Piedrahita - day 4. More XCs...

A late start today which ended up upsetting the natural order of flying here. We took off for the morning flight, starting with quiet lift. Steve and Kobus landing out with little to speak of. Meanwhile Bryan and I climbed out, as did the others soon afterwards. with hindsight we should have just tried to stay up. It would have been easy, as we we found when we headed out into the valley to land, thermals kicking off everywhere. It took some searching to find sink to wind down in and then some of us had down wind landings as thermals drew air off the hill. I had some dusting down to do after fininshing face down in a field used for livestock...

After a quick cup of tea it was back up to launch, picking up JK on the way (he'd landed near the chalets), to see Simon, who had waited, launch. In a lull. The cycles had got strong. Gavin and Steve launched in a lull, JK from below the road. Bryan, Carolyn and I waited for the next lull. And waited. Howling thermal gusts convinced Carolyn to bag her wing. I was going to join her when the next lull began, and I quickly took my chance. Bryan was walking down to the road and had to rush to get off himself, running backwards through the brush to get off. But we both got away!

I was soon climbing above the road and up over the top, soon getting up to around 500m above launch. Following the usual route along the spines of the hill, I got height above the Coral and made the quarry spine with height. However, loosing it with glide along to the top of the spine, I thought it was going to be a repeat of two days ago. Indeed, only finding bubbles, I was set up for landing coming over the cemetery at about 30m above the ground when a stronger warm gust came through. I turned and went up. The next five minutes were a battle to stay with it and I climbed back up to 2000m... and lost the thermal. Was to be all in vain? I wondered as I pushed back towards the cemetery, hoping for another thermal. My luck was in and again I climbed up, the thermal becoming easier. At above 2800m I could cross the pass.

Climbs the other side of the pass were not very strong and in a N headwind were drifting back into the mountains more than I cared for. I left a climb at 2200m - in hindsight a bit too low. I headed for the line of the river hoping it would be triggering. All I found were small bubbles and soon I had to set up to land in a nice big field. Typically it kicked off a big thermal about 5 minutes after I landed! Still, a 29km flight, and all the more pleasing for the fantastic low save.

Flight details are here.

Pete was soon there to pick me up, even before I'd finished packing. Very efficient - thank you Pete! We carried on out to Avila, following Bryan, Gavin, Steve and Kevin (flying tandem). All were getting good lift further on the valley - much as I had done yesterday. Having watched the flights into the landing field and headed back to Piedrahita, it was back up the hill for an evening flight to finish off the day. Good stuff yet again.

Piedrahita - day 3: Over the pass!

Blue sky! Its a classic looking Piedrahita morning, the day is looking good. :-)

After the morning flight and the usual cup of tea it was up to take off for the main event. Everyone got off in good time and we were soon thermalling up ove the main big spine or out in front. Steve led the way (of course), with Bryan, John (JK), and I following, Gavin joining us from out in the valley to cross to the quarry spine. Sadly JK got low and lnaded out while I thermalled up above him. Thus today had loads of height above the quarry spine. Steve and Bryan worked up high above the ridge behind, while Gavin and I climbed up together above the pass crest. Bit of a N wind so we crossed over the south side, watching Steve getting drilled down, looking for all the world like he was going to land on top! Oh we of little faith - he got a good climb on the lee side where Gavin and I joined him for the next climb. Bryan, of course, comes in from nowhere, high above us! I'm sure he has a secret pass sky teleport system...

The four of us floated about ther for a bit before heading off, picking up thermals off the villages at the foot of the mountains. Bryan and Steve got a bit low and had to head south-east to get to some triggers. I went out to the river line and started to pick up reasonable thermals there. I could see Bryan and Steve getting a good climb out. I continued zig-zagging along the river line getting thermals and drifing off to the south before gliding back. Slow but steady progess. Eventually I saw Bryan, Gavin and steve heading ove, though in the case of Steve it was ahead of me, speeding off towards Avila!

Towards the Y junction (around 7km short of Avila I guess) I took another thermal to make sure of the glide into the landing fiels. I need not have bothered! Going on glide at around 2700m, I continued to climb all the way to Avila, getting there at over 3000m, getting good views down into the bullring and it would have been easy to carry on. But the day was slow and there was the evening flight to consider, so I headed out to find sink to wind down in, while Bryan glided in beneath me to land. I soon joined him and Steve. Gavin had landed back along the valley having crossed to the road line to find no lift.

Then I found out that Tony and Carolyn had also managed to climb out over the pass. Carolyn having patiently worked the thermals ove the head of the quarry spine, before getting small bits of lift to get her out into the Avila valley, landing a little way along the river line in the middle. So six over the pass - a great result!

Flight details are here.

Back for the evening flight. This was a geat way to unwind after the XC battles of the day and a chance for some nice sunset shots. A fine day indeed, rounded off with a good meal courtesy of Puri at the house.

Piedrahita: days 1 & 2

Blue skies but a strong wind forecast. We headed up the hill for a hopeful early morning flight, but hope was in vain as the wind was already quite strong from over the back of the hill. Back down again then for an afternoon of cards and reading.

The evening we were more fortunate. The winds had died down enough for a bit of a westerly to come up the face, and we were able to have a bit of a soaring flight for 1/2hr or so. The wind was quite strong in the valley so glides to the landing field were somewhat crab-like! However, a nice bonus given the expectation was a non flying day, which we all rounded off at Bar Filipe for food and red stuff that is apparently drinkable providing you don't think of it as wine!

Day2 didn't look to be starting too well either with the hill covered in low cloud during the first half of the morning. Took a while to burn off, but it did to give us a good looking sky though a low post frontal cloudbase. Steve H recommended we go for staying up and going for the XC flight rather than a flight down (time moving on), though direction difficult to call. (in the end we went E against light N wind.) Slow climbs with relatively low height gains led to the inevitable fallout of pilots at stages along the way. At the pass just Steve H, Bryan, Gavin and I remained in the air. The area at the top of the quarry spine was all in shadow, and bar the odd bubble I could find no lift, so I bombed out there at the cemetary. as I packed I watched Gavin come in, looking like he was going to do the same. Ah, the sun! Gavin gets the low save and climbs up out of there - excellent low save. He, Bryan and steve go on to do a triangle, flying back to Piedrahita.

A good evening flight (they always are here). Boating up the ridge and back for an hour or so before heading out into the valley with loads of height, watching the sun go down. Must be time fo a beer! :-)

Piedrahita trip: days -1 and 0.

The start of our now traditional trip to Spain for some flying; but first some winding down in Madrid. We arrived Friday, and having checked in, found the Tapas bar next to the Real Palace we'd stopped at a few years back. The beer was just as welcome as the day was just as hot! We finished off the evening in the Plaza Mayor with a pleasant meal (fish) and a random white wine.

Our day in Madrid we spent finding air conditioned locations to frequent! Our aim was the Reina Sophia gallery of modern art, but chance took as past the Caixa Forum - a curious building on pillars with the entrance winding up the inside of the central pillar. Two floors of exhibit space. The first was showing a selection of Islamic art from the Aga Khan's extensive collection, covering hundreds of years and the spread of Islam through Asia and Europe. The second floor was given over to an exhibition of the architecture of Richard Rogers whose work includes the Millenium Dome and Heathrow T5!

