SkyJump Auckland - Oct 16th 2016

October 16th...8 years ago, on this day, my Mum passed away from her battle with Pancreatic Cancer. She was one of my major inspirations for embarking on my bucket list journey. After losing my Dad when I was 9 (he was just 34) and my Mum 8 years previously (she was just 58), it highlighted to me just how short life is, and you have to make the most of every day. My Mum died with things she wished she had done, so my goal is to do as many things as I can in life and never turn down the opportunity to do something if the opportunity arises. 

So this year I wanted to turn this anniversary into something to celebrate living life and celebrating my Mum's life. Anyone who knew my Mum knew how much she loved going to the Skycity casino...so why not celebrate life and her love for SkyCity by jumping off it with my 15 year old daughter of course!!! And of course the opportunity arose when a friend of mine gave me a voucher to do it...never say no to an opportunity right?? 

In honour of my Mum xx

The night before our jump, we were heading out for the evening - and drove past the sky tower. It suddenly dawned on me - my daughter and I were going to JUMP OFF that tomorrow. Jump off a perfectly stable building - what!! Falling 192m and speeds of 85km per hour - were we insane?? 

The morning of the 16th came, and I woke up feeling HUGELY nervous. This is crazy, I thought, I have walked around the sky tower and jumped out of a plane, why am I so nervous about this one? So over breakfast I thought I would watch a couple of videos of others doing it - couldn't be too bad, right? But I was in such a nervous state and it was quite an emotional day for me anyway, it just made me so much worse. So, I went and got in the shower, bawled my eyes out, shook myself off, got out of the shower, told myself to put on my big girl pants, and felt much better (but still highly anxious). Everyone tells me - wow, I couldn't ever do some of the things you've done - but honestly, you often only see the end result - sometimes there is a lot of anxiety and things I have to do to be able to even get to doing it - I'm just a regular woman with high anxieties like anyone else. But back to the jump - it was time to put one foot in front of the other and get in the car and go.

I don't look nervous at all!

The trick to doing a lot of these things when you are scared is to just put one foot in front of the other - don't think about the end result, but just what the next step is. So off I went, found the reception, signed my life away (on a form that was entitled "Toe Tag" I might add - eek!), got suited up, followed the guy up to the jump area, and then sat down and waited my turn. And then get REALLY nervous. They asked whether they wanted my daughter to go first or me...ummm I better go first I thought - if I watch my daughter plummet off a building first I won't be able to do it. Come on in then...

It was time to do this. The staff were AMAZING. They put you right at ease and could see I was super anxious. They asked what I was worried about, and then reassured me that you do NOT get a feeling of falling (a feeling which I can not stand), because it was a controlled fall. OK - maybe I could do this then. And out the doors we went. 

So you get the choice of jumping off yourself (forwards) or if you are feeling a bit chicken (like I was), you go backwards, where they hold you and then let you go. That was the option I went for - although in hindsight, I wished I'd had just that extra bit of courage to go forwards and do it myself (next time, right?) I was super proud of my daughter, who did have the courage to go forwards - you're awesome! 

Here's a link to the video of my fall for your entertainment :) Excuse the screaming...

https://youtu.be/6J8deNyxn0Y

And I did it! And it was excellent! The sensation was the same sensation as I got free-falling in my skydive...which was truly amazing (I'll blog about that one soon ;) )...to celebrate we got a ticket to go up the Skytower and look back down again, without any fear this time, and anyone who knows me knows - you have to celebrate with a bubbles!

 The two questions I always ask myself at the end:

Am I glad I did it?
Yes, absolutely. It was an awesome experience, the staff were amazing, and I'm so proud of my daughter who did it with me :)

Would I do it again?
To be honest, I would if the opportunity arose - but wouldn't pay to do it again. Only because it's one of those experiences that you probably don't need to do numerous times. The reason I would do it again, if the opportunity arose, would be just to have the confidence to let myself go forward this time, but that's the only reason I'd do it again. But, of course, if someone offered me a jump for free, I'd definitely go again. It's an experience you should do once in your lifetime. For the money it costs to do it, I would probably be more inclined to do more skydives, as they aren't that much more expensive and you get a much longer period of free falling (which was the same feeling) followed by a parachute. But that's just my opinion :)

So that's my SkyJump adventure for you. If I have actually inspired you to want to give it a try next time you are in Auckland you can check out the details at SkyJump - the jump was $225 for an adult and $175 for a child (ages 10-15) but you can combine with the SkyWalk (another thing I have done) for $290 for both. The minimum age for the SkyJump is 10. 

