Awoke at 4.45am, why? To phone the hot air balloons recorded message to see if the weather was good enough to fly.................
It was, quickly up dressed and in reception for 5.10am. We get on a bus with 20 other people and are taken 40 minutes out of town. When we arrive its still pitched black and we help to set the balloon up, the largest balloon in New Zealand. It takes about 30 minutes to set up and when we finally all climb in, 20 passengers a pilot and a co-pilot and nearly topple over once we set sail.
It is truely amazing, its just getting light and its very cloudy, we go up to 2000 feet and can see everything as small dots below, its so peaceful apart from the rushing sound of heat being pumped into the balloon every 30 secs or so. After approx 10mins the pilot asks permission of air traffic control to go up to 6000 feet, this is granted and we set off through the clouds. The temp drops dramatically as we go through the clouds and finally we are soaring above them. We can see the mountains in the distance and the sun slowly rising. We spent nearly 30 minutes above the clouds.
We were being followed by a ground crew who was trying to keep up with us and guess where we were going, but obviously we don't know either. Then, it must be something to do with Carol, the pilot has a special camera to put outside the balloon and take a picture of us all. He goes to load it and finds for the first time ever he has forgot the camera battery, how is that for coincidence, on carols paraglide and on this hot air balloon ride no official photograph!!
Again I have taken loads of pictures and just chosen a selection for you to see.
We finally come back down through the clouds and the ground crew still can't find us. We are coming lower and realise that the balloon is being drawn to the magnetic electrical pylons and cables, we are following its exact path, we eventually had to go higher to get away from them, I have taken a photo with us only 100 foot or so above them!
We decide on a field to land although the pilot and co-pilot are in a bit of dispute as we come down we realise we are very,very,very close to an electric fence and in fact the bottom of the basket takes out one of the poles, we hit the ground and the balloon and basket slowly topple over, we are all in a brace position for this. We end up with Carol lying on top of me and we exit the basket undignified but out sideways. I have taken pics of this.
We were eventually found by the ground crew and were annointed into the hot air ballooning club, with a glass of champagne, an irish prayer and taped on the head with a champagne cork!
Yes one of the pictures does show an american lady with a teddy bear, she took it on the flight, apparently it goes everywhere with her!
Today is travelling day again. You have got this blog early as we are packing the case to chck out the hotel. We don't get picked up for another 4 hours. We are then flying to Auckland before flying on Fiji where we shall arrive just before Midnight.
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