On to the Reina Sofia via the railway station! (Odd, I know, but it boasts a bit of a botanical garden under its great entrance hall, and a large number of Turtles. We didn't stay as the sun was streaming down rather strongly over the cafe where we thought about having a drink.) A nice touch is that entrance is free after 2.30 on a Saturday - so we waited 15mins in the shop before our foray into the Galleries. The Renia Sofia boasts works of Dali, Miro, and of course Picasso, including the famous Guernica. By the time we got to the said piece the place was packed, so we didn't stay just there. The many cubist pictures didn't do a lot for us, but there are some less well known Dali pictures we enjoyed, plus a couple of Magritte paintings (a favourite artist of mine). Highlight though was probably the temporary review of Munoz's sculpture on the third floor. Lots of figures - typically the fantastic 3/4 size figures with rounded lower halves, set in various poses.

Late afternoon, and we returned to another spot we'd been to before for Tapas. A couple of welcome beers and a selection of Pinchos. We returned here for the evening meal after going back to our hotel to freshen up, walking back via Pueta del Sol - lots a people about the many bars and restaurants in the side streets. We chose to eat at Vine P. A simple sald followed by the speciality of the house - slice beef steak you cooked yourself on a stone plate that had been heated up in the oven. Great fun, and great tasting meat, and all washed down with a very nice bottle of Ribera del Duero.

The next day we headed back the Airport to meet up with the others on the trip. Collecting our gliders etc from left luggage, we waited on Simon D at T4. The rest had come in at the other terminal building, but a phone call fom Kevin P / Steve H whilst we had morning coffee and we were relieved of have to travel back to T1/2/3, and it was on to Piedrahita, via Avila, hopefully for some flying. It wasn't to be. Our stop in Avila showed that a howling SW was present, so we stayed for lunch and wandered around the old city.

Getting into Piedrahita, and the wind was still so strong that even the evening flight was a non starter. So the usual recourse - off to the bar for an apperatif before the evening meal! Good to steve Steve, Puri, Oliver and Sophie again - always a shock to see how much children grow up in a year (more so over two - Carolyn having missed last year's trip). Hopefully a good week of flying ahead.

A new Personal Best - 115km!

I think I cashed in all my luck today...

SE forecast so went to Kettlesings to find it quiet and indeed off to the S. A few others about including Bryan, Jock, Gary, Al and Craig. A few made tentative hops but it was way off to the South. Jock went down to bottom landing field, Bryan went up but drifted along hill before having to leave thermal low and then had to go and land out. Charles, Dave T, Graham, Tim etc. got up as well but only with slow climbs. One looked good so I launched to try and join them but fell out. While everyone else got back on TO, I got drilled in the bowl seting up and failed to side land, so ended up landing with Bryan.

Jock is there - do we want a lift up, Howard is there with his car? No-brainer, we all squeeze in and head back up - at least we'd get another attempt in in what was not looking such a good day: the others we managing to get short flights but were not getting height. At one stage we thought they'd be bottom landing as well. However as we got back to TO we found the wind had picked up and come more onto the hill. If anything it was now quite fresh. So no hanging around, kit back out I waited for a reasonable lull and took off.

We had a goodly gaggle thermalling up to above 1000' ATO and we drifted back. Graham and Tim headed off whilst a couple of others headed back to the ridge. I started to follow but then it seemed to me to be marginal as to whether I'd get back with reasonable height, so I turned back to find the thermal we'd been using - well nothing ventured... I soon connected with with and worked it up. Steady rather than strong but got up to 2000' ATO, and somehow caught up with Graham and Tim - well I think they were waiting up near base, which was good of them. Then the next bit of luck as I headed out on glide to a cloud in the distance. Graham flying above and a little beyond turns around and yells down at me to head for a cloud near by. Turning I see, yup it does indeed look good and much closer. Tim up there as well - so I followed.

I didn't make as much of it as the others, so the next section was hard going as I got low while they managed to stay high. However although lift was weak, so was the sink and I just kept working what I could with drifting bubbles. Although it seemed slow going, we go the Leominster, so it was already a good XC for me. Now Bryan, Iain and one other came overhead like the clappers. A cloud street had formed overhead and they were cruising it, catching Graham and Tim up. Just beyond Leominster I picked up a good thermal and was soon up under the cloud: base was only ~4200' at best. All the others were a way in front of me but that just marked out the sky. It wasn't long before I'd caught up as folk dived from one side of the street to the other, finding the lift and then sink to avoid (mostly) going into cloud. It was all pretty easy now with good ground speed and barely the need to turn in thermals at times. Really enjoyed flying over the wind-farms around Newtown though felt the need to concentrate on the flying so no photos I'm afraid. :-(

The big northern mountains of Wales were looming as I saw 98km come up on the GPS. My first 100km flight was in the bag! I went on glide to one final lee-side thermal, but found ground speed was now up to 70kph. Going on was not going to be sensible. The valley ahead (going down to Aberdovy) runs E-W so rotor was in my mind, but it is relatively wide and I figured a valley wind blowing toward the coast would be there. Although I considered running down the valley to the coast (in fact Graham did this a little later), I figured the best thing to do was land in the biggest field not crossed by power lines (and there are a lot around there!). Good move. There was indeed a valley wind. I was barely penetrating and of course got picked up a couple of times as thermals broke off (fence looking close...) A safe touch down leaving me to watch the others flying over only to get pinned on the north side of the valley, barely penetrating with full-bar. Tim and Graham squirted off side-slipping towards the coast, Iain managed to get into the same field as I was in, and Bryan one field down.

Six of us has made the ton together in all (the sixth, Simon I think, has landed about 5km earlier). Graham had landed by the train station - handy. Thanks to some hunting about by Tim, we got a taxi to get us right back to the car-park at Kettlesings - well worth it. The pint with Graham, Iain, and Mark back at the Malvern Hill Hotel barely touched the sides. What a brilliant day! Flight details here.

BPcup 2009 Round 1 - Scottish Borders. Day 3 & 4

A vote was held at the briefing this morning. Options were stay local and risk day being blown out or travel 3hrs north where the wind would be less. I wasn't there as breakfast at the George was a much more inviting option! Staying local won out.

The mini-buses ferried us out to the hills above Meggett Head. Cheryl was flying the NE flank when we arrived (though not going up or down). Encouraging, so we took the long hike up... It was obviously too strong from the east. So, dumping rucksacks we went for a walk, kidding ourselves that the wind might drop as the inversion lifted.

It was a good walk. Great views, with the far point of our little ramble atop a cliff above a fine tarn. Obligatory photographs taken, the parawaiting was deemed over, and we all made our way down again.

