New Zealand Day 4

Junming had prepared breakfast for us and we had bacon, eggs and toast. We then packed our stuff and started another fun-filled day.

Outside Abel Tasman Motel

We went to Hururu Falls and it was a shorter but wider waterfall compared to Whangeri Falls. We spent some time taking several photos together.



Hururu Falls (See the faint rainbow i'm "holding")

We then headed to Keri Keri Airfield for skydiving as the weather seems to be holding up and the clouds are clearing. Jr and i changed into the skydiving suit...


Preparing for skydiving!!!!

...and we were prepared to go. As the airplane can only accommodate 4 people, they can only do tandem skydiving one at a time. Jr went first and after 20 minutes, i was next.


In the small airplane with the pilot, a guy doing solo skydiving and the guy beside me is my tandem skydiver.


View of Bay of Islands from the airplane (12000 feet above ground level)

Just as we were about to come out off the airplane, the pilot made a sharp turn and my mind went whirling. It made me feel slightly nauseous from the tilt of the airplane and the swirl of the vision. I was first to step out of the airplane and the wind was very strong. My tandem skydiver attached to the back of my life jacket then threw himself out of the airplane and we were plunging through the air. Air was rushing across my body at supersonic speeds and my face expression was contorted. The freefall of about 45 seconds seems to rush by and there was a sudden force next that jerked me upwards. The skydiver had opened the parachute and we were descending at a much slower rate. I took out my camera and shot a number of pictures in midair.


Taking a photo in the air!


A picture a few mins before i landed


Safely landed!

We headed back to Bay Of Islands and i was a little sick from the motion sickness caused by the airplane ride. After a short break at a vineyard, i felt better and we continued our journey. Dolphin cruise was next and we quickly got a sandwich each before embarking on the trip. We went dolphin watching first...



...went through the famous 'Hole in the rock'



...and went to view a flock of seagulls feeding, seals sleeping and island viewing. The cruise lasted 3 hours and i slept 2 hours in the ferry. It must have been due to the motion sickness pills that cause drowsiness which i consumed prior to the ride. It was a cosy nap though.

As the town was not very big, the eateries are mostly restaurants and cafes. We had dinner at a restaurant recommended by the cruise operators and the food was good but quite expensive. Checked in at Anchorage Motel next.