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It's been a mad few weeks. I left New Zealand on 12th January and got to the UK on 13th. I started my new job in Sheffield on 17th January! I was living in a hotel for the first couple of weeks and then found a flat to rent in the city centre. I got my stuff out of storage in Cornwall and moved up to the flat on 28/29th January. I'm just getting the place sorted out now and what with starting a new job and moving I don't seem to have had a moment to stop. Anyway, I had the most amazing time back in New Zealand over Christmas and the New Year. The last time I posted a news story here (apart from headlines) was on Boxing Day when I did my 69th jump. A lot has happened since then and some of it's a bit hazy, but here's what I remember: My friend Kat from Cornwall turned up in Rotorua just before New Year. It was great to see her and she did a tandem at NZONE! I'd last seen her in Cornwall when she was just leaving for her trip and she was really enthusiastic about watching my skydiving videos. She had planned to be in Rotorua for Christmas and I gave her an NZONE brochure and told her all the details. She said she wanted to do a skydive and would do it in Rotorua and say "Hi" to all my friends there for me. Of course, at that point I didn't know I was going to be there to say "Hi" for myself! Kat did her first tandem on New Year's Eve and loved it so much she did another one a coule of days later. New Year's Eve was also the day I did my first four-way (jump 74 with Herb, Paul and Bredan) - we did a three-way linked exit and Brendan chased out after us. The exit was a bit of a mess but we got stable and Brendan did a superb job of coming in and pulling it together so that we'd get a four-way star. We stayed linked in the four-way for about five seconds. We planned to break and then do some formation stuff but it all went a bit pear-shaped when we broke but it was still awesome. Got to mention that I had a fantastic New Year's Eve - five jumps during the day and then dancing outside the Novotell to a live band and watching the fireworks above Lake Rotorua and then chilling out outside Hennessy's. It was great to be spending time with my friends form the DZ and having Kat there as well was amazing. By the end of the day on 3rd January I was up to 84 jumps. Originally I was due to fly back to the UK on 5th January. Kat was so excited for me about the number of jumps I was doing and how close I was getting to my 100th. Her enthusiasm was so infectious that, basically, she persuaded me to try and go for the 100 before I left New Zealand. I changed my ticket (I just love Air New Zealand) to leave on 11th. Of course, the weather decided to play up. Everyone in Rotorua was saying it was the worst start to a summer they've had for years. On 6th January I went to Taupo (about an hour and half drive from Rotorua) and jumped at Taupo Tandem Skydiving. It was very strange to jump at a new DZ but they were very friendly and I enjoyed the jump. It was Kat's last night in Rotorua so I only did the one jump and headed back to have a drink with her. Oh, yes - another of those "it's a small/strange world" moments: Kat headed off to Queenstown and is now sharing a house with my friend Lorraine! The next day I did the three hour drive to Hastings to jump at the Bridge Pa DZ. I knew the pilot there, Jade, as he used to live in Rotorua the last time I was there so it was good to catch up with him. Again, it was strange to jump somewhere other than Rotorua but I did a three-way jump from 10,000ft and then drove back to Rotorua. I was now up to 88 jumps and it was 7th January. I had a surprise leaving party the next day (Saturday 8th January)! I didn't jump that day as it was too windy. Haylee and Sam had said they'd cook me a meal before I left and we'd arranged it for Saturday. I had a nice day and went out for a drive with my friend Hans in the afternoon. I was due at Haylee's at 7pm so I dropped Hans off at his place and went straight over to Haylee's. I decided I wasn't going to drink - it was just going to be a nice quiet meal with friends so I thought I'd have a night off the booze. When I arrived, Brendan was there but I still didn't twig what was going on. Then Julie turned up and then Jo and Claire and at that point Haylee said "If you haven't guessed, everyone is coming!". I really had no idea and was completely taken by surprise. They gave me a big bottle of Jack Daniels and a Jack Daniels T-shirt. There was a fantastic BBQ and we had a fantastic night. I think just about everyone did turn up and I don't think I've ever felt happier. It's no wonder I'm so fond of Rotorua. Since I first got there last April, I've had so many times when I've felt it was the happiest time of my life. All those special times, happening in one place in such a short space of time is amazing and I'm very lucky. I can't express exactly how much all my friends there mean to me but I hope they know how much I miss them and how special they all are. I'd told everyone at NZONE that I was going to try to get my 100th jump before I left. Everyone there was really excited for me and hoping I was going to manage it. I did five jumps on 9th January to make it 93. I didn't think I was going to make the 100. I was due to fly out on 11th and I didn't get to jump at all on the 10th. My flight was from Aukland late evening so I knew I could jump for most of the day and then drive up there and catch my flight, but I was