KEY POINTS:
Gerry Mayr yesterday became the first person to fly over Aoraki-Mt Cook in a powered paraglider. Then he experienced a real adrenalin rush.
Wind turbulence tipped the German tourist's paraglider in the lee of the mountain coming down, causing the craft to fall several hundred metres before he managed to stabilise the wing.
"It was dangerous because I was going down with no wing in the air. It was like a bungy jump ... falling 30 metres a second on the other side of the mountain," he said. "It was like a hand throwing you down to earth, and this was a very big hand, so I went woosh!"
His support crewman, Tim Haller, observed that it was "like being in a tumble dryer".
Mr Mayr admitted that it was frightening.
"I was scared, sure. It was my first time on a rotor [turbulent wind] like that and it is a huge mountain."
But he said he didn't lose faith in the paraglider's and his own capabilities, and after the wing stabilised, he was able to land safely at Mt Cook airfield about 1.20pm.
Mr Mayr admitted to a range of emotions during the flight, from fear with the sudden descent, to the delight of observing the 3754m Mt Cook so closely.
"It was really, really unbelievable. You feel you are a really small person when you are up there. Like you are almost nothing."
The flight had been delayed for several hours because of windy conditions.
Mr Mayr, 42, who runs a motorcycle shop in his home town of Konstanz, said he originally got the idea at home when looking at photos of mountain scenery in New Zealand.
An adventure enthusiast, he has claimed another record while on his month-long tour of New Zealand, setting an unconfirmed speed of 125km during a powered glider flight at Wanaka on Sunday.
Yesterday, he travelled at a more relaxing speed of 85km over Mt Cook.
"I like this kind of feeling, of not being scared and getting out into nature and doing it well. I want to give the younger generation an example, but it is important to prepare and train well."
Mr Meyer, who has to return home by the end of month, says he is already itching to return to New Zealand next summer and will mull over further challenges.
But he had a more immediate one yesterday. "I have to get a lift back from Mt Cook to my quad bike and bright yellow trailer and then get to Auckland by the 19th for an off-road half-marathon."
- NZPA
