Up, Up and Away

Sports

A new, and expensive, sport takes

Fiji by storm

By John King

THE INTERNATIONAL hot air bal loon meet in Fiji during June, part of which coincided with the 31st Fiji Tourism Convention, directly benefited the country’s economy, according to organiser Diane McKee of Auckland.

“The 23 balloonists spent about $25,000 during the eight to 10 days they were here,” she says.

Comfortable as the stay was at the Regent, everybody enjoyed getting out into the countryside and meeting the Fijian people.

And people responded in fine style.

One balloon landed on a country road the only flat area available for deflating and packing the balloon away and found it was blocking the road for a taxi.

Never mind, it was a farmer who had seen the balloon nearby and hailed a massing taxi so he could get a closer look.

Co-operation with CAAF (Civil Avi ition Authority of Fiji) staff was excel ent, although the Americans were sur ged to find no radar in the Nadi ontrol tower during a visit there.

Two international hot air balloon vents have now been held in Fiji. Will t become a regular annual event?

“The response has been terrific,” says )iane McKee, whose husband Daryl, ew the Air New Zealand balloon. “I’ve ilked to a lot of people and lined up iveral likely sponsors for next year. The spense for this sort of thing means it epends on sponsorship to attract the ght people, but we hope to have about vice as many balloons next time, icluding some from Australia and ipan.”

Hot air ballooning is a truly interna

onal sport and Fiji’s suitability will

ake it attractive to a wider range of

•urists. □

John king The flying finished: balloons are packed away amid the roar of burners

Set to go: balloons being readied