Frizz23 0 #1 April 16, 2005 Hi! a friend of mine is for a couple of weeks in New Zealand and wants to make a tandem jump. For me, the "skydive industrie" there looks like some kind of assembly line - so i'm looking for a trustworthy Skydive Center, because i don't want to loose my friend ;-) Any suggestions? Thanks & Kind regards, Frizz Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ss1 0 #2 April 16, 2005 Hiya, I've just come back from New Zealand and jumped at Skydive Abel Tasman on the South Isand and at Skydive Auckland (in Mercer). Both are nice drop zones and very professional so I think you friend is gonna be fine at either. I'd sway towards Skydive Abel Tasman if your friend is doing a tandem simply because the views when jumping out over the National Park are totally awesome! Some friends of mine did tandems at the Franz Josef glacier on the West Coast and they highly recommended jumping there as well. There are also several skydive operators centred around Lake Taupo (middle of the North Island), and they offer the cheapest tandem jumps (NZ$160), although I didn't make it that far north. Hope this helps. Simon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
obelixtim 100 #3 April 16, 2005 Why do you think you will "lose your friend" at a bigger operation???. What nonsense!!!. Tandem oriented operations in NZ have evolved the way they have because NZ is the adventure activity capital of the world, and they do these activities (not just skydiving) extremely well, with high standards of safety and expertise, with extremely good equipment and experience..... The demand for their services is proof of their quality........ Their safety record is one of the best in the world........they have evolved specifically for the tourist market, which is a big industry in NZ......and are very conscious of the need for a high quality, safe operation....and protect their reputation jealously.... You can go to ANY operation in NZ with complete confidence.......it just depends which bit of scenery you want to see on the way down.....the "factories" are more likely to cater for all your tandem needs (videos, photos, t shirts and accessories). Sure, some of them don't do student training or fun jumps very well.....because they are commercial tandem businesses first and foremost....some are licenced for tandem operations only....and they do that very well indeed.....do a search on the net and you'll find whatever you need......My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Frizz23 0 #4 April 16, 2005 Yes - it helps. Thank you! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
