After the rafting, we all got back on the bus and drove to Lake Taupo. Here we signed our waivers and disclaimers for the parachute jump we'd been talking about so much. This was class, the best activity I did all year, and the most scary. It's a tandem dive, which means there's an instructor strapped to your back who operates the parachute (this way you dont need any training and can just put on your jumpsuit and get on the plane). There were various heights to pick from (the higher the jump, the higher the price). We went from 12,000ft and opted for a DVD of the fall. The instructor has a mini-digital camcorder strapped to his wrist that records the whole thing (particularly your face as you fall out of the perfectly good plane). So I invite everyone I know to watch this DVD at my house & laugh at my fear as the plane climbed to 12,000ft. We were all pretty nervous on the way up (thats the worst part). I was surprised at myself, given the flying training I've done (purposely stalling the plane at 3,000ft to learn how to recover etc.). But yes, I was as nervous as hell. There's a difference between flying a plane & jumping out of one, I guess.

But as soon you jump out, it's class. You have 2 seconds of "oh.... f***********ck!", but then its brilliant. It was a 45 second free-fall, down to 4,000 feet, then 5 minutes to cruise down after the parachute opens. Needless to say, the view was amazing. You fall over the lake, surrounded by the mountains, then cruise inland with the parachute. (Part of the gear that gets strapped onto you involves a chunky belt thing... I asked what it was... 'A life-jacket, in case we land in the water'... gulp!).

So, anyway, it was class... I recommend it to everyone. When you get back to the hanger, you get a beer (or two), then they drive you back to your hostel by limo (that's right).