The Skyswing Rotorua, New Zealand - June 10th 2017

For my daughter's 16th birthday this year, she decided, rather than having a party, to take her best friend (and her parents of course) to Rotorua for a weekend of adventure. One of the goals on her own bucket list was to conquer her fear of the Luge. In return, apparently, I had to conquer my fear of the Skyswing. 

Why was I afraid of the Skyswing, you might ask. I have already walked around the Sky Tower, jumped off the Sky Tower, and completed a skydive. What was a little skyswing? The thing is, I HATE the feeling of falling, when the pit of your stomach comes into your throat. I have done the Rainbows End Fear Fall and did not like it. But the other things I have mentioned, don't make you feel like you are falling. So I was really nervous that this was going to give me that sensation (PS It didn't).

So first up, I, of course, tried to use my shortness to my advantage - was I too short to do it - no, you need to be very very short to get away with that (as you can see above)...damn, I was going to have to do it.

After a couple of goes on the Luge, it was time for me to face my fear and head over to the Skyswing. As we approached I saw a Dad and his two little girls doing it - surely if they could do it, I could, right? Then a mother and daughter combination before us went, and the mother looked like she was having a mini heart attack, which did nothing for my fears at all. It was about this point I started to feel a little sick in my stomach and afraid I was going to cry!

My daughter and her friend went first, not sure if that was a good move to watch my daughter plummet from the sky and hurtle past where I was standing on the ground watching BEFORE I had to do mine. Live and learn!

Next it was my turn. I just had to put one foot in front of the other and get myself into the chair. OMG - I was actually going to do this. My stomach was churning, I thought I might cry (a thing I do when I'm really scared), but I looked down to see my daughter smiling and waving and proud (and laughing at me just a little bit), so I knew I had to keep my end of the deal. Next thing I know we are going up, and up, and up, and up, and up some more. 

Almost at the top - really wanted to come down from here and not keep going ;) 

Made it to the top, at the top you need to pull the chord yourself in order to release and drop down. I had to get my husband to do that!! 

Coming down!!!

Swinging up and over the edge to see the amazing views

I think you can see from my facial expressions when I switched from I'm going to throw up or cry to actually this is quite amazing ;) 

To give you a really good idea of what the Skyswing was like - you can check out the video :) Be aware there is some mild swearing in here as we go up - maybe from me ;) 

So I actually did it! I really did! One thing to remember, which I am glad I did, even if you are totally scared, keep your eyes open and take a moment to enjoy the absolutely beautiful view you get to see from swinging out and over the edge :) And what better way to celebrate a Skyswing but with a yummy mint hot chocolate from the cafe afterwards - mmmmm...

Two questions I always ask myself at the end of a bucket list experience like this one:

Am I glad I did it?

Hell yes, I worked past the fear of falling and discovered I didn't get that sensation and actually enjoyed the ride. 

Would I do it again?

Yep - definitely. It's probably not a thing that you really need to do more than once, one of those, once I've done it, I've done it kind of activities. But if someone wanted me to do it with them, or I had the opportunity to do it again, I certainly wouldn't turn it down. 

So that's my Skyswing adventure for you. If I have actually inspired you to want to give it a try next time you are in Rotorua you can check out the details at Skyswing Rotorua - we did the Skyline Combo package that gave you the gondola ride, 5 luges and the Skyswing for $89 per adult. At first I thought that was a bit pricey, BUT we actually spent quite a large part of the day there for that price, so I think it was totally worth it. 

The bucket list...so far...

