"Wow! Out of this world! Amazing!" -- those were the words that Bollywood actor Sidharth Malhotra used to describe his first ever experience of a daring skydive. The tourism ambassador for the country in India says it's one of the best adventures that New Zealand has to offer.
Sidharth took the plunge for the once-in-a-lifetime experience of a skydive here on Wednesday on a bright and sunny day, perfect to get a bird's eye view of Queenstown, which has a breathtaking view of snowcapped mountains, greenery and water body as blue as the sky!
For the actor, doing the skydive has ticked off his bucket list, and recommends it as a "must-do" all visitors here.
Talking exclusively to IANS post the jump from an airplane 15,000 ft, he said: "I think this is the best best best experience that New Zealand has to offer. The view is amazing.
"It takes just three seconds to jump off and then you're right on the edge. It's an amazing free fall, then you go through the clouds...it's like flying...and totally out of the world!"
So excited was he after the jump that he immediately wanted to share the joy with his 2.4 million followers on Twitter.
"Just crossed one thing off my bucket list: skydiving in New Zealand! #NZMustDo #SidNZ @NzoneSkydive EPIC! INSANE! UNBELIEVABLE," he tweeted.
The "Ek Villain" actor was joined in the experience by a college friend and two of his crew members. And they shared a heartwarming hug after they landed on a lush green landscape here.
"It was my first time, and it was amazing. I want to try it again sometime soon," said Sidharth.
For his fans, he said that even if you're scared, "take that leap, take that plunge... three seconds is all you need to fight...and you won't regret it for a lifetime!"
If Sidharth had to throw open this challenge to any of his Bollywood friends, who would it?
"Karan Johar," he said, adding that he wonders if his "Student Of The Year" director and producer will be game for it.
"It would be fun to see him, and perhaps director Mohit Suri," he said.
Officials at NZONE, which has a history of 25 years of making people jump off the sky, said Indian actors like Imran Khan and Sonam Kapoor have already tried the skydive at this location.
For their adventurous plunge, the team gathered at NZONE's Skydive Centre in the middle of Queenstown -- considered the birthplace of tandem skydiving. After getting all geared up, they took off in a Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft - 'the Supervan 900'.
Their landing looked spectacular with colourful parachutes dotting the sky, as they made their way to the base of the famous Remarkables mountain range here.
From high up above the sky, the view is, heavenly. The mountain range, the Lake Wakatipu -- which especially stuns with its distinctly beautiful shade of blue, and green farms with sheep.
(The writer's trip is at the invitation of Tourism New Zealand. Radhika Bhirani can be contacted at radhika.b@ians.in)
--Indo-Asian Service Service
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