Hot Air Balloon Flights from Methven

We meet in the center of Methven where there is ample parking and conveniences. After introductions, we will travel in our 4X4 chase vehicle to the best launch site for the given wind direction on the day (approx. 20 mins). We will then have a safety briefing and inflate the balloons. After take-off we usually climb to a good altitude for seeing the panoramic views and take pictures (we also have a camera attached to the balloon for inflight photographs). After which we descend to a lower altitude for the second half of the flight where you will be able to see things on the ground better. After landing we will enjoy a celebration drink in the landing field and then travel back to Methven in the chase vehicle, which will have been following us throughout the flight.

There can be few finer places to take a balloon flight than New Zealand's Canterbury Plains. We take off close to the foothills of Mt. Hutt, where the mountains provide excellent shelter from the prevailing North Westerly winds. We have unlimited airspace restrictions upto 9,500 ft which gives us fantastic views across the southern alps as far away as Mt. Cook and Mt. Aspiring and also looking East across the patchwork landscape of the plains to the Pacific coast. Methven is a great place to spend a few days with many other attractions including mountain walks and the Lord of the Rings site at Mt. Sunday.

Stunning views of the Southern Alps