The George Arms Inn was closed that evening, so we were back to camping. Fortunately most things were dry enough now, so Carolyn and I took the opportunity to re-establish our tent before heading off for the now free afternoon. We went to Melrose to take a look at some gardens and the abbey; a pleasant enough way to while away a sunny if windy afternoon. Seeing the RAF take a very close look at St Mary's loch from a couple of Tornadoes was also noteworthy! The day was rounded off with another trip to the Taste of India, this time with a party of nine (we booked) and drinking back at the campsite - the forecast for the next day was for even more wind.

And indeed the next day was greeted by a strong easterly. Fortunately the tent was relatively sheltered with that direction and had survived the night. The morning's briefing had become the competition's prize-giving. Still plenty of folk around for it which was good to see. Official results and a write up are here. With just the one task, I had placed 17th in the cup, 19th overall, which I pretty pleased with. Roll on the Dales!

Having struck camp Carolyn and I headed north for the mountains via Traquair House, the oldest still inhabited castle in Scotland. A grand affair with parts of the building dating back over 900 years, today it hosts a museum (including an impressive library and some fine antique maps of the region), a working brewery (interesting strong ales...), and a large maze. The gardens are pleasant and extend through the woods down to the river Tweed. Peacocks wander the grounds the entrance to which are marked by the Bear gates, closed until there is a Stewart upon the throne. Well worth the visit.

BPcup 2009 Round 1 - Scottish Borders. Day 2

It is sunny, we have a task!

Didn't feel the need for breakfast this morning following last night's curry! The briefing at 8am set us on our way to Broughton Heights - a site I'd failed to get away from last year. Expectation was for light westerly winds going around to the N and NE later in the day. The ground was expected to be very soft, so we'd have a walk up the hill, but this didn't stop some from attempting to drive 4x4s up. Calvo (meet director) got stuck and required towing out courtesy of the farmer and his tractor, much to the amusement of all on-lookers.

Whilst some tested the air, and the organisers planned the task, I set up the new wing and ground handled for a bit to get a feel of it. The Cobra comes up nice and easy and sits overhead, with no apparent tendency to overshoot. The lines are very clean. My initial impression, having come from a Sport, is that it looks small and thin! (The Cobra has an aspect ration of nearly 6:1 as opposed to the Sport's 5.2)

The task was called. A straight race to Hawick, 46km ESE. The wind was already going around to the north, clouds were developing and likely to be an issue. The window opened but pilots were not in a rush to get off as winds were very light now and we were relying on thermic cycles. Gradually though gaggles worked the cycles and each time a few got away. My first flight came to nothing as I didn't quite catch the thermal and decided to side land rather than risk ending up down low. My second attempt was good and I climbed up several hundred foot above launch before loosing the thermal and sank back down with everyone else. There were still a good number of us who hadn't got away and were hunting around in the bowl going up and down. Also a number still on the deck finding it hard to take-off now as the wind continued to veer round to the N and E. I thought I'd blown it and I'd be stuck here, but at least I'd be giving the wing a good work-out. However I got lucky with a thermal that I felt happy to work on the lee side and with a couple of others I was up and away!

So how does the Cobra fly? Well, I'm no expert reviewer, and these are just my impressions from a single flight: The first thing I noted is that it is indeed quick quick and nimble, but quite refined. It's agile and responds well to weight shift followed by a little bit of brake to get into a good turn. Now I haven't flown many wings, however agile wings that I have have felt a bit light and delicate. The Cobra though feels pretty solid - agility without fragility! I hope this proves to be the case, it seems to me to be quite impressive for a LTF-2 wing. During the flight I found it climbed really well, giving good feedback without being "over-talkative". The pitch neutrality is going to take a bit of getting used to as there is little tendency to pitch into or away from thermals as you go in. I found "scrappy air" a bit harder to read than I've found on some other wings, but that said I had more time to float around to sketch it out as the Cobra is definitely "floaty". Indeed I found that I was out-climbing other wings more often than not when thermalling (although I have a pretty small sample for this statement!).

During the flight the cloud cover continued to build and the skies got fairly threatening. There was quite a downpour going on 20kms or so out to the east. I had just one moment where the wing didn't do anything other than fly smoothly. About mid-flight I suffered a full frontal (I think) and the wing's 6:1 aspect ratio became 1:1! Expecting things to get dramatic, I was somewhat surprised as the wing barely pitched, calmly re-inflated and resumed its service. It was a remarkably mellow experience, as if the wing was a trusty unflappable butler, calmly apologising having been knocked by an unruly guest before continuing a dignified service.

I flew on, staying clear of cloud-base and in sight of blue holes, and tried out the speed system. This has a more complex riser modification set-up than I'm use to (apparently to modify the shape of the wing beyond simply its angle of attack), but application of speed bar is really smooth and easy. I soon found myself making use of the bar throughout the rest of the flight. A couple of thermals later (and a bit of sleet!) and I could see goal in the distance. I just needed one more good climb. I could see wings well to the east and well to the west of me (I figured they must be free flying, but it later turned out that competitors in the task had taken a wide range of direction options for the task), and one landing next to the river Ettrick below me. The terrain beyond was a good stretch of moorland so plenty of landing options, but with no good road access. So if I had to land it'd be a long walk out, but I was in a gentle climb, so I decided to continue. As it was I didn't have to make a decision to land due to the incoming weather as a I hit the sea breeze and got sunk out to land right in the middle of the expanse, about 9k short of the goal cylinder. Landing had been nice and easy, and having packed away after an enjoyable flight, my luck continued as some anglers, having finished their fishing for the day, strolled past and offered me a lift down to the road.

We picked up Chris who had flown about 0.5k further than I had as we drove down to Ashkirk where he and I exchanged stories of the day's flying over a nice cold pint. Carolyn came to pick us up having had, sadly, an unsuccessful flying day. Apparently I'd been in pretty much the last group to get away from the mountain. The wind went around to come over the back. Carolyn had laid out, but then a gust came down over the back, rolling the wing down and then dragged it, and her, back up the hill. - "I got rotored on the ground!", - Carolyn

So, I didn't make goal, but it was a good flight, and I didn't get hailed upon in the landing field or have to spiral down to escape the weather! In the end I came a respectable (I think) 19th. Not bad for the first flight on a new wing. Overall I think I'd sum up my impression of the Cobra as having more the sense of a refined GT car than a feisty supercar. Flight details are here.

BPcup 2009 Round 1 - Scottish Borders. Day 1

At last I've got my new Cobra (possibly the first size S in the UK), just in time for the BPC. I would have liked to flown it a bit before the comp, but I'll just concentrate on the flying providing we get any: It's been blowy with frequent heavy showers on the way up. We stopped off at Threkeld to pick up the wing from UK Airsports - may thanks to Pat et al. for being really helpful - very friendly and professional.

We arrived the Friday night, put up tent, met up with Dave JH, pie and a pint at the Tibbie shiels and crashed out knowing that the briefing the next day was going to be a formality. Sure enough, the howling winds and regular down-bursts put pay to day 1 of the Scottish Open, but following registration, Dave Thompson gave an excellent talk on flying the borders region - more of a plateau with valleys than hills and mountains and sea breezes to look out for.

