By the time I arrive at St Heliers beach, early on a nippy Tuesday, there's already a small crowd gathered at the water's edge.
Glendowie resident Paddy Monroe is standing next to his sleek white hovercraft as morning walkers stop to admire and ask how it works.
"Basically you've got a fan pressurising the air under the skirt of the hovercraft, which is creating air which spills out the sides and creates the hover," he says with a grin.
"The fan is powered by a light aircraft motor and that is pushing you along."
The mechanics don't sound all that simple, but it turns out driving one is a piece of cake. I start in the passenger seat, somewhat apprehensive about this new form of transport. "I'm wearing my raincoat as I've been warned there'll be a bit of spray, and earmuffs because the noise of the engine really does sound like a small plane.
We're off with a roar, skimming about 4cm above the sand and then out on to the water. It almost feels like flying. Paddy owns Aqua Air Adventure, an Auckland company offering hang gliding, blo-karting, and - from this month - the opportunity to drive a hovercraft.
After a quick loop out across the water, we return to the sand and it's my turn to take the controls.
The movement of the hovercraft feels slippery and I'm glad we've got the bay to ourselves as I'm not all that accurate with my steering.
I come to a stop on the beach, soaked through and splattered in sand but beaming from the speed and ease of the hovercraft. Paddy's hovercraft lessons take place at Kariotahi Beach in West Auckland or, if the weather's too windy, at either the Alexandra Park or Ellerslie racetracks.
"Ideally what we want to find is a place with a bit of pond and river," says Paddy, looking around the near-empty beach. This is a good place, but I'm yet to find the perfect spot."
Paddy was one of New Zealand's hang-gliding pioneers and originally set up his company as a hang-gliding outfit. " I bought the hovercraft as eventually I'm going to use it as a means of towing a hang-glider, but in the meantime I'd like to offer people a chance to drive one for themselves.
"A session will involve a bit of training and then we will set up a course and we make sure you can get through it. Once you've got it you can time yourself around the track."
Paddy says commercial hovercraft ventures have been trialled in the past but at the moment there was nothing else like in the country.
Hover Go
A half-hour experience including training and a time-trial is $220.
A passenger-only, 15-minute experience is $100.
Visit the website www.gethigh.co.nz or call freephone 0508 GET HIGH for further information and bookings.
