A group of North Island hot air balloon pilots hovered three balloons in the park, but were unable to properly take off due to the wind direction.
They came to the town at the request of Alexandra local Elaisa Chapman, whose group, Central Events, wants to host a ballooning festival in the town in June.
Mrs Chapman said the pilots were testing where the balloons could launch and land.
''They weren't able to take off, but we didn't think we'd even be able to actually get any balloons up fully, so that's a plus.''
Wellington hot air balloon pilot Howard Watson said the group hoped to keep trying for the next few days.
The wind direction was the problem - mostly it was blowing towards the hills.
The plan, depending on the wind, was to fly down the Manuherikia Valley.
The weather so far was ''quite variable'', he said.
''So, obviously, that's a big issue when you're flying, because you don't want to be flying out of town in the wrong direction, because there's nowhere to land.''
It was too early to tell how the town would fare as a location for such an event, but the weather in the area in June was generally much calmer than in early summer.
The proposed festival would be unique for the South Island and coincide with Matariki celebrations.