Following this Carolyn and I headed out to be tourists, going to the Robert Smail's Printing Works - a living museum if there ever was one. Owned by the National Trust of Scotland it still does print jobs (posters, wedding invites, stationary etc.) using equipment that dates back as far as 1850. It also has a record of every print job done making it an incredible historical archive the NTS is working on cataloging. Worth a visit if you are Innerleithen way.

On the way back we drove through Selkirk in search of a curry house for the evening meal. We found the Taste of Spice, which we duly returned to with Dave JH, Mark, Diane and Steve that evening. We only just got in, getting the last available table. Why is it that in small towns you can find superb Indian restaurants? A mixture of familiar and rare dishes, this restaurant provided what we all agreed was a cut above the average Indian. All washed down with Cobra of course!

But, before the evening's pleasantries, we had a bit of a problem to deal with. Although we'd survived the stormy weather, out tent had not. The weather had been too much and the tent had collapsed and subsequently become a covered paddling pool! Although several thoughtful campers had tired to help by righting it (thank you all), it resolutely returned to giving way to the wind. Luckily my search for alternative accommodation was pretty short as the Gordon Arms Inn, just 10 minutes along the road had rooms available. Phew!

Another BCC round, another short hop

Easter weekend brought a bumper 4 day BCC round in SE Wales. True to form Friday was rained off, but then Carolyn and I were visiting my parents. Saturday saw the Malvern team head to Tal-y-bont where they travelled many kms... by foot! Apparently they got some airtime in but not much as they chased what wind there was around the hill. I got some gardening done :o). Sunday I joined our intrepid team. To everyone's relief the site chosen was not Tal-y-bont, but Blorenge on the hope that the wind wouldn't go southerly too early.

A leisurly stroll across the top and then a wait for the comp director to find someone to open the gate so those not-so-fit could get to take-off without walking, got us to mid-day. Tall clouds only a few hundred foot above us and murk in the valley, plus precious little cycles of wind meant we were not in a hurry anyway. The task called was "an open triangle"! In other words open distance with up to two turn points. Much debate was had over routes etc., but I reckoned it'd be turn from the hill, turn into landing field. Not far from the truth in the end.

A few intrepid pilots launched, and re-launched, from the SE face, and a few managed to get up a bit and get away. The Malvern team, true to form, sat about waiting for things to get better. Parawaiting is what we do best! Eventually Bryan got away. I'd laid out next to Bryan and was ready to go when the cycle finished, so I waited for the next... and waited... The sun left the face, the cloud cover increased and pilots including myself, started lobbing off in the slightest puff of wind and headed out to Abergavenny Town where at least the sun was still shining.

After a lee side thermal kicked me I found small amounts of lift over a shoulder of the hill coming off the edge of town, but not enough to go anywhere, so headed out to the graveyard hoping to pick something up. If I didn't then I'd be there to land at Castle Meadows across the river. I did find a thermal - rough as blazes! Probably why I watched gliders fly right past me to land. Really hard to keep the glider in any consistent shape, but it was good enough to get me back up to about launch height. Good practice for low saves! But I soon lost it all heading for the slopes of Sugar-loaf and had to settle for landing out a mere 1km on - not quite enough to score minimum distance.

Chris, Ian and Stuart had to resort to nill-wind launches apparently. I watched Chris and others drift in a light thermal from the landing area towards my landing spot, but most turned and settled for Castle Meadows - only a couple tried to go further.

Eventually we all met up at the LZ and found Bryan had let the side down having gone over 8km and thus scored!

Monday's round cancelled. Apparently no-one wanted to walk up Tal-y-bont again for the strong southerlies forecast... More gardening for me!

UK season begins...

I think we're over the jet lag now...

We've managed to get out and do some flying - hoorah! I managed a flop of an XC over the back of Worcester Beacon, and both Carolyn and I got good soaring in at Kettle Sings on separate days. Both flights in strongish winds, but good to get some air time. And finally, Malvern club has entered into the BCC this year, and we had our first crack at the Blorenge last Saturday. Picture (right) shows us wondering whether its flyable! Chris has a good write up here: MHGA Blog

Meantime, I've been working out how to get flights uploaded to Leonardo. Links are set up to the left, but here are some of my New Zealand flights:

* Mt Cheeseman
* Coronet Peak
* Trebble Cone
* Te Mata Peak

Day 19 - Homeward bound

But not before a last bit of tourism. Having dropped off luggage at the airport, and navigated to the Campervan depot in Auckland, we took a harbour tour which turned out to be quite varied. Good views of downtown Auckland, the surrounding area - north and south shores, and plenty of water borne vessels. These ranged from kyacks, old steamers and yachts to container ships with the playthings of multi-millionaires, the America's Cup racers and a cruise-liner in between. At one stage we slowed down to make our way through a yacht race.

We stopped off at Rangitoto island, the youngest island in the area (600years), a volcano and a reserve which the DOC is removing all vermin from. It has no soil, all the exposed ground is black although it is tree covered (Manuka which doesn't need to put roots into soil if I recall correctly) . On sunny days the temperature here can be significantly higher than in the city.

Travelling back we got a good view of Devonport and its North Head. This hosts gun placements and is riddled with tunnels, dating back to late 19th century in response to a possible Russian threat (never materialised) and then WWI & WWII. We went for a walk around here after our harbour tour. The tour carried on past a couple of naval ships, a sugar factory and a bungy jump at the Auckland harbour bridge, complete with a couple of bungy jumpers.

Following our walk around the guns and through the tunnels at North Head, we finished off the day with a last meal on one of the quays: A fine dinner of lamb (it came down to a coin toss between lamb and the seafood dishes) washed down with a bottle of Merlot Cabernet.

So our holiday in NZ comes to an end. Off to the airport for a 27hr trip back home. Hope you've enjoyed these reports (please do post a comment or drop us a line - it's nice to know who's been reading). The keen eyed will have seen that the last few postings are all a bit late - sorry it has taken us a bit of time to update - and yes we're back in Blighty! It's been a great holiday - we ended up taking around 500 photographs, but we'll spare you... click on the slideshow to see the selected highlights.

Now, on to hopefully a good British flying season...

Day 18 - More water

The end is approaches as we fly out of Auckland tomorrow. So today we travelled north getting a little past Hamilton where we had intended to stay overnight - but everything was booked due to a Rugby match we suspect. Weather didn't make sleeping in the van that attractive proposition, so it was fortunate we found a backpackers not too far away off the beaten track.

Leaving Lake Taupo we'd stopped off to see the Huka Falls where water from the Waikato river that drains the Lake is forced through a narrow channel at an impressive rate (220,000 litres per second!). There's a video of someone paddling Huka falls here. We did not paddle it! (or see anyone else do so.)

A short distance away are the "Craters of the Moon" - an area of hot springs that became more active after an earthquake caused some of the water trapped in the fault to drain away (space for condensing). The result is fumeroles, craters, and boiling mud pools spewing an impressive amount of steam (smelling of rotten eggs of course). What was most astounding was the noise as one particular vent was so active that it sounded like a steam engine.

