At 7.30am we were supposed to phone the skydive company again. Glenorchy was still on hold they said. I suggested Queenstown. Their sister company, Nzone. OK, meet there at 11.30am.
I think I was feeling more nervous than Joe. Once there, milling round with all these young people, I felt my mouth go dry. We watched a safety video and advice on choosing photo options. A GoPro on the tamdem skydive instructor, a separate camera flyer or the ultimate combo of both. Joe was persuaded to jump from 12,000ft instead of 9,000ft, as it is all over so quickly and the extra 3,000ft is only another $50.
The whole process takes a long time. You need to set aside a whole day. Well, two if you want to allow for bad weather. There is a lot of waiting in the centre in Queenstown, then a drive to the drop zone by minibus, then more waiting, then getting into all your gear in the hangar, waiting for your turn on the plane. Joe was unfazed. He didn't feel nervous, except once they were about to jump out. The video shows his face looking like it is made of Plasticine, pulled about by the force of the wind. It all happened so quickly that once he had come down to earth and was back with us he found it hard to describe or even remember his experience, and during the rest of the day he kept getting flashbacks. One thing he got to do that Henry and I didn't on our skydives was to control the parachute. From my point of view, I was glad when he was safely back on the ground and we could eventually head back to Queenstown for some epic pies from Mrs Ferg's Bakery. Next to Ferg's Gelato and Fergburger (the latter had a massive queue all day long).
It's Arrowtown Holiday Park tonight so we can get power and do laundry. We are jammed in like on a car park. Close your curtains and forget where you are.
