Weather was perfect as I stood on a peak waiting to take off. With a quick briefing, I found myself along with my instructor running towards the cliff edge, with each step our pace increasing. The next thing I knew, my feet stepped into air and I was effortlessly lifted off the ground. An instant of pure adrenaline rush.
I was in Queenstown, the ‘Worlds Adventure Capital’, where it made perfect sense to go wild. After disputing a range of options from bungee jumping to river rafting, ‘Hang-Gliding’ it was to be!
My Turkish instructor expertly maneuvers the glider over the green valley and dense forests, brushing past the closest peaks. Feeling like an eagle, I settled into its steady pace filled with a sense of peace and exhilaration at the same time.
Just when I thought it was all nice and smooth, the instructor brings out the real adventure of hang gliding. He ascends and descends so quickly that I am virtually weightless. My heart stops and my scream is stifled in the throat. Before I realised what happened, he laughs and does it again. He continues delightedly, again and again, while I barely manage to laugh and scream at the same time!
The gentle gliding in air belies the speed of our flight, which was only quite evident as we started descending. Just as I started wondering which part of my body am I OK to part with if we crashed, we land on our feet on the green grass, running along a few steps and coming to a halt. And so ended my first real adventure sport on quite a high note.
To read about my journey in New Zealand, visit You can’t go wrong with New Zealand
And A small town filled with Surprises – Fox Glacier, New Zealand
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looks fun! 🙂
Surely was 🙂