A drive through the rain took us to Waitomo where we finished off doing a couple of tours of two of the caves there to look at the Glow worms. The first took us into the smallest cave there where we got taken into a chamber by boat. (Glow worms feed on insects brought in by rivers.) The chamber had hundreds of thousands of glow worms - it was like looking up at the milky way on a very clear night. It's quite spooky to be able to see people around you by just the light of these insects! The second tour accesses 1.5km of a 7km cave used by the black water rafters where we saw more in the way of stalactites and stalagmites and got some close up views of more glow worms.

Day 17 - In the footsteps of Frodo

The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is held to be the best one day hike in New Zealand - and who are we to disagree? The hike is very popular, so much so a bus service is laid on to get hikers from one end of the track to the other. Ideal! So, an early start from Taupo to get us to Whatapapa got us bussed up to the trail head at Mangatepopo.

So what makes this hike so special? Well it takes the walker through a great variety of terrain, crossing some of the most active volcanic areas of NZ, but also through scrubland, dramatic valleys, and forest.

We started with an hour's hike along a track winding through moorland towards the rising sun and the backdrop of Mt Ngauruhoe - more familiar to fans of the Lord of the Rings films as Mount Doom! This is a text book Volcano - conical with an almost perfect caldera with the scars of past lava flows rolling down its flanks. From the point know as Soda Springs we climbed up the "Devil's Staircase" (why is it always the devil?...) which wound its way fairly steeply up over a old lava flow. The views just getting better and better...

We were fortunate to get a nice sunny morning for the trip, but winds were at 45kph and forecast to get stronger - certainly not a flying day. This did mean we got fantastic views with the tops clear of cloud, save that rolling in and up from the north - adding more drama to the scene (as if that were needed). The hike took us from the top of the Devil's Staircase across the flat of the southern crater. Truly an alien landscape if ever there was one! Then it was another climb up onto the rim. The photographs were mounting up too!

We'd made good time arriving at the rim, so we decided to take the hour or so to take the side hike to the summit of Mt Tongariro to get some more views. The wind was picking up quite a bit though and as we hiked around the rim of the southern crater we got regularly sand-blasted as the wind whipped up grit from the northern crater and across us. (We're still fishing grit out from our ears a day later). But it was worth it - more great views of Mt Ngauruhoe and we just got a glimpse of Mt Tanganika out on the coast (despite gathering cloud).

More sand blasting took us back to look down on Red Crater. Just when you think there are no more incredible surprising sights this tramp can possibly throw at you... Red crater is very red. Many spots may claim to be the gates of hell, but here the devil was spawned. Words fail here - hopefully you'll get some idea from the photo.

Down the rim took us past the Emerald lakes (mmm sulphur...) and across the northern crater. By now the cloud was starting to drop so the clear views we'd had of the blue lake early were now shrouded. Then suddenly the scenery was quite different as we turned down into a valley reminiscent of a steep sided glen, covered in mosses, heathers, and alpine flowers as well as large areas of lichen. As we descended this gave way to shrubbery and the Ketetari hot springs (mmm more sulphur...), then finally an hour's walk out under the forest canopy to await the bus.

Day 16: Te Mata Peak

Bary, the local knowledge from Airplay, was in the supermarket when we first phoned. Eventually we made contact and arranged a meeting at a garage in Havelock North. The weather was looking better and improving so we were eager to get going. Roland from Switzerland was also in the carpark so we convoyed to the landing field. Lots of space with only a few trees and a couple of radio-controlled models stunting in one corner. From here we could see two faces of the ridge of Te Mata which rises steeply from a few lower hills in front. All I'd ever done from this site before were a few top to bottoms on an"Introduction to Paragliding" course, 16 years ago. The main take-off then was a tiny steep slope over a cliff next to the top carpark. Barry was able to point out a "less challenging" slope - still very steep but much longer.
A little while later we were standing above the take off and watching in disbelief as Barry disappeared over the edge of the cliff. Following him we found a path down an almost vertical cliff to the only-marginally less steep take-off slope. "Hold on to the flax" Barry called over his shoulder. He then demonstrated rapid wing deployment and was soon off into strong lift.
I was off next and going up as soon as I'd stepped off. I was up at ridge level and decided to move away from the take-off zone to allow Nigel and Roland to get off. There was lift all along the ridge until, rather carelessly, I dropped into wind shadow behind a narrow spine and sank like a stone. I just made it back over the spine but too low to find any lift and landed under the take-off. Packing up I began the stagger back up the hill. Nigel was still messing around on take-off and I was close enough to snap him taking off.

By the time I got up to take-off Roland had also left and both were high above me. By the time I took off - again into strong lift - they had both disappeared. I spent the next hour and a half bobbing around the front of the hill, travelling between250 and 640 meters above sea level and getting brilliant views across the bay all the way to Napier and admiring the neat vineyard with formal gardens, lake and posh house which had appeared in front of the Peak in the last 16 years. But where was everyone else? I could see Roland's wing on the ground and Nigel informed me by radio that he had had to land because he had a twisted riser. Barry had also landed and was supervising an air steward from Holland who was running down the gentle slopes in the landing field under a beginner's wing.
Eventually Nigel made it back in to the air untwisted. He was getting some lift but wasn't coming up to my level. Apparently his wing is now too old and once his new wing arrives... He hung around for a while and then made for the landing field. I followed him down, over the "middle hill" as I was getting hungry and I thought we might need to move on. But no, Nigel was keen to do it all again so I drove him back up the hill. He was lifted off while still reversed and swung round in the air. A lot of the slope was now in shadow and he didn't stay up for long.
Back in the van and on the road again we were lucky to find a room for the night in Taupo and very lucky to find some very good food in a near-by bar.

Day 15 - Where there's a cricket match...

Today started out bright and sunny - but breezy. Still, we went out to the summit of Te Mata peak so Carolyn could show me where she'd been thrown off. It's quite a site with a coastal east facing aspect comprising a NE face and a SE face. These are cliffs atop grassy banks and a wide open fields for landing. There's also a back side for S. The top launch looked committing to say the least - an open shallow gully with barely room for a single glider right over the highest cliff face.

Too windy, and no local pilots, we decided to head into town, see if we could contact Airplay (the local PG school) and find something to amuse ourselves with. We eventually managed to get a number and contact Barry who was outside the area that day but due to return, and arranged to speak again the next day. So as the the skies rapidly overdeveloped to a dark covering of cloud, and we discovered the 1st one-day international between NZ and India was taking play that afternoon in Napier, we booked ourselves on another wine tour. Rain stops play!

Though our wine tour was pleasant enough, taking in three wineries and a tour of the works at Moani ( a small organic concern with a passionate wine maker). A tour of the vines was put aside given the rather damp conditions.

We found the cricket game on Sky TV back at our room - play was back on in a reduced overs "Duckworth-Lewis" game. What had been a sell-out (apparently) was now a near empty stadium . We watched India put in some fine batting to close their innings before heading out to eat. We ended up at a Curry House - but 3rd time lucky, this one was good. (NZ lost the cricket match by quite a margin.)

Day 14 - Windy Wellington

We decided to have a bit of walk around Wellington today; take a look at the historic buildings and a walk around the botanical gardens. All quite pleasant in the the sun, though the wind that Wellington is reknowned for was definitely present today. We rather did things the wrong way around in taking the furnicular down from the botanical gardens to the city having walked up - but still fun to do.

