Balloons over Waikato 2024: Hamilton Lake packed with visitors on ...

Hamilton awoke to the sight and sound of hot air balloons this morning as Balloons over Waikato celebrated its first festival day.

At sunrise, Innes Common and Hamilton Lake were already buzzing with visitors of all ages who were eager to see the balloons take to the sky for the 25th year.

The scent of freshly brewed coffee and breakfast burgers was in the air, mixed with the audible excitement of the crowd.

Hot air balloons have limited steering, so the course and direction are determined by the wind. This morning, the balloons went Pukete and Te Rapa ways.

The first balloon to take off was the Hamilton Kirikiriroa balloon, which led the pack of about 20.

This year’s two special shapes, Farmer Pig and Bila the Baby Polar Bear, were also getting ready to join the others in the sky.

Unfortunately, Bila could not take off this morning.

“The plan was to be flying today, but there is too much wind for this special shape. It’s too complex for her”, said Bila’s pilot, Doug Grimes, of Albuquerque, the United States.

Grimes said he and Bila expected to take to the sky in the next few days.

“We will be flying by Thursday because the winds are expected to come down by then. I’m looking forward to it.”

Farmer Pig took to the sky, though, and the crowd stared in awe as it drifted with the wind at a fast pace.

At the event for the sixth time was the Walk Thru Balloon, from Rotary Waikato Sunrise.

For a gold coin donation, the crowd can walk through and see the inside of a hot air balloon. All proceeds go towards the True Colours Children’s Health Trust in Hamilton.

One of the organisers of the Walk Thru Balloon, Jeremy Brooke, said it certainly was a visitor favourite.

“As soon as the other balloons are up in the sky, people love coming back to us to see the inside of a hot air balloon.

“The people really love it, they come to the festival and see it, and they have a good time.”

Today’s morning lift-off was the Hamilton City Council Opening Fiesta, where attendees had the chance to win prizes such as tickets to Hamilton Zoo, Waterworld, or Excite at Waikato Museum.

The Base Basket Burn kicks off at Te Awa The Base shopping centre in Te Rapa on March 22 from 6pm, when pilots will fire up their burners to live music.

Another group of balloons will go to the Mighty River Domain at Lake Karāpiro for the Balloons Visit Waipā event from 5pm to 8pm.

Meanwhile, all 30,000 free tickets to the grand finale, the Zuru Nightglow, have been allocated.

Free-ticket holders can arrive at Claudelands Oval from 4pm to enjoy the live entertainment, carnival rides, food trucks and the orchestrated hot air balloon glow culminating in the SkyCity Hamilton Fireworks Extravaganza.

This year’s event is the last time Hamilton-based event management business Classic Events will organise Balloons over Waikato.

From March 19 to 23, about 20 hot air balloons will take to the sky above Hamilton every morning, from 7am at Innes Common, Hamilton Lake.

Malisha Kumar is a multimedia journalist based in Hamilton. She joined the Waikato Herald in 2023 after working for Radio 1XX in Whakatāne.

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