Tandem Skydive over Queenstown

Queenstown, the adventure capital of New Zealand

Queenstown has built its reputation as the adventure capital of the world on jet boats, bungy jumping and, above all, skydiving. The town sits on a sheltered bay of Lake Wakatipu, ringed by the Remarkables, Cecil Peak and Ben Lomond, so the landscape you fall towards is among the most dramatic anywhere. A Queenstown skydive turns that scenery into a 360-degree panorama that you simply cannot see from the ground.

Your day begins at the skydive base on Shotover Street, right in the town centre, where staff check you in, confirm your weight and jump height, and transfer you to the drop zone. Tandem skydiving in Queenstown needs no training beforehand: your tandem master handles the aircraft exit, the freefall position and the parachute, while you concentrate on the view and the rush of the experience.

The drop zone in the Wakatipu Basin

The drop zone lies in the open farmland of the Wakatipu Basin, a wide glacial valley of green paddocks, braided rivers and small lakes framed by mountains. Here you meet your tandem master, receive a full safety briefing, and are fitted with a jumpsuit, frap hat, goggles and harness. While you wait, you can watch the packers fold parachutes and see other jumpers suiting up and landing on the grass.

The base has lockers for valuables, free Wi-Fi, internet kiosks and outdoor games, plus drinks, snacks and souvenirs for sale. Photo and video packages are available at the base but are not included in the price, and personal cameras are not allowed on the jump for safety reasons. Expect to spend three to four hours from check-in to return, depending on your jump height and the weather on the day.

The scenic flight over Lake Wakatipu

Before the jump comes a scenic climb in a small aircraft, circling over Lake Wakatipu and the Southern Lakes as the ground slowly falls away. From above, the lake's lightning-bolt shape is clear, with Queenstown tucked on its shore, the Shotover and Kawarau rivers cutting through the basin and the Remarkables standing like a wall to the east. On clear days you can see peak after peak of the Southern Alps.

The flight is a highlight in its own right and gives nervous first-timers a few minutes to settle in and enjoy the view. Higher jumps mean a longer climb and more time to take in the scenery. The best time to skydive in Queenstown is usually the morning, when winds are lighter, and the clear, crisp days of autumn and winter often bring the sharpest views of the snowy peaks.

Freefall and the canopy ride over the Southern Lakes

At jump height the door opens, you shuffle to the edge with your tandem master and step out. From 15,000 ft you freefall for up to 60 seconds at around 200 km/h, surrounded by snow-capped summits; from 12,000 ft the freefall is a little shorter, and from 9,000 ft it lasts about 30 seconds, a gentle introduction for first-timers. It is pure sensory overload and the moment most people remember for life.

Then the parachute opens and everything goes quiet. For about five minutes you float over the Wakatipu Basin, with time to look around at the lake, the rivers and the mountains, and sometimes to help steer. Your tandem master guides you to a soft landing on the grass at the drop zone, from where you are transferred back to central Queenstown.