Following getting accommodation sorted (not easy as fruit picking season), and catching up on the blogging etc., we headed out to Hastings. This is near to Te Mata peak where Carolyn started paragliding. (We'd have been better off at Havelock North for restaurant options as Hastings, although the central town is not geared for tourists particularly, but our hotel was comfortable enough for the 2 nights, and a good deal with breakfast included)

Day 13 - Twitching

Eventually we dragged ourselves out of Gill's comfey spare bed and she drove us into town for breakfast with Diane - a bit of a reunion since we all lived together in Wellington in 1993!

Nigel and I then headed off to the Karori Wildlife Park where the only mammals alowed in are human! There is a tight, tall fence around it and they check your bag for mice! (No, really!) Inside this mainland island the bush is mainly native and home to rare native birds which developed the now risky strategy of nesting on the ground. Nigel's hunting instincts came to the fore as he stalked tui, saddlebacks and stitchbirds through the undergrowth with his camera. We also spotted some tuatora, ancient remnents of the dinosaur clan, as they came out of the undergrowth to bask in the sun. The spines on their necks have been decorated with different combinations of coloured beads for identification purposes giving them a slightly hippy look. The whole park is set in a valley that used to hold two resevoirs until it was pointed out that having that much water on a fault line in an earthquake zone above a major population centre was not one of the brightest ideas. It was quite sheltered from the famous Wellington wind though and we had a very pleasant afternoon.

Gill and Diane then introduced us to an atmospheric Turkisk resturant where we once again indulged in our newest wine discovery, Pinot Noir from Central Otago!

Day 12 - A quiet day

Nelson is described by Lonely Planet as a "Paragliding Haven" - not when it is in a howling gale being thrashed by the the rain its not! The ferries from Picton to Wellington were booked until the evening so we were left with walking around Nelson for a few hours (dull) followed by a trip that would have been scenic, if we'd been able to see it, to Picton to wait on the ferry.

Amazingly the ferry crossing was smooth and we arrived in Wellington 10.20pm and a short trip (having got directions from bar staff on the ferry) to Kilburnie to meet up and stay with one of Carolyn's old friends.

Day 11 - Scenic coast

Today turned out surprisingly bright and sunny. From the beach just outside the Motel we'd ended up in we could see back down south over the bay of the Tasman Sea to a clear Mnt Cook, Tasman etc. A day out: we'd have got a great reflection at Lake Matheson that morning! Still, the weather meant we'd have a nice run up towards Nelson.

A 1/2hr north of Greymouth are the Pancake Rocks - a limestone/mudstone formation of cliffs which look like stacks of pancakes. They also have blowholes and surge pools. We were there for high tide, but the sea being calm, didn't make for particularly dramatic surges. There were still some impressive booms and waves there though.

A little way beyond the Putakari river runs through a limestone gorge. A walkway runs up it through the rainforest. This gave us another interesting and pleasant walk - this time in the sun. Bird life and plants set deep within the gorge the interest for us here, including a flowering Palm with bees in attendence.

The rest of the day was taken up with a scenic drive along the coast, stopping off to view a Seal Colony at Foulwind Cape (aduls lazing, pups playing), and then through Bullers Gorge (think Wye valley only much bigger in all directions!). We didn't quite get to Nelson, staying at a Backpackers (Hu Ha Bikepackers) at a small farm with a big docile pig of unknown heritage. A nice friendly place where we met Sam, the owner, and a couple of cyclists working their way down the south island. One of these cyclists turned out to be an ex-paraglider pilot who had often run retrieves in Canada. Apparently the paragliding scene in British Columbia is being actively developed and XCs of over 100k are far from rare. Another trip in the offing...

Evening topped off with pasta and a bottle of Pinot Gris from Witiri. Nelson awaits.

Day 10 - Normal service to be resumed

Saw a lot of water today - some of it frozen! Forecast was for the wet weather to return later in the day so we started off early with a walk up to the Fox Glacier terminal. This was a leisurely walk up over the river bed to the ice. There was a marked end at a viewpoint but it was straightforward to get up close to the ice. Lots of giant ice cubes in the river here!

We went for brunch at Lake Matheson cafe before a walk around the lake. One is meant to get a great view here of Mount Cook reflected - not today! Still, we got the idea, before heading off to Franz Josef Glacier. Again an easy walk up to the viewpoint. The Glacier here is more dramatic. (For those that like facts and figures, this is one of the fastest moving glaciers at over 1m per day, sometimes 5m per day, and is currently advancing as melt is slower than accumulation! It is still very short of its 1752 end point though.) We carried on up the path used by the Glacier Guides (feeling we were not an inexperienced party). This took us up a stream through the undergrowth with some fixed ropes. All good fun in the, now, pouring rain. We couldn't get as close as we had at Fox glacier due to not wanting to wade through melt water (at any depth!). Still, a good walk before heading north to find some accommodation overnight at Greymouth, and below average curry. :o(

Day 9 - Doing the Trebble

Last night we got a great view of the milky way - the stars were simply brilliant! The next morning it was back to a blanket of cloud however. So it was a leisurely start to the day -breakfast, laundary and booking accommodation at Fox's Glacier. Then it was off to Trebble Cone Ski area to see if any flying was in the offing...

Once again the skies were clearing out. A short trip took us to the entrance to the Trebble Cone ski area where we met a local pilot waiting on a lift to the top. He let us know that Richard from Wanaka Paragliding would be along at around 1pm and offerred lifts up to pilots for a small consideration. So, watching a few french pilots already flying up to cloud base (a few hundred ft above launch - not that high!) and around the waterfalls, we waited, took photos and Carolyn did a Suduko.

Richard arrived, and we loaded up our gliders on his van roof. A couple of other pilots had also arrived for the lift up as well. We were soon at launch which was a little way down from the Ski centre at a point called Pub Corner. Yet another stunning site to fly. 4-5kms of mountain fronting the valley to the north and good XC potential along and in out in the valley (just beware the helicopter operation immediately - well - below launch!)

We let the tandems off and got familiar with launch (fly off both sides of the little spine...) then forward launched off to play with small thermals wisping up the mountain side. A little bumpy near cloudbase but really it was good flying (if not quite as easy as yesterday). I flew along to the west end to get a better view of a glacier coming off the high mountain at the end (Rob Roy Glacier) then tried to go to the east end. Carolyn was low struggling to get back up and had to land. I flew above, flying over a couple of impressive water falls. Despite working a good thermal here it wasn't to be. Sink followed by weakening climbs put me down and I landed out at the LZ next to vans with everyone else. Apparently days at Trebble Cone are often like this - weakening as the day progresses and the mountain side gets less sun (and no headed valley wind for the evening).

A good afternoon's flying - but we needed to get on. A long drive up route 6 to Fox Glacier awaited us. We did make a few stops to take in views on the way though. Lake Hawea is spectacular reflecting the mountins that surround it, and then through the Haast Pass there are lots of waterfalls (which have a lot of water just now!). The road comes out to the Tasman Sea coast at Haast; the landscape has changed to knarled coastal vegetation, cleared wet plains, and temperate rain forest as progress to Fox Glacier.