58 of 152...this is my bucket list so far. I have 152 things currently listed and in approximately 4 years have managed to cross of 58 goals (big and small). Yippee! Often people think bucket list items are only the big huge things - like skydiving and jumping off the sky tower, but for me, my bucket list is anything I want to try, anything I've always wanted to see if I can do, all those things I've ever said "one day I'll try that". It can be as simple as trying a new food, or learning a new hobby, travelling and seeing the country I live in as well as internationally, right up to the big things like skydiving.

So this is my bucket list as of today. Please have a look through it, steal some ideas and start your own bucket list, and let me know, what have I missed, what should I add, what have you done that you think I should do, what's on your bucket list??? Would love to hear from you

TRACEY'S BUCKET LIST AS AT SEPTEMBER 2017

FITNESS GOALS

(1) Do a 5K run

(2) Do a 10K run

(3) Complete a 12K run

(4) Complete a Half Marathon

(5) Complete a Trail Run

(6) Do the Tough Guy and Gal Mud Run

(7) Do the Run for Your Freakin Life

(8) Do a Colour Run

(9) Complete a Military Style Confidence Course

(10) Complete the Auckland Half Marathon and beat my 1st Half Marathon time

(11) Start Crossfit

NZ SIGHTSEEING GOALS

(12) Skydive at Auckland Skydive

(13) Do the Sky Walk

(14) Jump off the Sky Tower

(15) Do the Rotorua Luge

(16) Do the Rotorua SkySwing

(17) Do the Rotorua Canopy Zip Lining Tour

(18) Stay at the Chateau

(19) Do the 15000ft skydive in Taupo

(20) Do the 16000ft skydive in the Bay of Islands

(21) Do the Hauraki Rail Trail

(22) Do the Otago Rail Trail

(23) Go to Hobbiton

(24) Go to Waitomo Caves

(25) Do the Tongariro Crossing

(26) Hike the Abel Tasman Great Walk

(27) Climb the Auckland Harbour Bridge

(28) Walk the Auckland Coast to Coast walk

(29) Ski in the North Island

(30) Ski in the South Island

(31) Climb Mt Manaia

(32) Climb Mt Maunganui

(33) Go Horse Trekking at Murawai

(34) Go Horse Trekking at Parkiri Beach

(35) Go Glamping (Canopy Camping) 

