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Tandem skydivers.Darryl Leniuk

WHAT'S THE DEAL?

Tandem skydiving - flinging yourself out of an airplane nearly five kilometres up.

WHERE'S IT AT?

In a country that has marketed itself as a top adventure destination for more than a generation, some things never grow old. Head to the town of Taupo, on New Zealand's North Island, and book a tandem skydive with Freefall Skydiving. After a short safety briefing, you'll be fitted with a jumpsuit and harness and strapped to your Tandem Master. A leap of faith and you'll be freefalling at 200 km/h for about 60 seconds. You won't notice it, but a small drogue parachute will be deployed immediately, to maintain stability and limit your velocity to the same as the freefall photographer, in case you hired one. When the canopy opens, you'll have a slightly more relaxing five minutes to take in the stunning backdrop of Lake Taupo and the volcano of Mount Ruapehu to the south, which was used to film scenes of Mount Doom and Middle-earth in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

WHO'S IT FOR?

Those who want to knock a big item off their bucket list.

A 60-second freefall with Freefall Skydiving (freefall.net.nz) costs about $257.

Special to The Globe and Mail

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