand was founded and checking out the treaty museum and gardens was mildly entertaining but I was really intrigued by the Ngatokimatawharorua: the world’s largest ceremonial war canoe! After that, we took our shoes off in order to enter the Treaty House which had several large carved statues all around it. The bus took us back to the hotel and around 3:30pm, the most fearless among us set out in a van to the take on the single most memorable activity of my time in New Zealand: skydiving. Most of the group had already been skydiving before, but this was my first go at it and oddly enough I was the most calm about the craziness that was about to come. When we got to the site, we were given the jump options of 9k, 12k, 16.5k or a whopping 20k feet! Naturally, I chose the 20k foot jump without hesitation! After getting weighed, watching a safety video, and signing a few waivers, we geared up as the aircraft was prepped. Upon boarding the plane, we were given an oxygen mask for the ride up. Soon enough, the plane took off and I recall feeling a mix of emotions passing through me as we made our way up. Starting off confident, a little giddiness kicked in, and then came the anxiety followed by a moment of worry which soon turned into bliss as the view out the window showed the cloud-line clear as day! A few minutes longer and we were at altitude. The instructor who was strapped to my back unhooked us from the plane, shuffled us to the edge, and the next thing I knew we were falling…! Staring down at the clouds as my face began to ripple (yes, this does happen), I had no thoughts in my head. It was the purest form of excitement I had ever experienced. Just a few moments later we broke the cloud-line and the Earth below came into view. The straight-down sight from above was breathtaking (both figuratively and literally). As we kept falling, I oohed and aahed and made many other awkward faces I really wish weren’t captured on camera… And then, without much more than a couple seconds of warning, the instructor pulled the cord for the parachute. If ever there was a moment throughout all of this that I was going to shit myself, this was it! When the parachute deployed, we were jerked upwards so hard, it felt like my pelvis was yanked clear out of my hips. Fortunately, the phenomenal views of the Bay Of Islands made me immediately forget abut the groin pain. During the “float” to the ground, the instructor gave me control of the parachute and helped me guide us to the landing zone. Once safe and sound back on the ground, a few decompression techniques fully cleared out my left ear, but my right ear remained “full”. The entire exciting experience lasted mere moments, but is a story I will carry with me for the rest of my life! 20,000 feet, 85 seconds of freefall, 120mph (terminal velocity), and 1 wholly satisfied customer! 10/10 would totally go again! Meeting up with the rest of the skydiving crew, a whole lot of high fives were given this day. We removed our gear and hopped back on the van back to town where the rest of the tour group was already gorging themselves on dinner. While everyone else jumped right in and began scarfing down food, I was so beyond belief with what I had just done that I couldn’t eat a single bite. I ended up going back to my room but couldn’t sit still. After 3 hours, I was still pumping with adrenaline! As most stores were closing the for the night, I grabbed some ice cream from a small shop along the main street and ate it on my way over to the bar where everyone was hanging out for the night. I got 3 cocktails and danced my ass off while hopped up on adrenaline (and now sugar…)! When the bar closed, we all walked back to the hotel and I somehow miraculously managed to fall alseep.