Last Chance to view Lake Wanaka before the snow.

Yesterday it was lovely and warm and I decided to take a tour of our lovely town of Wanaka.  If you have not been to the look out, make it a must do.  If you do not know how to get there, ask any shop person or a local.  The view shows our gorgeous town. Or how about a flight over Wanaka?

It looks like from the weather that is changing here that we are in for some unsettled weather.  The air is cooling down and there is a bit of a change in the mood…We may really be having a snow fall soon! 

Change on the horizon

Last chance to see the town before the snow!

TRENZ delegates fly with U-FLY.

U-Fly’s scenic flights over the beautiful mountains and crystal clear Lake Wanaka, highlight some of the finest alpine sightseeing in the South Island of New Zealand (NZ).

Recently during the Tourism Trade conference in Queenstown, delegates from all over the world decided to fly with U-FLY to see what it was all about- around the Stunning lake Wanaka region. Most people’s first question is ‘what is it all about’?

Because it is a tourism activity it is designed to be easy and incrediably fun.  You do not need any expereince in flying as the delegates were soon to find out.  After a pilot briefing we take off and climb up to 330 Meters above the ground heading west. Passing over the stunning Glendhu Bay area, the Motatapu, the ski area of Treble Cone and into Mount Aspiring National Park we can then view the glaciers in their true glistening glory. For more information on how to see the Glaciers near Wanaka: http://u-flywanaka.co.nz/gold_tour.html

Our experienced pilot will encourage you to do as little or as much flying as you like. This is a completely unique New Zealand South Island tour that you will never forget. You don’t need more than a few minutes to learn to fly this bird. The brand new plane is light and easy to fly.  The delegates experienced the highlights trip http://u-flywanaka.co.nz/highlights_tour.html and in my next update I will tell you what they said about the team at U-FLY…

Dropping fishermen and tramping enthusiasts off by plane.

A sudden burst of inspiration, driven by a forecast for four calm, sunny days, saw our friend Pete Groves booking me for a flight into a backcountry grass airstrip for an autumn adventure. What better way to combine sightseeing, flying Wanaka, fishing and hiking in the Hunter River valley – one of the most beautiful areas of the South Island.
 
Of course it was no problem for us, as we frequently fly into the backcountry strips as part of the programme for our Mountain Flying students … and it’s beautiful. I made a quick call to the landowner for permission to use the Boundry Hut airstrip, which he kindly granted, and soon we were climbing into the Tecnam aircraft and taking to the sky above Wanaka.
 
It was a stunning scenic flight at about 2000 feet above Lake Hawea with views into two other famous fisheries – Timaru Creek and Dingle Burn – but the Pete’s goal was the Hunter River, which is the main river flowing into Lake Hawea.  He was excited to see the river from the air – and to see it was flowing clear and the water level was low.
 
We overflew the airstrip to check it’s condition and to chase away a single cow, then a quick circuit and we touched down into a strong valley breeze. 
 
Pete put on his backpack and fishing gear, and started off upstream for his three day adventure – staying at the Ferguson and Forbes Huts, and then hiking out over a steep mountain pass into the Wills River valley which flows out to the Haast River. The scenery in this part of the Southern Alps is stunning with beautiful rivers, thick native bush, steep mountain peaks and many glaciers all within easy view. 
 
It was 52km of hiking and climbing for Pete (he only caught one fish!) but for me it was an easy flight back to homebase at Wanaka Airport in time for the next U-FLY passenger.

Janet and Ally from Hong Kong say…..

Wonderful!

Nice Fly! Nice weather! Nice experience!

People from Hong Kong are travelling to New Zealand and enjoying what our hospitality is all about.  We have the pleasure to fly some people who make it as far as scenic Lake Wanaka.  Yesterday we took Janet and Ally up for a dual U-FLY flight.  Janet and I went in the yellow plane and Wayne and Ally went in the white plane.  We flew over the stunning lake and the wind was calm.  The lake glittered. Janet took lots of photos and asked me if I ever get sick of the scenery!  I said no.  When we returned we took lots of photos of the girls standing by the planes.  Then I asked them to write in our Guest book.  This is what they said.

