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Published: February 23rd 2007
Me and my helmet...
This was before I bought my sexy flight suit and helmet...Strange start to the week - I got awoken by a bearded lady asking me to do something about the guttering on the house across the drive that had blown loose and was threatening to fall down onto the driveway. She had tried their door but there was no answer. I just couldn't understand what she wanted me to do about it and why... I finally worked out she has to drive up and down the driveway to get to her house and she was paranoid it would fall off on her car... So still in my bed shorts I did a ‘monkey man’ moment and shimmied up the drain pipe, ripped off the guttering and threw it to the floor. My good deed done for the day I went back to bed.
One of my new house mates was a young German guy called Tim. He was a really nice bloke and liked to climb, so we went to Roxx climbing centre south of the city centre. He is at least six foot tall and could reach holds I had to jump for. But this session was more of fun
session as we weren't in the main climbing wall area, but trying out the Clip 'n' Climb centre. It had really unusual climbing surfaces, like grab handles, door knobs, Velcro (with hand pads you have to hold), etc. All the climbs were set up with automatic belay devices, so you just clip in and climb - no need for a partner to belay you. They also had timed walls with stop buttons at the top - a really good change from normal indoor climbing - see
here.
I did more flying including meeting Dave back at the training hill where he was training a new recruit. The wind picked up and I did a bit of ridge soaring off the hill. It was apparent how much more confidence and skill I had picked up. We then went to Taylor’s where me and Alex flew. I landed first and tuned to watch Alex land really short and hit a fence - I pissed myself - so very typical of Alex. I feel sorry for him though - he has a problem judging distances, often with the obvious consequences. I'm really not sure flying is the sport for him, but he
The Hakka
Best part of the match for some people! kept trying. He had the last laugh that week - a few days later we were flying in to the same landing site (Taylor’s Mistake) and this time Alex had already landed and was watching me. I was feeling cocky and was going to try and land on his head, but as is often the case at that landing site, the last 20 feet of decent, the wind speed can change dramatically and it did - I was too high and heading for the huge tree at the end of the field. I panicked, rather than pulling on the brakes to slow myself down, I turned 180 degrees and did a fast landing with the wind behind me (should never do that), I was saved by long grass and the padding of the harness under my bum. I then had to hear a ten minute lecture from Alex about what I should have done. The shame.
I also worked my last shift at Cocopelli's and tried my last pizza - I had tried everyone one and they were all so good - totally recommend the place to anyone in Christchurch. I took plenty of people there (Philippa, Simone, Lisa)
- the rest of the staff thought I was a right 'player' - I just wanted to show people how nice the food was!
The next day was much better. After a morning of taking photos and driving for Dave's tandem flights (picking them up at the bottom and driving them back up) we met up with Mike (one of Dave’s other students) and we did some great flights from 'The Gut' flying site on the Port Hills. I did my first top landings (no need to get a lift back up the hill), and ‘touch and go’s. I also did my first unsupervised setup and launch, which was a bit daunting, but a necessary step to flying independently. We then went up to Allendale for an amazing flight - soaring at 1600 feet, in front of a dramatic rock face.
Monday 23rd October 2006 to Sunday 29th October 2006 On Monday it was Labour Day - a public holiday. So I went with my house mates Tim, Suzan, Lian and Sultan for a kiting session on New Brighton beach. I had borrowed a landboard off a Brit called Steve. A fantastic chap who has been living in
Me about to reverse launch
Checking behind me for dead ducks etc... Christchurch (over looking New Brighton beach) for a few years and had a made a bit of spare cash selling kite boarding equipment. He was a real nice guy and offered to lend me pads too!
I offered to teach my housemates how to kite and maybe even kite board. The trouble was my smallest kite with me was my 4.9 Blade. For those not into kiting, this is probably the kite responsible for most injuries - fast and powerful - NOT a beginner kite. So I made sure they put on the safety gear (helmet and pads) and kept a close eye on them. Tim took to it straight away and was soon throwing himself around and jumping. I was a lot more hesitant with the girls - but they all did really well. The ‘Buggy Boys’ and Steve were out on the beach too and I had a chat and blast in one of the buggies (see video
here). Unfortunately the board lent to me needed some adjustment (it wouldn't turn), so we would save that for another day.
Lisa arrived back from Tonga that week. I her to Cocopelli's hear about her travels and to
use my $50 voucher :-)
I also started at 123Racing that week. The people in my room were Jamie (NZ), Tim (Brit), Matt (US) and Geoff (NZ). The guys in my room were a great laugh and very easy going. They also formed a great team of experience, skill and ideas, I hope (as of writing this I have left) that 123Racing uses them to their full potential...
I took Lisa to the Roxx Clip n Climb and I did the pole climb - telegraph poles a step apart, each going up by 3 to 4 foot. Very scary by the time you get to the top.
Lisa met Dave (my paraglide instructor) and managed to get a free tandem, in exchange for having me take a load of photos of her and Dave, which he used in his marketing - these A3 and A2 posters were used all over Christchurch, including the Coachman’s hostel where we both stayed.
That same day Alex and I did a flight out over Lyttleton (see the video
here). Alex was due to launch first. He had a nightmare- falling over rocks and several aborted launches - all as the
You can tell I have settled...
I just realised - that is far too many keys for a traveller! flying conditions gradually got worse. He finally got airborne, but I do worry - he seems unable to see the rocks in front of his feet let alone obstacles from any height... I had a great flight out over the rugged and rocky ridge down in to the landing field where my training started - with my ground handling and the dead duck. I also go to fly from near the Gondola in to Heathcote field, where I watched Alex make a terrible landing, skidding along on his arse. Funny, but worrying - it was an easy approach.
Jan (my crazy Czech housemate), Lisa and I went to watch a England v NZ rugby match at the local Jade Stadium. We got to watch the famous Hakka and then get to watch England loose. Cheers for sorting out the tickets Jan!
Also that week I went to the Volcano cafe in Lyttleton for dinner (expensive and not that great) and visited an old favourite - the Dux-de-Lux. Great food, beers, pool, live music, chill out bar, and cool outside seating (carved benches etc).
At the weekend Lisa and I went to Hanmer Springs and then tried to
sleep the night in the back of my car. At 3am Lisa couldn't take it (not too comfortable) anymore and decided to drive us home. She hadn't really driven manual gears before and this was all on the wrong side too (she is American). So she attempted to drive while I attempted to sleep in the back. She didn't do too bad until we got to a particular set of lights at a junction. She had to stop and then try and pull away when the lights turned green, on a slight hill and turning right. After the third attempt (think kangaroo petrol and then stall x 3) my head had hit the boot too many times. I offered ‘some assistance’ which at 3am didn't go down too well. It made things worse that she stalled in the middle of the junction and the lights had gone red and because we had crossed the line, they didn't recognise we were there and wouldn’t change to green till we rolled back... In the end I took over and finished the last 25km of the drive. Back in a proper bed by 4.30am.
Christchurch has an arts, crafts and international food
market at the Arts Centre every weekend. And so we made a visit to get some nice cheap international food. Over the time I lived in Chch I have been trying to work my way round all the stalls - all so nice!
On the Sunday me, Lisa and Suzan went up to the Port Hills for a walk. It promptly started to rain when we arrived. So we went up to the old gun emplacements over looking the peninsula and walked round there instead (at least some of it is covered).
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