Sue Kay reckons she is the only women in the country who can jump a kite buggy.
That might be because nobody else thinks it is a good idea, but it's also linked to the fact that, when it comes to kite sports, Kay is the queen.
The current New Zealand kite-surfing
champion, she is on a mission to convert as many women to the sport as possible from her Ruakaka base while also maintaining her status as national champion and kite-sports fanatic.
But convincing her female counterparts that leaping into the air while strapping into a three-wheeled buggy while simultaneously harnessed to a 4m-wide kite might yet be her biggest challenge.
"It actually isn't too bad as long as you land with some forward momentum. If you can do that then the landing isn't quite so bad. Actually it is quite soft," Kay said.
But then she would say that. She has also hit 60km/h while sailing her surf buggy on Baylys Beach, west of Dargaville, and reckons it might be fun to try to break the kite-buggying speed record as well, set at 130km/h.
With her husband David, Kay is not only proficient at most kite sports, including the most recent development of kite snowboarding and skiing, but also sells kite sails, boards and buggies.
To help promote the sport, the Kays will be staging a demonstration day at the Whangarei Museum and Heritage Park in Maunu, Whangarei, next weekend. There will be all manner of kites on show, including single-line display kites as well as buggies and boards.
But her main goal for the moment is to defend her national kite-surfing title to be contested at in Raglan in April. She would like to see this year's title contested more vigorously as the last two nationals have drawn small women's fields.
"This summer has seen heaps more women take up the sport. There were only eight women in the open section of the nationals last year. This time we hope to have about 12 to 16 women in the open division," she said.
