Skydiving
Skydiving is one of the most popular activities in New Zealand for tourists and locals, to change the point of view and take in all those beautiful sceneries. If you have done it, you know how thrilling and worthy it is. If you haven’t yet, you may be excited about the idea of skydiving itself, as well as a little bit scared and unsure, because you have heaps of questions. And that is totally normal and actually needed, to ensure you will have a great experience.
A few things to consider before the skydiving experience, is not only the location and the company, to make sure you will be in safe hands and see the best views, but also check the forecast for your skydiving day. It’s all right if it is going to be a bit cloudy, but be aware that if it’s really cloudy (not even mentioning rain, strong winds, and other factors), your skydiving jump may be, delayed, cancelled, or postponed. Make sure you choose a company that has a friendly cancellation policy!
Another thing you will have to make a decision on is the height of the jump. You may want to go all in and choose the highest jump, which often is 15,000 to 18,500 feet high, but if you are doing it for the first time, it’s totally worth it to do also the 9,000 feet jump. Yes, the free fall will be shorter (around 30 seconds), but for the first time, your breath will be taken away anyway, because you will be falling at an incredible speed. And taking off with the plane and going higher and higher and seeing all the landscape below will be an experience in itself.
Skydiving in Taupo
There are some great spots for skydiving experience in New Zealand: Queenstown, Wanaka, Bay of Plenty, Bay of Islands and then there is this drop zone, that supposedly is the largest commercial drop zone in the world with fantastic views of the North Islands and its volcanoes, forests, and a stunning lake. If you want that, you have to skydive in Taupo.
When skydiving in Taupo, you can choose to do the 9,000 feet (2743m), 12,000 feet (3657m) or 15,000 feet (4572m) jump. Or for more extreme adrenaline seekers 18,500 feet (5638 metres) jump. Fun fact, since Lake Taupo is already elevated, the 18,500 feet jump actually means you would be skydiving 20,000 feet (6096m) above sea level. May seem a little bit insane, but there are people who are doing it, and they love and, well, why not if it is New Zealand’s highest possible skydiving altitude?
But from any of the heights, when skydiving in Taupo, you will be able to see incredible views of New Zealand’s largest lake – Lake Taupo, ‘Mt Doom’, and the whole North Island. Check out Taupō Tandem Skydive for pricing and available dates. They operate from Taupō airport and are only 10 minutes from the town and 22 minute drive from Motutere Bay TOP 10 Holiday Park. Isn’t that neat?
SPECIAL DEAL: For a limited time only, Taupo Tandem Skydiving is offering $100 off the 18,500 ft skydive Monday to Friday. This is a huge saving you won’t want to miss – pay now $399 (usually $499). Get in touch with reception at Motutere Bay TOP 10 Holiday Park to book this for you!
Remember it is totally natural and normal to be nervous before your skydiving experience, or when just even thinking of the possibility of doing it. It’s like with a lot of things we are doing for the first time and that are not in our comfort zone. Would you believe, that even experienced skydivers get butterflies in their tummies before their jumps? Heck yeah, they do! We all are human beings. But the reason why they skydive again and again is because they know how fantastic this adventure is!
So if you are thinking of trying skydiving, or are just even slightly interested in it, we have the most common questions answered for you.
How old do you have to be to skydive?
Most of the skydiving companies encourage people of all age groups to give skydiving a go at least once in their lifetime to see and feel it for themselves.
We do suggest checking in with your chosen skydiving company before booking a jump, as the requirements for the preferred age may vary. But most of them, as we mentioned, do not have age limit restrictions. Some of the companies have had seniors that are 90+ to do skydiving and some youngsters of ages 5 and 7.
What you need to take into consideration is this:
- you must fit in the skydiving company’s harness.
- If you are under the age of 18, you will need a perental or guardian consent.
- You need to take in consideration your health.
In any case, you need to consult with your chosen skydiving company, and they will be able to advise you if the jump is the best for you based on your age, the expected weather conditions, and other factors.
What to wear when skydiving?
We have some good news – you can skydive ANY TIME OF THE YEAR, while the weather conditions are acceptable. In winter it can get a little bit cold of course but know that some of the best views are during the winter months, as you can see all the snowy mountain tops.
When skydiving, the company you choose to skydive with, will provide a jumpsuit, goggles, hat, and buff for your skydive, but please do wear comfortable clothes, that suit the season and would fit underneath the jumpsuit and closed-toe shoes that don’t fall off. If you are wearing glasses or contact lenses it is safe and fine to wear them during skydiving, as the provided goggles will fit over your personal ones.
P.S. It’s not just about the clothes you were, but also what you have eaten before the jump. Going and jumping with an empty tummy, even though you are so stressed and can’t eat, is the worst you can do to yourself. Try a bowl of cereal, or a sandwich, or maybe some eggs. Make sure you don’t use alcohol before your jump (even if it’s the night before) – you don’t want to make “food rain” for people on the ground, don’t you?
Is there a weight limit to skydive?
To skydive you need to be below 100kg, but most of the skydiving companies do have exceptions, based on individual assessment, as the weight limit can be slightly increased depending on several conditions the team will be able to advise on.
As we mentioned before, when talking about age, another thing you need to consider is that you must fit in the skydiving company’s harness.
Skydiving is a thrilling experience, that must be tried at least once in a lifetime, and when doing so, why not plan a stay at the shores of Lake Taupo by booking accommodation or a glamping tent in Motutere Bay Top 10 Holiday Park?
More info: https://www.laketaupotop10.co.nz/
