About 40 hang gliders are soaring thermals in the skies above Murchison as they compete in the New Zealand Hang Gliding Nationals.
The competition started on 25 January and runs until 3 February.
Tasman Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club president, Kevin Rooke, says competitors are competing in up to eight rounds that take them on flights over mountainous country as far as the Nelson lakes and Raglan Range.
“It’s really spectacular mountain scenery, so you’re seeing some of New Zealand’s best scenery.”
Murchison has been the location for the national championships for the past few years and Kevin says it has been a good area to build skills. Competitors fly off Mt Murchison and head over the mountains. Being so close to the Main Divide provides good thermals for them to fly higher and hopefully complete courses that can be up to 100 kilometres.
Winning the round is not based just on time as the first pilots to fly the course are finding thermals and that helps those following locate them, so that is factored into the competition. Finding thermals gets the hang gliders higher so they can cover the distance and Kevin says it is all about clouds, wind drift and terrain.
“It’s not a matter of just flying there in a straight line. You can’t get there without finding thermal lift to achieve that distance. One big clue is cloud and underneath will be a thermal. Then you look at wind drift to position yourself under that cloud.
“The winner is never just lucky, though there is a factor of luck.”
Competitors have come from around the country with several also from overseas, and he says they hang glide because it is such a wonderful way of flying.
“To me, there isn’t anything quite like going up and across this country in a hang glider. It’s just such a magical feeling.”
