Absolutely amazing! Can't visit the adventure capital and not take part in some extreme activity! There are several skydiving companies in the Queenstown area but I chose Skydive Wanaka since I was only in town for a couple of days and Wanaka was known for consistent days of good weather. Unfortunately, the day that I was scheduled to jump, the winds picked up right before our group was ready to take flight - such a bummer! But we were immediately rescheduled and had a perfect day for flying the following day. 15,000 ft. jump - go big or go home!
I was in contact with the company via email before my trip and they were very responsive and detailed in their responses. Wanaka is about an hour outside of Queenstown but there was complimentary shuttle service that also transported spectators as space allowed. I was delighted that my parents were able to come to the jump site with me. The shuttle runs twice a day, in the morning and in the afternoon. They advise that you call half an hour prior to scheduled shuttle pick up to make sure the weather is OK - the pick up location is right outside the NZone office. Halfway through the scenic ride, the driver checks in with the drop zone to make sure weather conditions were still a go - this is helpful so that if there were any extreme changes, you wouldn't waste the drive time all the way to Wanaka to turn back around. Our drivers for the two days were super friendly and entertaining. While you're on your way, you have the opportunity to soak in the beauty that is NZ and also register so that you won't have to spend time doing so when you got to the site. Here is also when you choose your photo/video package. I chose the full package that included the camera flyer photos and video, as well as the handy cam (strapped to your tandem master) video and a t-shirt. Looking back, I would have been happy with just the camera flyer photos as I didn't think the handy cam video portion added much value.
Once you get to the drop zone, you get weighed in and wait around for your turn. You don't pay until right before your jump. If you don't end up going, like us, they will refund you the money and get charged again when you come back. It's a bit of a hassle but it makes sense for them to do so to avoid owing refunds if someone can't make it back later on. Once they're ready for you, you'll don your lovely orange jumpsuit, headgear and goggles. You also get gloves, which you can opt out of wearing. They also provide oxygen masks in case you need them. I loved, loved, loved my camera flyer, my tandem master, not so much. Barely caught his name as he didn't identify himself until we were heading off to the plane - minor details, as long as he keeps me alive, right?
And then you're off! The ride up is breathtaking, and then the fall, even more so! Falling from 15k, you have a free fall of about 60 secs. where you can take in the lakes and snow capped mountains. On such a clear day, we were also able to see Mt. Cook. Once the chute opens, you're in the air for another few minutes before you land. I was so ready to go again, if only it wasn't so expensive. After the jump, you go back in to wait for your photos and videos and you will have the opportunity to check to make sure everything is correct. Once the group is all done, you hop back on the shuttle and are back in Queenstown in no time. read more