- Chapter 40 - Paragliding - Dream comes true & little shock at the end in Queenstown

The next day, Celina and Flori fulfilled a dream and went paragliding in Queenstown. Here are their experiences:

Celina: I wasn't excited at all until shortly before departure. But then, while waiting for the shuttle, I thought, "What are we actually doing here?". In the end, we did the right thing. The shuttle picked us up from downtown Queenstown and took us to the highest point of Coronet Peak. The view was beautiful, like nowhere else. The whole experience was so chill. Flori and I were introduced to our guides. My guide was a quirky but funny guy. He looked like a young Otto. He had forgotten to bring something to wear and borrowed a sweater. The parachute was spread out on the meadow and I was attached to the parachute straps, as was my guide. There was supposed to be a trial run, but the guides were pretty optimistic, so they didn't think it was necessary. I was asked if Flori was my boyfriend, which I naturally denied. He also asked me if I was scared and if this was my first time paragliding.

Actually, I didn't feel any fear on the meadow with the view, instead I felt anticipation. Before takeoff, a quick photo was taken, and then we were off. I watched Flori and was impressed. First, I had to run a few steps until the huge parachute opened up. I ran a little faster and suddenly I was in the air, I was flying. My guide immediately pulled out the camera and asked me for my first impression. I was speechless, so it took me a few seconds to say "amazing". I saw Flori flying along a cliff wall in front of me, his guide turned him, and then he flew towards me. We happily waved at each other, and my guide started talking about my "boyfriend" again. We flew over trees, rocks, and meadows. For a short time, I even got to steer, which seemed surprisingly easy for such a large parachute. Just before landing, a few tricks were performed. We swung strongly from left to right, almost flipping over. That was real adrenaline. In the meantime, I was supposed to hold the camera and a video was made.

I imagined the landing would be worse. Basically, as soon as we touched the ground, we were already standing. It was a shame that it was over so quickly, but Flori and I didn't regret it at all. We would do it again anytime. The photos and videos were too expensive for us, but a photographed image is also okay. Then we headed back to Queenstown. When we returned to the starting point two hours later, we were richer in experience. An unforgettable experience.

Flori: It is an indescribable feeling to float in the clouds. This sentence describes paragliding well. We were driven to the starting point by a shuttle service. At first, I was really scared of the height, but that disappeared on the field. The pilot was very relaxed and immediately made an introduction video. He explained the takeoff process to me and in the next moment, we were already in the air. During the flight, I could only marvel at the landscape and the view of the valley. The pilot made videos and photos during the flight. We flew into a gorge, around rocks, over meadows and forests. It felt like being a bird oneself, only sitting in the air (surprisingly pleasant). You can also steer by yourself. Shortly before landing, the pilot performed a few tricks by flying sharp turns. After that, he started the landing. Landing should not be underestimated, as you rush quickly towards the ground. So you should prepare to have to walk a little. Once we landed, we went back to Queenstown after a short break.

After these incredible experiences, Celina and Flori met me in the city, and we went to the parking garage to pick up our car. It had been there for 1.5 days, just like in Wellington on New Year's Eve. We had paid $20 there, so we assumed it might cost twice as much, since it was Queenstown and right in the city. When Celina and I inserted our parking ticket into the machine, then came the shock: $189.

Really, we would have given anything to have our views on video.

-> To be continued