We didn't get to skydive last week...

So first the bad news (well not really that bad):

After our last update we were just waiting for the all clear to head to the airport in Lake Taupo and do our skydive, the only problem was when we called they told us it was too cloudy. Not wanting to waste a day hanging around (as it didn't look like it was going to clear) we decided to move on, so no skydiving :(

A couple of days later we were in the art deco town of Napier, so we consoled ourselves with a fun bicycle wine tour and sampled not only some of New Zealand's finest wines, but also some fantastic cider. We slept pretty well that night!

Our travels took us down through the capital Wellington, where we spent 3 days checking out the sights before catching the ferry to the South island. This morning we found ourselves approaching Abel Tasman National Park, the sun was shining, and there is a local skydive operation. So we called them and booked in for 1.00. Having arrived and had a little chat and decided what we wanted to do we were just about to suit up when we were told the wind had picked up and we would have to wait until 3.00 to see if it dies down again. AAAAGGH! Are we ever going to get to jump out of a plane??!

So we hung around town and called back just before 3.00, they told us to come back, when we arrived we were straight into our our jump suits and before we knew it in the tiny little plane and climbing! I was feeling really excited and Fran didn't look at all nervous! We got an awesome view over Abel Tasman's coastline and the day was just perfect for it. So strapped on to our instructor I was the first to go, man what a feeling! Plummeting towards the earth at over 200km/h from 13,000 feet, the wind just taking away your breath and the world spiralling towards you. 50 seconds later and the parachute is open (which is a good feeling!) and you drift back to earth taking in the awesome view, it feels like you are a bird. Fran and I both had huge grins on our face afterwards (we still do now!), she says she thought it was a fantastic thing to experience together, and her heart missed a beat when she saw me tumbling out of the plane, she felt more nervous seeing that than when she had to jump! Overall a fantastic day that we will never forget, I would recommend to anyone to shell out some of your hard earned cash to throw yourselves from a plane!