Skydiving is Taupo’s most popular activity. It is the cheapest place in New Zealand to jump out of a plane and the scenery is spectacular with views over Lake Taupo and the snow capped mountain peaks of Tongariro National Park.
Competition between the two main skydive companies keeps the prices low and you usually get the choice of several jump heights. Generally the ripcord gets pulled at 1524m (5000ft); so a 2743m (9000ft) jump gives you 30 seconds of free fall, a 3658m (12,000ft) jump gives you 45 seconds and a 4572m (15,000ft) jump gives you one minute. However the 15,000ft jump is not always possible, particularly in cold weather and most people choose to jump at 12,000ft. Skydiving operators in New Zealand advertise their jump altitudes in feet, rather than metres.
The quality of video footage is one of the main differences between the different operators. Lots of travellers recommend Skydive Taupo because it features better video options including a one-on-one video of your jump including interviews before and after the jump as opposed to a group video of everyone on the plane. Also the video is of the entire parachute jump and not just the free fall.
Skydiving companies only operate when the weather conditions are right, so be prepared to spend an extra day or two in Taupo waiting for the right conditions. Most tandem skydive companies impose a maximum weight of 100kg.
The following booking options are for a tandem skydive with Skydive Taupo: