A magical view of the Tararua Range

ABOUT 20 large balloons floated above Carrington Park filling the Wairarapa skies yesterday.

On the opening day of Balloons Over Wairarapa it was a pleasure to be in one of the hanging baskets.

I met my balloon captain at about 6.40am. It was my first experience of ballooning and California-based captain Rob Noble had a simple anecdote which summed up the activity.

"I regularly take up children and I often blow bubbles out over the edge and tell them to follow them with their eyes," he said.

"They drop and bob around in the direction of the breeze and that's exactly what we do."

I was initially a little apprehensive prior to going up but the captain was so thorough, informative and entertaining my nerves soon drifted away as we rose above the landscape.

The view of the towering Tararua Ranges in a perfect Kiwi sunrise from around 8000 feet was a sight to behold and an experience which will live long in my memories.