New Zealand's first walk & fly competition, Wanaka Hike & Flytook place last weekend, on 13 and 14 March 2021.

Inspired by European hike & fly events and New Zealand's Southern Alps, which seem tailor-made for bivouac flying, Kinga Masztalerz (Red-Bull X-Alps athlete) came up with the idea for this event and organised it with the help of a talented and cheerful team of passionate drivers.

Hundreds of hours of work have gone into creating an event that is fun, safe and challenging for riders of all abilities, and that complies with all New Zealand regulations.
Rules: athletes can decide which turnpoints on the official list they will cross and in which order. Easily accessible turnpoints give the athlete 1 point, more distant or more difficult turnpoints 2 points and to make the competition more fun, there is a 5-point bonus for those who sleep at the designated night turnpoint.
Athletes may stay close by or head for the furthest turnpoints, but they must take care as they will be penalised 8 points if they do not reach the finish cylinder before the end of the race.

The first edition went off without a hitch, without a single incident. Kinga was delighted to see a group of riders enjoying themselves and pushing their limits, finishing the weekend absolutely exhausted and totally beaming! And she's already asking whether next year's race can be longer!

Congratulations to the 25 registered athletes! See you next year!

Results:

General & Men :
1. Fraser Monteith (who won a BipBip PRO 👏)
2. Robber Boyle
3. Rober Hughes-Games

Women :
1. Vicki Zadrozny
2. Melanie Heather
3. Paula Race