Family's kite-flying grounded

Forget terrorist attacks - now the great Kiwi pastime of flying a kite is deemed a danger to airline passengers.

A father and his two daughters were ordered to haul in their kite from the lake waterfront in Queenstown because of the risk it posed to aircraft taking off from the nearby airport.

One Air New Zealand flight was delayed and others were waiting as an airport official rounded up kite-flyers Phil Hide and his two daughters, Amelia, 9, and Hannah, 11.

The airport says it has one or two similar cases a year and flyers risk a $5000 fine if they defy instructions.

"We have been going there for years and never had a problem," said Hide.

"Then this time we had a guy in a truck pull up and tell us it was a risk to passenger safety and we could get a fine for flying [kites] there.

"I'm not really sure where else to go now, it's the best spot when there is a westerly blowing."

Queenstown Airport boss Steve Sanderson said of kites: "It's the same as a bird strike, which can be devastating. They can get sucked into the engines.

"It depends on the conditions. We haven't put up signs or anything, it is only if there is a perceived risk which is judged from the control tower."