Travel Journal:

New Zealand: the Better Britons of the South - A Skydive Attempt...


A Skydive Attempt in Wanaka 2006-03-11
 
Scheduled for a noon skydive in the town of Wanaka, I apprehensively hopped on the bus from Queenstown.  Yeah, I was a little scared, but that wasn't the seat of my apprehension -- it was raining.  It was to be expected, I suppose; I had been in New Zealand for nearly two weeks, and had not once experienced a day without rain.  The first day we started building in Invercargill, a freak weather system from Antarctica threw hurricane force winds and hail at us as we hammered together the wooden frame of the house.  Although the winds died down, the rain continued, and every day on the worksite was interrupted by calls of "shelter! shelter!" by the building supervisor and the scurrying of people with toolbelts into the trailer which resulted.  Thank god for morning and afternoon tea.

Anyway, this day in Wanaka was no different.  Although it was raining in Queenstown, we hoped that the sky would have cleared by the time the bus crossed into the Wanaka township.  Our hopes were to no avail, though.  The noon skydive was pushed back to three, then four, and then finally cancelled.  Antsy and disappointed, Jenny and I decided to rent some bikes and get the hell away from the town center.  Following the lake shore, whether there was a trail or not, Jenny and I sped along and saw some spectacular shoreline as the rain whipped our faces and drenched our pants.  We eventually returned to town, where we sat in a tree and treated ourselves to baguettes & brie.  Returning to Queenstown that night, we hoped our next adventure -- kayaking Milford Sound -- would be spared the rain cancellation.
 
Map and Photos for New Zealand: the Better Britons of the South
View Map
Auckland Journal : New Zealand: the Better Britons of the South - A Skydive Attempt in Wanaka Travel Photos
Tip: Use arrow keys to flip through the slideshow.