“Nice Fly! Nice Weather! Excellent expereince!!  Excellent trainer!  Nice Scenic!!  Addicted to Fly!! and very very beautiful…Awsome”.  Janet (HongKong).

“Nice trip!  Wonderful view!  Enjoy!”  Ally.  21.4.2011 (HK).

West Coast Wonder

This is a story about a day out I had yesterday with 3 good friends, 2 planes and the Westcoast at our front door.  We had been planning this scenic flight for 2 years, waiting for the perfect day.  We all live in the stunning location of Lake Wanaka.  All of us having lived here, our whole life and I was to fly my friend Dick. He is in his early 80′s and knows only two well what a wonderful gateway of adventure and fun Wanaka really is.

 The day arrived and It was a absolute stunner.  We met up at a leisurely 9.30 at the U-FLY office where we had the planes readied.  We were off to visit Dick’s friend at Gorge River and we also wanted to buy his latest book.  Flying into his remote Westcoast home meant he could sign the book for us and that we could enjoy a seaside picnic while we were there. 

We took off, with 2 people in each plane and a full picnic and goodies in each plane for our friends over the coast-including a bunch of red roses for the lady of the house.  We flew past Mount Aspiring and then over the Rob Roy Glacier which was glittering in the still crisp bright morning light.

Dick told me how he had walked the track many years ago and said the Rob Roy track is one of the best walks around Wanaka.  I mentally took note to add that to my list of must do’s in my own home town.  In only a few minutes and we could see the sea and we dropped over the stunning Southern Alps and down onto the Westcoast.

The sea was emerald and sparkling and winking up at us, just inviting the fish rods we had in the boot. We arrived at Gorge river and there was the supply plane already on the airstrip.  We landed and walked up to the house and had a great catch up over hot tea, home made muffins and cake.  We went to the river and fished, the sea was rolling in and I marvelled at the thought that we had come from Wanaka in just over an hour to this remote and beautifully rugged coast. 

If you want to see what we saw have a look at our photos at http://u-flywanaka.co.nz/U-Fly_gallery.html

Honeymoon with U-FLY

With U-FLY offering formation scenic flights, we have a special way of sharing our area with people from all over the world.  What a perfect way to spend your honeymoon visiting lake Wanaka and flying with us.

“Thank you guys for such an awesome experience.  It was amazing to fly the planes on our own for the first time.  Ruth and Pearce, you guys rock”! Vineet nad Priyanka.  Couple on their honeymoon from India

 The dual scenic flight is a unique experience where each person flies in a plane each, with their own pilot aboard.  This totally romantic experience has each person enjoying a world class scenic flight while getting to fly a plane and see their partner flying in the other plane.

With the arrival of the new in-plane camera from the USA, we can now offer DVDs for customers flying in the yellow plane TGT. This is great for the dual scenic now that no customer has to miss out on a DVD.

Other great things to do in Wanaka for people on their Honeymoon check out http://u-flywanaka.co.nz/thingstodoinNewZealand.html.  Maybe include taking a walk around our delightful bay.  Sampling some of our local food and wine.  A great place to dine is Edgewater, it has views of the lake and lovely trees, with a lively menu using local produce.  If skydiving or jetboating is for you then look for Skydive lake Wanaka and Wanaka River Journeys.  Again the scenery of New Zealand is so amazing why not stay a while and enjoy the relaxed and friendly atmosphere that Wanaka has on offer.

Fancy New Prop For our Latest Plane

Exciting times for U-FLY with our latest Tecnam, TLS getting a brand new propeller installed. The band new prop is a three blade Airmaster Propeller and we also installed and new chrome nose cone and wow it looks good. We have recently formed a relationship with Airmaster Propellers and we will be testing their new products. This will mean they can give real world numbers to customers who want to buy their products. More pictures will be uploaded on www.u-flywanaka.co.nz. Make sure you check them out!