Story: Aerial recreation

For those who want to experience the freedom and exhilaration of soaring like a bird, New Zealand has many adventures on offer, and stunning scenery to fly over.

Story by Nancy Swarbrick
Main image: A skydiver prepares to leap from a plane

Story summary

All images & media in this story

Ballooning

Before there were planes, some daring people flew in silk hot-air balloons. The balloons were hard to control, and often blew off course. The American Leila Adair, who visited New Zealand in 1894, performed on a trapeze under her balloon.

Modern nylon balloons are safer. New Zealand’s colourful balloon festivals began in 1988, and today tourists enjoy sightseeing from high in the sky.

Flying planes

In the early 1900s many New Zealanders built their own engine-powered planes, and formed aero clubs. Today almost anyone can learn to fly, including young people. A popular hobby is restoring old aircraft, which are flown at spectacular air shows.

Microlights are tiny planes with light engines. They are cheap to build and quite easy to fly, and you can train for a licence.

Gliding

Gliders are planes with no engine. Launched by a powered aircraft, they stay up by riding on air currents. In 1911, 18-year-old George Bolt built and flew a glider above Christchurch. Some Kiwis have been world gliding champions.

Parachuting and skydiving

Imagine leaping from a plane: the sudden blast of air, the fear and excitement, free-falling at about 200 kilometres an hour before you pull the cord and release your parachute. New Zealand’s first parachute jump was made in 1922, and the sport has been popular since the 1950s. Skydivers sometimes perform acrobatics while they are in free fall.

Hang gliding and paragliding

A hang glider is a simple aluminium frame with two wings. Launching himself from a cliff, the pilot hangs in a harness and uses his or her weight to catch the wind and change direction. The sport began in New Zealand in the 1970s.

A paraglider has no frame – just a wing that fills with air, and a harness. Paragliders are easy to carry and can be launched from high mountains. Kiwi mountaineer Rob Hall made the first flight from Aoraki/Mt Cook in 1986.

How to cite this page:

Nancy Swarbrick, 'Aerial recreation', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/aerial-recreation (accessed 30 March 2024)

Story by Nancy Swarbrick, published 12 June 2006