Leap of faith

Paragliding in Queenstown is, for Victoria Advocate reporter Aprill Brandon, “like jumping out of a plane with only a fourth of your parachute … and in New Zealand where there are no such silly things as waivers and legal documents when you make the snap decision to do something potentially deadly.” “You simply just walk up to someone wearing khaki shorts and say ‘Hey, I want to jump off a mountain with a tarp and some strings stuck to my back.’ It’s amazing how when your mind shuts down due to sheer stupidity, your body will take over. When I heard the word ‘run,’ my body just took off, so much so that my guide had to tell me I could stop kicking my legs considering we were already airborne. And that’s when I realised the fear was worth it. As we glided around and down the mountain, it was the most breathtaking  experience I have ever had.”