Well, as you can see from my photo, I temporarily took leave of my senses at around 3pm yesterday afternoon. I had absolutely no intention of getting involved with anything like skydiving as I'm a) afraid of flying and b) scared of heights. However, about a week ago what started as a random comment ("I might skydive in Taupo") gradually crystallised into a plan and before I knew it I was plunging 12,000 feet out of a tinpot plane. But more on that later...

Yesterday started sedately enough, being picked up early to go see Rotorua Museum, Government Gardens and the Blue Baths. We stopped to take photos like Japanese tourists and then carried on to Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland. There were boiling mud pools and we also watched Lady Knox Geyser erupt, which it does punctually at 10.15am every day with a little bit of help from organic soap, just for the tourists!

After that we went for a walk around the main area of the park and saw the Champagne Pool, the Artist's Palette and The Devil's Bath, where there are clouds of sulphur and the craters are filled with boiling water in all kinds of vivid shades of orange and green from all of the geothermal activity. Piling back onto the coach we headed towards Taupo dropping off passengers on the way to take part in all kinds of daredevil stunts from jetboating to bungy jumping. We watched the bungy jumping incredulously (seriously, why would anyone want to do that?!) and then Taupo Tandem Skydiving turned up to collect me for my jump...

I think the only way I got through it was total denial. I was going to try to mentally prepare myself for it but I've no idea how you would do that without seriously freaking yourself out. So I just thought no more than two seconds ahead of me for the whole experience, happily getting suited up, attached to Welsh Ian (my partner) and trooping into the tiny wee plane.

It was a 15 minute flight to get to 12,000 feet and the view over Lake Taupo was incredible. The lake is the biggest in New Zealand and bigger than Singapore, and in the distance you can see the mountains (including the one they used for Mt. Doom in Lord of the Rings apparently, though I've never seen it). Before I knew it, they were rolling up the shoddy piece of perspex that they passed off as a door and the first girl had disappeared out of the plane, with me up next.

It was when I had my feet dangling out of the door that I suddenly thought "What the f*ck am I playing at?!" but a second later Ian had rolled us out and we were freefalling. The initial shock of the air smashing me in the face made me shut my eyes but when I opened them the view was absolutely incredible! A cameraman was accompanying us down and he was twirling around, trying to get me to do some gnarly skydiving poses man! But I'm a 25 year old, slightly repressed girl from Derby so I managed a thumbs up and that was all he was getting.

Suddenly, Ian opened the canopy and we went shooting up again, then floated serenely down to earth. It all went so fast - I think I was freefalling for about 45 seconds and it was probably about a 5 minute journey down under canopy. But it was just so peaceful and the view was staggering - Lake Taupo is the most gorgeous deep turquoise.

Jim was waiting at the landing area so I staggered over to him, laughing deliriously. We went for a curry to celebrate last night and he even told me he was proud of me, bless him! Technically this means that I'm a lot braver than he is...

I couldn't process that it actually happened yesterday but this morning I feel really good! The only unpleasant parts were that I got my arm trapped at one point so appear to have pulled a muscle in my shoulder (can't lift my arms above my head today) and that I felt a bit nauseous when Ian was swooping us about to get into the right area for landing. But I actually think I would do it again...

Love you all lots x x x