Eighty paraglider pilots from around New Zealand and the world will take to the skies over Waikite Valley near Rotorua for the start of the NZ Paragliding Open, the country's premier paragliding competition.
The NZ Paragliding Open, which will run from tomorrow until next Saturday will see pilots launching fromthe Paeroa and Kaimai Ranges as they compete to be crowned national champion.
"This will be the largest gathering of paraglider pilots ever seen in New Zealand," said competition director Johnny Hopper.
"We have a fantastic field of competitors, including pilots from Venezuela, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Sweden, Japan, the UK and Australia, so we're expecting a hard-fought but really enjoyable competition."
For the first time in a New Zealand competition live-tracking technology will be utilised, which will allow pilots to be viewed in real-time as they race. This will add an exciting new dimension to the competition, as it lets anyone follow the action online at https://airtribune.com/newzealand.
"This promises to be a fantastic event and we're really looking forward to showing our visiting pilots what a great place Rotorua is," said Mr Hopper. "Keep an eye on the sky during the week and hopefully you'll see us up there having a ball."