Day 8 - At last!

A morning without the rain falling. In fact there was blue sky appearing, so rather than head straight off to the west coast as intended, we decided to see what was happening at Coronet Peak, and head into Queenstown to book some accommodation somewhere north for the night. It took us a little time to check out from the New Orleans as the duty manager hadn't turned up, but it gave us some time to do a little souvenir shopping.

The Coronet Peak flight park cafe was open so we stopped off to make inquiries about the etiquette there, and to get a forecast. Weather was to steadily get better through the day. So change in plans - accommodation to be in Wanaka, drive down to Kingston to watch Hugh, Ellis, Ron, Nick and Becky do their maneovers over the lake before flying Coronet Peak pm.

Kingston was sunnier than yesterday, but still a bit of a breeze and tops were in cloud. We watched a couple of local pilots appear from the cloud out over the lake. The first practised a SAT, some wingovers and landed out on the beach. The second just got into a bit of a mess trying to do something, settled out, then landed in the water for no apparent reason (from our view)! The SIV course packed in - it had taken 3 hours to get to launch up a muddy track, launching required an observer on a pinnacle above launch (which faced the wrong direction) to see pilot and ridge clear of cloud to signal pilot to launch, and then direct them in right direction to get to the lake! Discretion... Carolyn got sunburt feet on the beach - we headed to Coronet Peak.

We got to launch to find gentle cycles wafting up and tandem pilots wafting down. Looked like we have a nice floaty top to bottom flight. Appently easy to hitch up to launch so we decided to fly rather than take turns with a van retrieve. We let the tandems (hang glider and paraglider) clear first, then I took off, Carolyn a little later. The flight along the ridge is a little over 2km and the view is simply stunning (I'll post pictures later). About half way along I found some thermals to play in breaking at an open gully. It started to take me over the back into somewhere where I didn't think I wanted to be so left it. (A local carried on and climbed 500' more - should have stuck with it!) There was plenty more bits of lift to play in, then over the landing field a wooded ridge caught the now rather bouyant valley wind. Easy soaring and lots of fat light evening thermals made flying easy and the still clearing skies just kept making it better.

I got a bit low to climb back out so landed in a bautifully kept landing field to join lots of other pilots. Carolyn kept high and flew on for another 1/2hr or so (choosing to land after getting a bit cold). I grabbed the opportunity to catch a lift back up the road with Jim Rooney, then back up to launch with a Japanese (I think) hang glider pilot. I quickly took off again to find air now quite bouyant in front of launch - so an easy glide to the ridge above the landing field. Carolyn had landed by the time I got back there, but Ellis, Hugh and the others had now arrived and were flying. Together we all had a blast soaring up to 300' above the ridge at times. One of the SIV course pilots landed on the ridge and instructed Ellis et al in collapses etc out in front - great fun to watch as they did some manoevers, then climbed on thermals and ridge lift right back up to do it all over again. Amazingly there were few local pilots enjoying this evening convection - at one stage I flew out and started coming into land when I chance on a nice thermal which was too good not to wind right back up to the ridge top. But eventually the lift started to decay and one by one we headed out to the valley and came into land - and rave about the flying we'd all just enjoyed.

After catching back up with Carolyn who had gone off to retrieve the van we'd left at launch (took a bit of time to get hitches due to lateness of day but a couple of hippies who were obviously very much in love with one another obliged apparently...) we headed into Arrowtown for a nice meal to finish off the day. Carolyn and I then bade our farewells to the others. They had their course to complete and we needed to head north.

A great day - we really have to come back to fly this area again.

Day 7 - Thought weather was getting better...

But no, raining again! Apparently this weather system has come from New South Wales (!) where it has caused big floods. I can believe it.

Yesterday on way back from Glen Orchy we stopped off at Coronet Peak Skiing area where there is a paragliding take-off. It looked good, a couple thousand foot above a wide flat valley floor. The cloud had lifted and we had good hopes of flying it. Only problem then was the wind blowing down the hill. Valley was full of cloud as we traveled through it today. Might have been a chance for flying at Kingston (south end of lake here) later in the day, so we did some walking around Queenstown in the morning and then headed to Kingston for the afternoon.

The weather did seem to clear there, but we could find no launch, the others didn't turn up, and besides the valley wind, being strong, would have kyboshed it all anyway. We did go for a walk up to a good view point over the village and watched the onbly thing of note here: The Kingston Flyer is a steam train that runs a couple of times a day. We didn't take the trip, but we did find out that the NZ Paragliding Acro event takes place here - in two weeks time! Apparently they tow up or get taken up intop the mountains, to launch, by helicopter. Mmmm.

Back to Queenstown for some fresh fish. Think we'll be giving up hope of flying and heading back north tomorrow...

Day 6 - getting stir crazy

More rain. Forecast was to get better so we headed out to Glen Orchy for some walks and hopefully some views. (Some of the Lord of Rings scenes shot in this area.) We stayed low - well there was no pint in climbing up as it would have been straight into rain cloud! We walked around the village of Glen Orchy which afforded us some close up viewing of lagoons and birdlife - lots of black swans. The lichen/airplants were quite impressive too - the air must be very clear here!

We met up with Hugh, Ron and Ellis for a drink at a cafe. They had just got here having checked out the Coronet Peak paragliding site - though Ellis missed it having been asleep trying to knock off a cold she has been suffering the last couple of days. They were looking into horse riding that afternoon. We decided to go fo another walk in the valley. Mistake. It was uninspiring though the creek it travelled by was pleasant enough to look at; the walk just had no variety, being through fields of long vegetation while the rain continued. We got very wet. Back to Arrowtown for a beer and a burger (very good - lamb).

Day 5 - Still raining...

So its rather ironic that Arrowtown had no running water last night!

It seemed like a good day to do the (now obligatory) local alcoholic tasting visits - in this case a wine tasting tour. We found one that would pick us up and drop us back off in Arrowtown, visiting four vineyard "cellar doors" for the tastings. A stop a the second gave opportunity for lunch as well. But before the off, we had the morning to while away, which we did around the surprisingly good Arrowtown museum. This gave a quite comprehensive history of the area from the Gold rush, through to its time as a holiday resort of "cribs" (think beach huts in the mountains!). Displays included parts of the some of the original buildings.

Museumed out, the arrival of the bus for the wine tour was welcome. Straight into the tastings then at Amisfield. A fine purpose built building for the tourist trade would have a fantastic view over Lake Hayes in normal circumstances. We were welcomed with a glass of bubbly before being given the speil for a Suvignon Blanc, Pinot based Rose, and a Pinot Noir. All good light wines, but the Sparkling was best for us. Straight on then to Gibbston - the most commercial of the lot and lunch. We shared a cheese platter - nice but not outstanding local cheeses, and a pleasant glass of Chardonnay.

