Race organisers Tim Brown and Louis Tapper were delighted with the week-long event, the weather and the opportunity for pilots to race five tasks over distances between 63km and 95km.
They said they were grateful for the support from farmer Dennis Nyhon, other Upper Clutha farmers who provided access and the local aviation community, because without their tolerance, the event could not have happened.
"This was the most exciting and successful competition for 10 to 20 years. We are glad about the weather," Brown said.
"We were able to use this world-class paragliding place to its fullest extent, which we haven’t been able to do for a while," Tapper said.
Many paragliding pilots said they rated Wanaka in the world’s top 10 places to compete and fly.
"Racers say mountain flying here is unique, they told me ‘boy that was tough flying but it was scenic’," Brown said.
"Everyone asks me about New Zealand and they see the photos. For many, this week made it a reality," Tapper said.
The pilots most-talked-about task was the audacious first-day flight from Queenstown to Wanaka, with flights up the Matukituki Valley and over Lake Hawea to the Dingleburn Valley also creating plenty of chatter.
The launch off the back of Coronet Peak was something not done in national competition before.
It was a last-minute addition to the programme after the Department of Conservation refused permission to race from Treble Cone.
Brown said the Coronet Peak launch could be intimidating because if pilots landed, they faced a seven-hour walk to civilisation.
Tapper said he’d been thinking about adding Coronet Peak to the championships for about seven years.
Everyone returned safely.
The sport is self-funded in New Zealand, with about 1500 registered pilots in the New Zealand Paragliding and Hang Gliding Association.
Winners are awarded trophies and medals rather than prize money.
Results
Men/competition overall: Mark Hardman (NZ), 3424 points, 1; Jorgen Andersen (FRA), 3370 points, 2; Phil Hystek (AUS), 3305 points, 3.
Women: Julia Jauss (GER), 2781 points, 1; Laetitia Bottollier (FRA), 2378 points, 2; Jessica Green (US), 2127 points, 3; Sanae Noguchi (NZ), 2074 points, 4.
