A Queenstown-based paraglider has crossed the South Island’s Main Divide for the first time, achieving the milestone during one of New Zealand’s longest paragliding flights.
And to prove his so-called “crackpot” idea wasn’t a fluke, pilot Benjamin Kellett flew the same route again just five days later.
“Normally when you get to the Main Divide, it’s a dead end, and we’ve always assumed it would be a dead end,” Kellett told the Herald.
“But what we planned out that day was a route that goes from around Gillespie Pass through to Haast. There are some low saddles you can nip through, and on some days the cloud base is just high enough that you can make it.”
The idea of crossing from east to west was conceived in a pub the night before the flight.
“The boys looked at me like I was mad,” Kellett said. “I was like, ‘No, come on lads, it’s going to work. We’re going to Coronet Peak, I’ll pick you up at 8 o’clock – let’s just try’.”
The mid-December feat began at Coronet Peak above Queenstown. With fellow flyer Leo Chelle following, Kellett flew past Mt Aspiring, crossed the Main Divide near Haast Pass, and then tracked north up the West Coast, threading a path between the Tasman Sea and the icy peaks of the Southern Alps.
Kellett eventually landed at Whataroa, 230km from his takeoff point, while Chelle touched down near Fox Glacier.
Kellett’s 10.5-hour flight is believed to be the second-longest ever recorded in New Zealand, falling just 3.5km short of the national distance record.
Missing the record was offset by opening a new route through the Southern Alps, which was the real goal.
On his social channels, Kellett provides a running commentary as he soared over jagged peaks, deep valleys, glaciers and thick, bush-covered terrain.
“Mount Aspiring National Park is just something else,” he said.
“Up the East Matukituki through the Wilkin and up Gillespie Pass, past Pollock and all of those beautiful mountains by Lake Crucible — oh man, my favourite part of the country. I love it.”
Originally from the UK, he moved to New Zealand 15 years ago and now works as a professional paraglider, splitting his time between Queenstown and the European Alps.
Kellett is well known for his long-distance and adventurous paragliding flights across New Zealand, Europe and more remote locations such as the Karakoram and the Indian Himalayas.
His videos and photographs have attracted nearly 500,000 followers online.
“I like to add a bit of context to the videos – explain what’s going on, what my thoughts are, and give some insight into my decision-making,” he said.
“And especially in New Zealand, I love the area so much and I’m passionate about where I’m flying.”
Repeating the route through the Main Divide was about proving the flight wasn’t a fluke, “that the conditions are actually good enough to do it over and over”.
On the second flight, fellow pilot Kinga Masztalerz accompanied Kellett, following him through the passes and over remote wilderness about 20km behind.
Kellett made it to Franz Josef, while Masztalerz landed near the start of the Copland Track.
Assessing the risks of endurance paragliding was subjective, and experience counted for a lot, Kellett said.
“I’d be lying if I said it was completely safe. There are obviously risks, and it is one of the more dangerous sports. The consequences can be quite high.
“I like to explain it like riding a motorbike. You can ride hard and fast in the rain and bad conditions and it’s dangerous, but if you go slow and steady on a sunny day, it can be quite safe. It’s typically the same with paragliding.
“The more experience you have, the better you are at reading the weather and understanding when it’s safe to fly and when it’s not.”
Kellett prepares for unplanned landings by carrying camping equipment, food supplies and a GPS tracker, and is prepared to walk out if needed, something he has done before.
“I think the worst I had to walk was two days,” he said.
For comfort and safety, Kellett flies wearing thick gloves and insulated jackets, and sits in a harness system that works like an insulated hammock.
“With the longer flights, the other issue you have to deal with at some point is going to the toilet so you have to figure that out,” he said.
“You can imagine in 40km/h winds it can get messy if you don’t do it right.”
Another obvious question is how he gets home.
“We try to land near a highway and hitchhike home.
“On this one, I camped by the river in Whataroa. Then the next day, I took the InterCity bus back from Franz Josef and spent the whole day riding the bus back to Queenstown.”
Mike Scott is an award-winning visual journalist with more than two decades’ experience telling stories across multiple media platforms.
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