The Cave where we had the tasting at Gibbston was impressive. Best of the bunch here was the Riesling. The Pinot Gris was rather too light and the Pinot 2007 was rather rough (while our host raved about the award winning 2006 - which we were not offered! :-( ). On, then, to Pereguine. This vineyard was most notable for the open air stage being set for a wedding with a great mountain backdrop - what a shame about the weather. We supposed that at least the couple would have a talking point for years to come. Our tastings were in a room beneath the grand stage (it's also the barrel storage area). Four tastings here: A Pinot Gris, their "Saddleback" Pinot noir (light), Perguine 2007 Pinot Noir (ok - may improve with aging) and their top-of-range Karera Pinot Noir (2008, $65 a bottle) which was soft and light.

Best left to last. Waitiri Creek tasting looked to be held in a chapel. Six tastings here! A Reisling reministant of a Bourgogne, a creamy fruity Pinot Gris, and a delicate Pinot Noir rose which we thought would make a nice apperetif (ok, we might have been getting a touch squiffy by this point). Next the reds! First their lighter "Drumner" Pinot Noir - indeed light with strawberry and raspberry flavours. Their main Pinot Noir 2008 was full bodied, fruity with spice. We finished up with a sample of the same from 2006 vintage (a very good year apparently). This was very good indeed - well rounded, blackcurrent, plum and spice flavours.

We bought a 3pack of the white/rose wines for the road, and took details of the merchants Waitiri use to export to the UK - think we'll be getting a case of the 2006 Pinot Noir...

Day 4. Raining...

It is Scotland! Ok a day of not much: Coffee, then travel down to Queenstown (actually Arrowtown - just outside). We went via the Cardrona pass. Very dramatic - even in the fog and the rain - the drop down into the Ortago valley has lots of alpine switchbacks.

We decided to stay in Arrowtown as its quieter than Queenstown and close to Coronet Peak (Paragliding site out of ski season). We had trouble finding somewhere to stay there though as several weddings were on in the area that weekend. The backpackers lodge was full but we managed to get rooms at the New Orleans Hotel right in the middle of Arrowtown.

Arrowtown is an ex-Goldrush settlement from 1860s - it has a real feel of old-west about it. We went for a wander up tracks at the back of the village, stopping by the remnants of the Chinese encampment remains. Many chinese came over in the goldrush to try making a fortune before returning (only a few settled). We got a bit of a view of the town nestled in the shelter of the mountains, but with the rain and mist we felt it was time to go and try out the local brews.

The Arrow brewery site has seen brewing since the town was established - and the beer is pretty good today. As was the venison pie we had to go with it. Hope weather improves...

Day 3 - On the road

Another dull drizzly day - a fine time to head south to Wanaka via a scenic route - not that we expected to see much of the mountains. Again we were to be surprised. Several hours later, the skies cleared as we reached the big mountains. Lots of great looking wave-bar in the sky, views across lakes, and having joked all day that we wouldn't see anything of Mnt Cook, a great view of it.

It was indeed a scenic drive including a narrow gorge through Lindis Pass. We rolled up in Wanaka later than hoped to find a paragling pilot ground-handling in the park down by the water front. Next few days don't look so good weather wise apparently... Still Wanak looks pretty - like west coast of Scotland, only with bigger mountains. Hope we get to fly here.

Finding accommodation was a touch tricky (popular here) - but managed to get motel room for the night. Thai food and sleep the final order of the day.

Day 2: Now we're on holiday!

After sleeping like logs, day2 didn't look so good. Low cloud, drizzle etc. But after a good breakfast we hooked up with Dave, all piled into two vehicles and headed inland to the dividing range. We were heading for a Skiing site called Mt Cheeseman which might afford some good flying. The weather system stable, so not expecting anything epic, but...

An hour or so later we ascended into the mountains and cloud, and then miraculously it all cleared to blue skies (cloud filled valleys around us). Great scenery (look up Castle Hill somewhere). We left one camper van at the LZ and took the 4x4 up the gravel track to the Ski base about 700m further up. Here we set up for forward launches as cycles were light. Dave gave us a quick site briefing and then we all went off like the proverbial lemmings. Carolyn went first and we watched as she headed out and found a goodish thermal and started winding it up (not that high - base was barely above us). We all had a good play in the thermals, trying to head out into the valley, though we steadily got lower and lower. I spent a while playing in bubbles of lift abover the LZ but was soon down to land at the van. A nice 1/2 hr of lee-side bubble flying!

We spent a while getting everyone together - Carolyn had gone the furthest having picked another junction and van to land next to (oops!) - but we were soon all back up for another flight down. Now we set a mini-task to see who could get the furthest down the track out into the valley - not easy as into a valley wind and with a decaying day. We all pretty much made the same LZ. Carolyn agian made a small hill in front of the LZ and even climbed a bit before landing with the rest of us - a couple of us had got sunk out trying to make the same hill. In fact I'd been drilled down in a 20km head wind for a 10min top to bottom. But still, a great place to fly, and a good day's flying, especially given how the weather had looked. Finished off heading back to Sumner, pizza and beer & wine.

Blue skies in Christchurch - day 1

31 hours of air travel later, we got to Christchurch! Lovely clear blue skies, 20deg+. Ellis met us at the airport, which was great, and got us down town so we could pick up our van. The vans we are using are cool - modern day VW campler vans (made by Toyota and others - go figure as they say...) with great paint-jobs. I'll post some pictures later.

Well it took a bit of time to get the van sorted, so we chilled out in square at Christchurch Catherdral, got ourselves a coffee and a bite to eat, before heading to Sumner. We've got a room in a bunkhouse here for a couple of days. Its down on the coast, quite pleasant and handy for the flying sites here. Speaking of which... we went out to find the others who had already flown two other sites that day and were now up around "Taylors Mistake". We found them, although we had to trek a bit as we'd taken the wrong road. The sea breeze was calmer than expected so folk were not soaring that well - more scratching. However, we met up with Ron, Hugh, Becky and Nick. We also met Dave from ParaPro who sorted out our paperwork to fly in NZ.

Ellis had got here new wing and was keen to try it out - a nice crispy Airwave Sport4. I helped her get set up and away before flying myself. The Sport 4 looks good in the air and judging from the whoops from Ellis, she likes it. A small cove site, the flight was a 5 minute top to bottom for me as wind no longer enough to scratch. But can't be bad, getting a flight in the day we arrive!

We then headed out to a higher site, Allandale, where Ellis and Ron took a flight down as the sun set. The rest of us decided against it (plus we had to pick Hugh out of the gorse after an aborted launch). Following van trip down to pick Ellis and Ron up, it was gone 9, dark, and we were in need of food (and a bed). Fortune was kind, and we found a bar nearby which was just still doing food - and fine food it was too (fresh Grouper) at the Governer's Bay hotel.

Demise of a Neo-Luddite?

So, just before heading out on a 3-week trip to New Zealand, hopefully to get some paragliding in, I've been convinced, finally, to try blogging. We'll see. If all goes to plan then we'll post reports of how the flying (and other activities) turns out. After the NZ trip, we'll hopefully have a better year in the UK than 2008, a successful time in the BPCup, and another fine trip to Piedrahita.

Nigel