Soaring above it All

Tuesday 6 May

Another day, another opportunity to fly in this amazing landscape!

Up at crack of sparrow’s to get to Sheffield (pie shop was already open but we didn’t stop) then Louis crewed with Dutch 🇳🇱 Oven and got flown by Esther & Jez, while i was allocated to Josh & Georgia in the Balloons over Waikato balloon. At the last minute I got to hop on board and fly with them - such good fortune!

Six balloons (including a single seater hopper) went up and it was fascinating watching how they moved in relation to each other depending on the heights they went to and the wind that caught them and carried them back towards Hororata.

I will never tire of watching the ground below us and the ever changing horizon when you are up in a balloon. As you rise and fall to pick up different wind speeds and directions, the perspectives change totally. At higher altitude I become aware of all those geographical features I learned about in O'level Geography in a previous century. The flat plains of Canterbury are marked by the natural meander of streams and braided rivers, but also in stark contrast, the artificially geometric straight lines of the fields and the circular pie chart irrigation systems supporting the local agriculture.

The shadows of an early morning flight are also magical - a thin row of poplars casting pencil stroke shadows, cows standing tall above their doubly tall shadows, and my favourite, the puffs of autumn tree shadows set against the power lines, fence line, road and ploughing lines of the adjacent field.

Esther landed in the paddock by our host’s house and 2 more landed at Nick’s paddock right next to his house! We sailed on and landed a km or two further along the road and were rescued by Annabel. She got permission from the local farmer who was out and about on his quad bike with his dog - they whizzed over to see us and for the farmer to get a photo. Annabel & Mario had met some fellow French speakers a few nights earlier and invited them to join the chase so they helped with the balloon folding and packing and Annabel & I locked up the gates and followed the truck & trailer back along the farm path. We heard a strange chirpy noise and realised that the farmer was literally calling the sheep along the track to their next pasture "Sheep! Sheep! Sheep!" - the dog was looking most put out... "Hey, that's my job!"

Stopped in at the Hororata Cafe to catch up with the other balloon pilots and teams and had to admire the tables - they had glass tops over displays of retro & vintage items like tools, cooking implements, sewing stuff & even a local Monopoly game!

Snoozed, did a bit of work/admin/blogging and had lunch then it was balloon time again. By now more balloonists had arrived and about 5 flew out of the Ballooning Canterbury paddock with Louis & me crewing/chasing for Dutch 🇳🇱 Oven while Esther flew Jeremy & John Clifton (too many cooks?!?).

We chased them for 3/4 of an hour or so as Esther was put through her paces - touching down and lifting off several times. They finally set down in a really stubbly field and with no sign of the farmer we had to trust in Mike's good relations with the locals!

Evening time we all gathered at the Hororata Hall for a welcome and briefing for the week’s events - before getting an early night for the official start of the event the next day (we’d just been practicing!)