Crowds treated to early morning colour as balloons take flight
The weather played its part on day two of Balloons Over Waikato, and early morning crowds had breakfast at Innes Common and watched as dozens of balloons took to the skies above Hamilton.
Hundreds gathered at dawn on Thursday to watch the balloons take flight at Hamilton’s Innes Common as part of Balloons Over Waikato.
They were treated to the sight of dozens of balloons inflating and flying into the morning sky, after the disappointment of fog stopping the planned first lift-off on Wednesday.
Before it even reached 6.30am, hundreds of people queued up to get their free breakfast curtesy of the Wel Energy Trust, creating about a 20 minute wait.
One of the spectators, Flip Wessels, said it was a great family event. “We got up at 6, and were luckily that we got in the line quite early.”
The family have been coming for the past four years, and it has become a family tradition.
Marina Rapp also got up early on Thursday morning, to help the crew of the the Phoenix balloon set up.
She was meant to have her first ride yesterday, but due to the mist all the of balloons stayed tethered.
“I was disappointed, but also relieved that I didn’t go up, because I was so scared.”
This time the Phoenix went up without fail and joined the other balloons to fill up the sky.
The first three balloons to take flight were Waikato balloons, while the race car balloon was one of the last.
On Friday, the balloons will lift off again from Innes Common at 7am before evening events at Tokoroa, Te Kuiti and Hamilton’s Garden Place. The Night Glow will be held at Waikato University on Saturday night.
