Paragliding Over Queenstown New Zealand
The last time we went paragliding I opted out. We were in Peru and we took a walk down to the beach in Lima. We asked a group of guys that were paragliding on the beach how we can go about doing it ourselves. Their answer…You can go with us for $20 right now. Dave quickly said yes and within minutes he was in a harness and taking off. I needed a little bit more time to digest the situation and I wasn’t even sure if these guys were a legit organization or just some dudes making some cash on their day off.
Everything turned out fine and Dave had the time of his life. I never went up with them but always regret not making the flight.
Luckily, I had a second chance during our Flying Kiwi trip in town of Southern New Zealand at the famous adventure town known as Queenstown.
Paraglide with G-Force
We caught the Skyline Gondola just a 5 minute walk from central Queenstown to the top of the mountain overlooking the city. G-Force Paragliding is the only Paragliding company allowed to soar over Queenstown from the top of the Gondola. They are easy to find and with the cost of your ticket, your trip up the Gondola is free. Just going up the gondola is a great tip on it’s own, so you get two adventures in one!
I met my guide Peter and felt instantly at ease. He is a friendly man from Switzerland who runs his own paragliding business there during the summer. He comes to New Zealand during the off season to take flight. It wasn’t long before we were harnessed up and ready to go. I was a little nervous about running and jumping off of the cliff, but the amazing thing about paragliding is that you don’t do any free fall whatsoever. Once the wind catches the parachute you are already gaining altitude.
It was exhilarating.
We floated over the top of the mountain waving at tourists hanging out at the Skyline Restaurant terrace. We sailed close enough to yell out a hello. We then went on to whiz over the tops of trees and over the luge track below.
Great Winds
Today was a very good day. A Southerly wind was blowing through allowing us for perfect conditions to ride the airwaves. We had a good 15 minute flight 2000 feet about Queenstown and could keep catching the waves to go back up to our starting point rather than dropping quickly to the ground. It gave us the chance to make several passes over the top of the mountain and lake.
The scenery was spectacular on this sunny day with the Remarkables mountain range standing proudly over the town and lake Wakatipu. It beautiful to look at but soon I was ready for some more thrills. That was when Peter asked me if I felt like doing some maneuvers. Well why not I said.
We started twirling around in the sky, but the coolest part came when we started swinging like a pendulum high above the parachute. I looked down to see the parachute below us and couldn’t fathom how we weren’t free falling towards it. The G Force was keeping us in place as we swung from side to side, spiralled down and eventually landed on the soft grass of a rugby field below.
Check out this video footage of the thrill ride
- Cost of Paragliding over Queenstown with G Force Paragliding is $199 NZD ($169 NZD for 9:00 am
- Includes
- Photos (all the amazing photos above were taken by Peter)
- Flight
- Gondola ride with a return gondola ride after your paragliding experience.
- Cost of the Gondola is $25 NZD (so that is a $25 dollar saving already
- Video costs an extra $20
- 1 NZD = .70 CAD
- This trip was made possible by Flying Kiwi and courtesy of G-Force Paragliding.
This post is also a part of the #Blog4NZ effort going on with travel bloggers around the world uniting to show that New Zealand is open for business.
21 Responses to Paragliding Over Queenstown New Zealand
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WOW! Y’all are directly responsible for the growth of my bucket list. Great post!!
Rick Griffin recently posted..Great Day San Antonio
Always happy to help fill up the bucket list:)
Love love LOVE paragliding and I’m dying to do it again! I went once over the Bavarian Alps and the Neuschwanstein Castle, and again in Maui. Would love to try it in New Zealand, especially after seeing these photos!
I would love to try it in the Bavarian Alps. Yes, I think that Paragliding is one of those things that you can do again and again. So I will have to add your two places onto my list of places to go Paragliding. thanks!
I want to go paragliding sooo bad. To do so in New Zealand would be even more amazing!!
Kirsten recently posted..Free Museum Day in Paris – Musee du Louvre
This looks like so much fun! I went parasailing in Queenstown over the lake, which was also cool, but I feel like I’d really love this, too! And the photos he took are great!
You guys sure are having a blast in NZ, aren’t you?? I’m jealous.
Amanda recently posted..Blog4NZ Wrap-Up
Hi Amanda, That is cool, I have never tried Parasailing but it looks like a lot of fun too. Ah, so much to do and so little time.
Wow…. this looks more fun than skydiving!
Scott – Quirky Travel Guy recently posted..Am I the only one who finds Kerouac’s On the Road boring
It was a blast. Dave says it is very different. I was all ready to skydive with him in Taupo and then weather stopped it from happening. We had already watched the safety video and chose our music for our own video and then it was cancelled after high winds came up. Unfortunately at this point I can’t compare the two:(
I don’t like the feeling of falling so I wouldn’t skydive, but this I’d like to try! I saw people parasailing in St. John and it looked like so much fun.
Jennifer Barry recently posted..A Brand New Role- An interview with Shannon O&8217Donnell
I agree with you Jennifer. Paragliding has all the fun of Skydiving without the feeling of falling. It is a thrill too when you do the g-force maneuvers.
Nice! That looks like quite the experience. I love that view in the first picture, too. I haven’t been paragliding yet, but definitely want to check it out. When we use to go to Baja, Mexico,there was this beach bar right below a jump point, and we would sit and watch the paragliders all day long.
Randy recently posted..Sunshine & Happiness- An Infographic for the Ages
Hi Randy, you definitely have to give it a try. I regret not doing it in Peru with Dave, but very happy that I had the chance in Queenstown. In Baja, I imagine it would be beautiful.
What a beautiful place to para glide from! Stunning views.
I agree Sofia. Queenstown is one of the prettiest locations on the planet.
Looks like you had an amazing time! I would love to go paragliding one day. When I was in Queenstown I watched the paragliders land on a field a few streets away from the town centre. Those guys always looked very happy. I couldn’t imagine a better place to go paragliding than Queenstown.
Christina, that is exactly the way I felt when I landed. Very happy!
holy cow deb that video is INSANE!!! so incredibly cool and so vivid & crisp it looks unreal! like you’re in front of a hollywood green screen! way to sell the thrill of it. i must do that asap- looks like you had so much fun. 3rd and 4th pix are off the charts too
Lorna – the roamantics recently posted..I’m Still Here- And Hopefully Not as Crazy as Joaquin Phoenix
I agree, it does look like a green screen, Dave and I said the exact same thing. Same with the stunt plane flying. Dave’s bungy jump video however looked very real and terrifying. I have to hand it to my guide, he took incredible photos. If you paraglide with g-Force ask for Peter or go fly with him in Switzerland some time in Interlaken:)
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