(36) Do the Kapiti Overnight Stay

(37) Go Whale Watching in Kaikora

(38) Ride the Tranzalpine Train

(39) Visit Queenstown

(40) Cruise the Milford Sound

(41) Take a helicopter ride over the Milford Sounds and glacier

(42) Do the Huka Jet

(43) Dig a "spa" at Hot Water Beach, Coromandel

(44) Dig a "spa" at Kawhia Hot Water Beach

(45) Go to Art Deco week in Napier

(46) Go to Hanmer Springs

(47) Go to Tree Adventures

(48) Climb Rangitoto

(49) Hire a campervan and travel parts of New Zealand

(50) Walk the Milford Track

(51) Do the Whanganui River Tour

(52) Ride the Rapid Jets in Taupo 

(53) Do the Bay of Islands "The Rock" Bed and Breakfast Cruise

(54) Do the Happy Valley Adventures Skywire Flying Fox

HOBBIES / EXTREME ADVENTURE GOALS

(55) Take Dance Lessons

(56) Move to Intermediate Level Dance Classes

(57) Learn to Ski

(58) Take a beginners photography class

(59) Do a zipline

(60) Start a book club

(61) Place our first geocache

(62) Find a geocache in another country

(63) Find 500 geocaches

(64) Go kayaking

(65) White water rafting

(66) Zorb

(67) Learn to play the drums

(68) Take a photo every day for a year

(69) Learn to surf

(70) Try archery

(71) Do a beginners archery course

(72) Get my own archery gear and join an archery club

(73) Complete Stage 1 archery achievement award

(74) Try clay pigeon shooting

(75) Try target shooting

(76) Learn to snorkel

(77) Learn to snorkel with fins

(78) Enter a photo into a photo competition

(79) Climb an indoor rock wall to the top

(80) Try paintball

(81) Try outdoor Laser Tag

(82) Try airsoft

(83) Ride on a Jet Ski

(84) Drive a jet ski

(85) Go Quad Biking

(86) Learn to play hockey

(87) Explore a cave

(88) Learn to Dinghy Sail

(89) Learn to Sail

(90) Scuba Diving

(91) Do a diploma in photography

(92) Experience zero gravity

(93) Swim with Dolphins

(94) Parasail

(95) Catch a fish

(96) Go big game fishing

(97) Be brave enough to jump off the back of a boat into the ocean

(98) Jet Boat

(99) Try Paddleboarding

(100) Ride on the back of a motorcycle

(101) Do a hot lap in a race car

(102) Do a hot air balloon ride

(103) Drive a stunt car

PERSONAL GOALS

(104) Get a tattoo

(105) Get a turtle

(106) Stomp on grapes in a vineyard

(107) Build a house

(108) Help someone fulfill a bucket list goal

(109) Learn how to light a fire

(110) Watch a sports game in a corporate box

(111) Start a blog

(112) Master a good pork crackling
(113) Learn French

(114) Try crocodile

(115) Try Blue Cheese

(116) Try Kangaroo

(117) Go on a cruise

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL GOALS

(118) Snorkel Great Barrier Reef

(119) Snorkel with Sea Turtles at Lady Musgrave Island

(120) Go whale watching at Hervey Bay

(121) Go to the Bunderberg Rum Distellery

(122) Visit Thailand

(123) Go to Alcatraz

(124) Climb the Statue of Liberty

(125) Stay in an overwater bungalow in Bora Bora

(126) Do a European River Cruise

(127) Go to Machu Picchu

(128) Go to Hawaii

(129) Go to Mardi Gras in New Orleans

(130) Go to a broadway musical in New York

(131) Road trip around Ireland

(132) Kiss the Blarney Stone

(133) Drink a Guinness in Ireland

(134) Ride a gondala in Venice

(135) Go to Paris

(136) Go to Las Vegas

(137) Go to Italy

(138) Eat Pasta in Italy

(139) Eat waffles in Belgium

(140) Do a snorkelling cruise in Fiji

(141) Do an African Safari

(142) River Boat South Australia

(143) Go to Greece

(144) Go to Japan

(145) Go to Disneyland

(146) See the Northern Lights

(147) See the Southern Lights

(148) Float in the Dead Sea in Israel

(149) Do an Alaskan Cruise

(150) Live abroad for 6+ months

(151) See the Great Wall of China

(152) Go to Oktoberfest in Germany

Learning to Blog ;)

So, as many people know, I have been on my bucket list journey for about 4 years now...from the year before I turned 40...and it has been the most amazing 4 years (and counting) of my life. I love to share my adventures with you all - let's face it, I am just an average middle aged lady, who has suffered many anxiety and confidence issues over the years, who decided one day that I CAN do it, and I WILL do it, and chose to start living my life to the fullest. When I started I was very overweight, quite unfit, and very scared to try anything. So if I can do it - change my mindset, set goals by making a bucket list and reach them and be willing to chase my dreams, ANYONE can. And the more I do, the braver I get! I hope my adventures can inspire you to follow your dreams and do all those things you've always wanted to do (no matter how big or how small).

After 4 years I really wanted to find an avenue to turn my adventures into something that might inspire others, to document my adventures, and to have a platform to help others reach their dreams - whilst still following my bucket list and achieving my goals.

Which leads me here...the next thing on my bucket list - learning to blog about my bucket list!  

After being pointed in the right direction to www.blogger.com by my wonderful husband, Josh (who will feature in a lot of these blogs I'm sure haha), I slowly started stepping my way through to create my blogger account. In less than 30 minutes I had an account and had started working my way around all the bits of it. Not too hard at all if I say so myself. Phew! The most time consuming part so far, picking the background haha! After changing back and forth a few times - asking hubby and some friends for advice - I finally settled on this one: 

Which led me to here - trying to create my first entry. Am I now a blogger? - I don't think so, I have a long way to go and a lot to learn but I'm looking forward to the journey and sharing it with you all...now let's see if I can work out how to post this - eek!