I'm not really one for adventure tourism, so when I was given the opportunity to go indoor skydiving in Queenstown, I was a bit reluctant.
Being told that it's "just like the real thing" didn't fill me with much confidence, as the idea of jumping out of an airplane has never been one I've been fond of.
Within a few minutes of nervously arriving at iFLY, I was suited up in safety gear and taken through a pre-flight briefing by Rocco Murray, an experienced skydiver from the United States.
As he ran through the process I relaxed a lot. Rocco knew what he was doing.
When I stepped into the wind tunnel, I was hit by blasting air flowing so fast that it filled my mouth and nose instantly. That can be avoided by wearing a full face helmet - something I'll do next time.
Once I was floating in mid-air, I circled around the tunnel. My attempts to smile and wave at the camera and those watching didn't quite come off due to the howling wind stretching my face.
Rocco then took us up to the top, allowing me to look down on the people below as I hovered - just like I would in mid-air had this been a regular skydive.
It was at this point that I realised I was pretty much flying, and it felt awesome. All of the butterlies in my stomach in the lead-up to this moment were worth it.
A ticket gives you two flights in the tunnel, each lasting two minutes. When I first heard that I thought it was a bit short, but it's just the right amount of time to freak out, laugh, relax and then be ready for a return to solid ground to catch your breath. And then you do it all over again for another two minutes.
It's an experience you can't describe, but one I'd do again. So long as it's indoors.
Newshub.
