We’re staying in a cabin in Taupo with Howell and Tracey Havard and family who are on their way back to Auckland to fly home to the UK after a three week tour of New Zealand and, more importantly, their beach wedding.

What to do in Taupo on Christmas Eve ?  Howell has suggested that Tracey and Ruth should complete a tandem free fall parachute jump (he’d completed one the previous day and I’d  done one in Rotorua some weeks earlier).

After some nervous deliberation they both decided that it’s a good idea so at 09.00 we all head to Taupo airfield. After the briefest of Health and Safety briefings, Ruth is paired up with the Ian from Pontypridd who would be her tandem instructor for the jump (being strapped to a bloke from Pontypridd is enough of a reason to fear for your life without jumping out of a plane). 9 people are jumping. 7 from 12000ft and our intrepid adventures Ruth and Tracey from 15000ft.

Ruth and Tracey are the last jumpers so had the experience of watching the other seven people leave the plane and ‘plummet like stones’ before it was their turn !! Not having packed shoes, Ruth also had to jump wearing open toed sandals so had very cold feet when she returned to earth !!

Anyway both Tracey and Ruth made it safely to the ground with broad grins on their faces and Ruth vowing that she would do it again one day but maybe not in the too near future.