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Published: October 7th 2009
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Auckland, Sept 1 - Sept 4
Bay of Islands, Sept 5 - Sept 13 Jumping out of a plane at 12,000ft is probably one of the most terrifying things we have ever done. Actually it
is the most terrifying thing we have ever done. You may be wondering how Simon, who is afraid of heights, managed to do this extraordinary feat. The fact is he didn't really have a choice. Within 15 minutes of inquiring about the possibility of maybe doing a skydive in Paihia we were en route to the airfield where we were met by the tiniest plane you have ever seen. After a short instruction which we promptly forgot we, along with our instructors and two cameramen, were in the air.
The plane had no seats so we were all tangled together in the back as we soared up above the bay. The view was spectacular but it was the fact that we would soon be plummeting to earth that was at the forefront of our minds. I know that for me I was in a kind of surreal state where I couldn't quite actually comprehend that in moments I would be stepping out of the
plane. It all just seemed so wrong. At one stage one of the camera guys told us we were at 6,000ft which seemed pretty high. It felt like we'd been in the plane forever when we finally got to altitude and my instructor hooked me to his harness and the door was opened. I was first to jump and the wind took my breath away as the door was opened. We dangled over the edge for a few moments while he teasingly lent us over the edge and then we were off. Freefalling through the air at 200kph is quite simply unbelievable. Every single part of you is screaming that this is so wrong yet it feels so good. The noise is incredible as the wind rushes around you. I couldn't breathe at one stage and it was really cold up there - my nose went numb. The freefall lasted for 30secs at the most yet felt like forever. The view was amazing and once the parachute was pulled we hung suspended in the air and the most silent peace descended on us. Such a contrast to the rush of freefalling. It is so peaceful just floating through the air
with your legs suspended below. After we landed we were both on such a high we would've gladly gone up and done it again. It was truly the best experience ever and I still get goosebumps just thinking about it now. Now everything else we write about will seem quite boring in comparison to jumping out of a plane but bear with us.
When we arrived in New Zealand we stayed at the YHA in Auckland which is a really good hostel with lots of space and excellent kitchen facilities. It was good to chill out in the lounge room, which we had to ourselves for most of the time. We didn't get up to much in Auckland but we did take a day trip out to Waiheke island which is a short ferry ride from the city. Waiheke is really picturesque and very peaceful and we did a coastal walk which gave us views of Auckland across the islands.
We left Auckland on the Naked Bus (we wore clothes) which is a really cheap way of travelling round the country. It's a bit like Ryanair where the fares are cheaper the further in advance you book. We
got a bus to Paihia which is in the Bay of Islands and stayed there for 8 days. Luckily for us the weather was perfect for the first 4 days which is when we had arranged trips and the skydive and then rained for the last 4 days so we just hung out at the hostel watching videos. Yes actual videos - not DVDs.
Aside from the skydive we did a dolphin watching boat trip. We would have been able to swim with the dolphins but there were babies in the pod so we weren't allowed. It was amazing (as always) watching them follow the boat. The boat trip also took us to the hole in the rock which is as it says on the tin - a hole in a rock. Usually the boats go through the hole but on our trip the waves were so big through the hole that we would've been bashed to death. We stopped at an island for a trek up a hill from where we could see just some of the 144 islands that make up the Bay of Islands. It really is a beautiful spot and I would love to return
in summer when it's warm enough to swim in the sea - apparently the dolphins come quite close to shore and the kids can swim with them off the beach.
The water beckoned us again for an early morning fishing trip which Simon was very excited about as he was hoping to catch his first ever fish after unsuccessful attempts in Africa. He was triumphant as he caught not one but six fish. It was a lot of fun and luckily the two crewmen took care of baiting the hooks and getting the fish off which meant we didn't have to get our hands dirty. Although we did need to wash our clothes because the fish we caught thrashed about in the bucket (even though they had been stabbed in the head with a knife) splashing bloody water all over us. One of the other guys on our boat caught a monster 10lb snapper - it needed a net to land it because it was so heavy. Me and Simon caught gurnard (a bottom dwelling fish with wings like a butterfly), terahaki and snapper but nothing near as big as 10lb. Quite a relief really because my wrists were
sore pulling up the fish we did catch. We had to let the line go to the bottom and it was 53m deep so it took ages reeling the fish in. On the way back to harbour one of the crew filleted and skinned the fish and we were given a big bag full to take with us. We bought some batter and did home made fish and chips which was really tasty.
Our next trip was a coach tour up to Cape Reinga which is the northernmost tip of the north island. We got to drive along 90 mile beach which was a bit odd - there are no road markings on a beach and we had to dodge fisherman's lines that were hanging out from their 4x4s and leading all the way to the sea. We walked out to the lighthouse at the end of the cape and watched the Tasman Sea collide with the Pacific Ocean. It was really windy though so we were glad we had the heated coach to retreat too. Then it was time for sandboarding on the dunes. Now I can think of nothing worse than rolling through sand so stood and
watched as the other guys, including Simon, climbed up a steep sandbank and then rushed down on boogie boards. Madness.
Paihia was a lot of fun but very quiet. We arrived at 8pm on a Saturday and nobody was about. I'm sure it's a different place in the summer though - maybe we will find out one day.
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dawn adams
non-member comment
OK Leanne where are t pics of u jumping out t plane?!!! : )