pretty much resigned to not getting to that magical number of 100 jumps. One of the difficulties was that even if the weather was good I couldn't always get on a load. Three tandems, two of them having camera fills up the plane at Rotorua. So I didn't think I'd manage it, but then I'd had the best Christmas and New Year ever so I couldn't complain. I was so miserable on the morning of the 11th. I knew it was going to be my last day and I had to leave by 4pm to get to Auckland in time to catch my flight. I was miserable that I was leaving Rotorua and all my friends there; I was miserable that I was leaving New Zealand and much as I was trying not to be I was miserable that I wasn't going to make the 100 - I needed to do seven jumps by 4pm and the most I'd ever done in one day was six, spread over the whole day. I got to the DZ and did a couple of jumps and then waited while a full load went up. I was looking at the manifest board and it looked like there would be space on the next four loads (providing no one else came along for tandems). That would get me up to 98. I didn't know what to do. I can't pack my rig quick enough to jump on consecutive loads. I'm much faster packing than I used to be but I can't manage to get down, pack and go up on the next load. I spoke to Steve and asked if he'd be able to pack for me between loads. I was also thinking that perhaps I could delay my flight by just one more day so that I'd have the next day as well (the weather was looking really good). I didn't know what to do. Steve suggested that I ring Air New Zealand and find out if it was possible to delay my flight and make the decision then. I rang them, found I could change my ticket, even at less than twenty four hours notice for only $25 (I so love Air New Zealand) but I had to get into town to have the ticket changed. Steve had spoken to Herb and they'd agreed that they'd both help out packing for me between loads. Herb said it would help if I could get down as quickly as possible from each jump and get into the hangar to start packing as soon as I was down. I was on a mission! I went up and was out first. I pulled at 3,000 feet which is the lowest I've ever deployed. Then I caned it down - loads of really tight spirals and then hammering it in - good landing too! Into the hangar and start to pack until Steve takes over. I'm packed and ready to go straight up on the next load. It was like that for the rest of the morning with Steve and Herb packing for me. I got up to 98 jumps and shot off into town to get my ticket changed (it was around lunch time by now). I got back and went up again. Jump 99 was different because I jumped without goggles! Someone else who really needed to have googles forgot theirs so I lent them mine. I jumped out and went into a forward roll that I kept it going for twelve revolutions. Then I rolled onto by back and stayed there until about 7,000 feet. Then I went onto my front. It wasn't too bad without goggles and I could see OK. JUMP 100 Then there was another load and I went up. I couldn't believe I was going to do seven jumps in one day and make the hundred. I was so excited. I climbed out and faced the door and then jumped off backwards (I love hanging onto the outside of the plane at 12,000 feet!). I stayed on my back to watch the plane and then went onto my front. I did a barrel roll to the left and then another to the right. I did a 360 degree turn to the left and then the right. I was so happy and relaxed. I knew that this was my hundredth jump! I'd made it! All those hard times doing AFF and all the problems I had along the way were behind me and had led to this moment. Then I did a backloop. My backloops tend not to be very good, I wobble and rarely come out on heading. This was different. Arms down, knees up, head back and I go over. As I come round I flare and bang! I'm stable and on heading and no wobble. I do another and another and another. Four backloops in quick succession and all good. It's all come together! I just stayed flat from about 7,000 feet and watched the ground rushing towards me. It was totally awesome and I was shouting and screaming at the top of my voice with excitement. I pulled at 3,000 and carried on shouting nonsense until I was down on the ground. Everyone at the DZ was made up for me. I was so glad to do my 100th jump at NZONE in Rotorua. Yet another brilliant day to add to the happiest times of my life. I rang Lorriane in Queenstown and she was over the moon for me. I managed another two jumps the next day. Jump 101 I did without my jumpsuit in just shorts and a T-shirt. It was very different and felt very strange but was a lot of fun. I did one more (with jumpsuit) to make it 102 and then I had to pack up and hammer up to Auckland to catch my flight. I was sad to leave Rotorua but not as much as I would have been if I hadn't stayed to do the 100. So that's it. I got back to UK and haven't stopped rushing around since - but no jumps yet. I hope it won't be too long before I've got news of my first jump here in the UK. It was the most amazing time being back in New Zealand. Thanks, in no particular order (sorry if I've forgotten to mention anyone), to: Haylee, Sam, Matt, Julie, Brendan, Herb, Steve, Paul, Jay, Keith, Willy, Toni, Hans, Jade, Marcel, Phil, Loraine, Kat, Jaqui, Barry, Andrea, Melody, everyone at Treks Backpackers, Fionna and anyone else who was there and made it such a magical time. Cheers, Ian. |
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