Jumping off a Plane? Pretty Close to Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Skydiving is one of the most exhilarating things you will ever do. Hrithik Roshan and Farhan Akhtar had it bang on.
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Tourists visit Auckland to discover all sorts of things. Yes, it’s the business capital of New Zealand, so of course you’ve got your general crop of suited businessmen and what-have-you’s. But there are also things like azure lakes and pretty harbours, fine dining – and above all, its incredible adventure sports.
After my last excursion, satisfying my great appetite to visit the film locations of Middle-Earth – for a Lord of the Rings fan, there can be no greater urge – I set my sights on Auckland, one of the most naturally beautiful cities I have ever visited.
It is a little known fact in our part of the world that Auckland is a city built atop volcanic fields and yes – is surrounded by volcanoes. So, if you’re driving in this city, don’t get alarmed if more often than not you find yourself in front of a 70 degree inclined road that may seem impossible to climb in your rental car. With a mix-and-match of the first gear and the hand break, you should be fine.
Jumping off a Perfectly Good Airplane
Among all the things New Zealand is famous for – dairy products, juicy meat and hot women (not in that order), it’s most popular for its adventure sports – prime among which is, skydiving.
Anyway, so I went to Skydive Auckland at Green Road in Parakai and signed up for jumping off a perfectly good airplane the next day. Unlike Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, for this stunt my life wouldn’t be in my own hands, and honestly, I am quite glad that it wasn’t. Here, I would have a diving instructor behind me and the two of us would be attached together with a harness and he’d be the one pulling the parachute, phew!
The beauty about skydiving was that, while I was petrified at first and for good reason – here’s the ultimate truth: once you jump, you don’t feel the same. You have no depth perception over 5,000 feet. Which is why, while you may look over the edge of a bridge and feel your stomach flip, looking out the window of a Jumbo jet at 16,500 feet? Not quite the same.
The entire time that you’re in freefall, you are overwhelmed with the numbing sensation of floating on a big cushion of hot air. Not exactly the horrible giddying motion of a roller coaster ride.
I jumped from a height of 16,500 feet and went through 70 insane seconds of freefall – and it was the most exhilarating thing I’d ever done.
Also, don’t worry about screaming – the fact that you’re falling at 200 km/per hour means your instructor won’t be able to hear a word you’re saying! Hindi expletives in store? Bark away!
Regardless of what height you jump from, your parachute is pulled at 5,000 feet – giving you around five minutes to gently float back down to earth. Do you remember that moment of supreme adrenaline rush when you watched Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar and Abhay Doel hug it out on a landing field, screaming for all they were worth? They weren’t faking.
Climbing Volcanoes
If you were in Auckland – the city built on volcanic fields – you’d be committing sacrilege if you didn’t visit one of the volcanoes. Don’t you worry now, they’re pretty dormant. Honestly, I was excited. I had never seen a volcano before, dormant or otherwise. My friend from college in NZ had told me about two of the highest volcanoes among the 46 that dot the Auckland landscape – Mount Eden and One Tree Hill. I visited both.
At 196 metres high, Mount Eden (Maungawhau in Māori) is the highest of the Auckland volcanoes while One Tree Hill (Māungakiekie in Maori) is about 180 metres high. While the option of driving up to the summit of the volcano is available, I chose to climb because it gives you a stunning expansive outlook over Auckland city and the Waitemata Harbour beyond. But no, there was no lava to be found in either of them.
I was told that the last time either of the two volcanoes had erupted was 150,000 years ago. When you’re standing at the edge of one and looking down into a black, never-ending cesspool, trust me – that’s pretty good news.
The Best Italian Restaurant in Auckland
If you’re not an adventure seeker like me (read: could do without the jumping off airplanes and diving into volcanoes, thank you very much), you needn’t fret. There’s plenty where Auckland’s potpourri of thrill came from, and food happens to be at the top of that list.
Particularly if you love Italian, you must – and I mean, absolutely MUST – visit the Prego on Ponsonby Road.
Here’s why.
For most Indians, the fine sampling of Italian cuisine is usually confined to a Dominos pizza or a lasagne, if you can wrangle it. But when at Prego, you will be thrilled to know, like I was, that items like lobsters and steaks too form a part of Italian main fare! It’s been five years since I visited that dainty little place in the heart of Auckland and I have trotted around many an Italian restaurant prettier and more made-up than Prego. But for cuisine itself, I’ve visited no better.
(Shibaji Roychoudhury was named after someone who wanted to conquer and inspire. Unfortunately, he is far too ambitious for that. Based out of Delhi, he has travelled across the globe and has some pretty funny tales to tell. Watch out for his next one.)