Oh Lar Lar (ZK-LAR)

CURSON, Scott              

Photography Geoff Walker

Whiskey (ZK-WHS)

SHAW, Murray              

Flagship (ZK-FAG)

KING, Dan

Photography Geoff Walker

Wildfire (ZK-PNG)

SNODGRASS, John

Photography - Mark Thompson

BRANSGROVE, Chris – Hamilton, NZ

Chris has been flying hot air balloons, and has flown in most NZ Balloon events. Flown ib the USA and Fiji. Hot air ballooning is a great sport, and has enabled me to create life long friends.

CURSONS, Scott – Wellington, NZ

Scott is a self-confessed adrenalin junkie with kite surfing amongst his list of adventure hobbies. He’s a licensed aircraft maintenance engineer with nearly a decade of competition experience at Wairarapa, Levin, Methven and Hamilton. Scott’s another pilot who has spent time involved in international balloon festivals in UK, Metz, and Chateau DeOux in France, as well as Mildura in Australia in 2004.

DRYLAND, Gail – Hamilton, NZ

Attended Balloons Over Waikato for 5 years. Has attended the Wairarapa Festival as crew. Been flying ten years attending Albuquerque and Mildura Australia. Lollipop is a ‘new’ secondhand envelope from Boland Balloons in the USA.

HICKEY, Pauline -
Hamilton, NZ

Pauline  has been flying since 1995 and has attended Balloon festivals in Wairarapa, Waikato, Wanaka, Levin, Blenheim, Methvin, USA, UK, France, and Australia. Pauline has been hooked on ballooning since her first flight as an observer in the early 90’s. She’s a foundation Trustee of Balloons Over Waikato and was recently invited to be the Asia Pacific representative for  FAI Women in Aviation.

HOLDERNESS, John – Hamilton, NZ

Like so many of us seeing balloons in the sky during fiesta’s was what caught my attention. Meeting some interesting people both nationally and internationally kept the interest to get out of bed at ‘stupid oclock’ and before long the ‘bug’ has got you. We bought our own balloon ‘Fusion” in mid 2010, I have flown and participated in balloon events in NZ and Australia. It is the smiles and the ‘feel good’ factor that ballooning creates that keeps me in the sport, along with the camaraderie developed within the ballooning fraternity. 

KING, Peter – Carterton, NZ

Peter has been another avid festival supporter, having flown around New Zealand. Peter usually launches from his own backyard and specialises in high altitude flight.  This year Peter is flying his new Boland Balloon (first time at a Fiesta), which was manufactured in the Wairarapa by Brian Boland himself with a team of helpers in 2014.

KING, Dan – Carterton, NZ

SALE, Ross – Auckland, NZ

Ross originally got the ‘air bug’ when he was young and silly and did a number of parachute jumps. When living in the USA he took up hang gliding for a number of years before it came in conflict with sailing. Balloons were the answer – and he gained a pilot’s license in the USA in the 1980s. Ross flies his “speedy little ‘Boland Balloon.”

SHAW, Murray – NZ

Murray is a property investor, his hobbies are breeds ducks, he loves playing on his 36 tonne digger and Murray likes to dive.

He has been flying his balloon for the last 11 years and enjoys flying, I can stand in my basket with the freedom and peace and quite in the air that's the best feeling, my best flights was when I flew 3 times from Hamilton to the Kaimai's.

SNODGRASS, John – Cambridge, NZ

Started his love affair with ballooning in 2000  crewing at Balloons over Waikato  and finally bought his own  in 2012 by diverting the funds saved for the kitchenupgrade  and other things in his house. Having got used to cooking on an open fire Partner Clare  enjoys the sport as wellJohn and his crew were in the Wairarapa in 2016 and the balloon (Wildfire ) went down last year under the command of John HoldenessJohn And Clare are  looking forward to attending This years event

REDSHAW, Kelly – Hamilton, NZ

Kelly has a passion for flying, the freedom ballooning brings is amazing. Being one with the sky, not to mention the great people you get to be with day in and day out. 

SCOTT, Craig – Wairarapa, NZ