Nothing can match a parachute jump for a super sensation of flying, sheer speed and ecstatic excitement.

Skydiving takes you as high as you can go in terms of adrenalin-pumping adventure sports. Nothing can prepare you for the phenomenal force of slipstream air on your face as you lean out the aircraft door, think briefly about backing out of the jump, and then plunge into space to free fall for 45 seconds at around 180 kph.

New Zealand has some truly awesome locations for skydiving, with views so startling that you almost forget where you are. Try to choose a fine day with clear blue skies for your jump to guarantee a breathtaking view, whether it be over snow-capped peaks, a wild coastline or cityscape. Generally operators will give you the choice of a solo or tandem skydive from a height of 9000, 12000 or 15000 feet. A training course is required for a solo. For a tandem you will be shown an explanatory video, fitted out with suit, helmet and goggles and you will dive with a professional instructor strapped firmly on your back. The free fall will last from 30 to 45 seconds and you will feel the powerful whooshing sound of rushing air tearing at your suit and goggles. As the chute is deployed you merely feel a slight tug and the world suddenly becomes still and silent as you observe a miniaturised earth below. The landing is relatively soft but the euphoria and excitement is hardcore.

Skydiving locations in the North Island include Paihia, Auckland, Mercer, Taupo, Rotorua and numerous airports in the lower half of the island. In the South Island notable sites include Nelson, Christchurch, Fox Glacier, Queenstown and Wanaka along with several smaller airports.

It all adds up to 100% pure adventure and unadulterated fun in the New Zealand drop zones.

As they say ‘If you’ve got the attitude, we’ve got the altitude’, so the moral is ‘just do it’.