Te Mata Peak rescue

By HINERANGI VAIMOSO | 6th March 2010

Byline1: HINERANGI.VAIMOSO@HBTODAY.CO.NZ

Caption2: CAPTION2

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Body1: Two paragliders who set off from Te Mata Peak had to be rescued by emergency services when a strong cross-wind slammed them back into the cliff face, leaving them stranded on a ledge 60m down.

 Hawke's Bay commercial paraglider Barry Sayer and American tourist Katie Nielsen launched off the eastern side of the tip of Te Mata Peak about 3.30pm yesterday.

Witnesses said that while the breeze was not strong, Mr Sayer and his passenger got caught in what looked to be a gusty cross-wind, which caused the kite to collapse and pushed the pair back into the cliff.

Two tourists enjoying the view from the top of the peak tried to help by throwing a rope over but it was too short.

It took two hours and about a dozen Hawke's Bay firefighters to complete the rescue, which involved abseiling down to winch up one paraglider at a time. It was established early in the rescue that neither paraglider was injured.

Ms Nielsen arrived in Hawke's Bay on Monday, staying with friends in Havelock North as part of a two-week trip to New Zealand from Seattle.

There were a few tears shed between Ms Nielsen and friend Kylie Vannaman when she was finally pulled up safely to the top carpark of Te Mata Peak about 5pm.

Mr Sayer followed soon after, one hand holding an old electric jug he had found dumped off the edge and the other hand ready to greet those who had assisted with the rescue.

Norman Posthumus, a glider with seven years' experience, was in the air when Mr Sayer and Ms Nielsen went down.

"This take-off can be tough sometimes when wind comes out of that gully but, from what I could see, he did everything right and handled it the best way possible," Mr Posthumus said.

"Put it this way. He's so good, I wouldn't want to fly with anyone else."

In an interview in 2004, Mr Sayer said the steep take-off from the peak put a lot of people off but he ranked it as the most accessible site in Hawke's Bay and possibly the North Island.

He said it was probably the most used site in the North Island for tandem jumps but the tricky take-off point required local knowledge.

About 30 onlookers were on the peak to see the rescue, including a wedding party.