Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Queenstown

Queenstown


Fire and ice: we have blastoff at last
By ANDREA DEUCHRASS and LIN FERGUSON - The Southland Times Wednesday, 27 June 2007
BARRY HARCOURT/Southland Times/Image ID 106961

CRASH COURSE: A crash landing is coming up as the Air NZ lads Shane Bellamy (rear) and Kieron Hunter head for a freezing dip during the SkiDealsNZ Day on the Bay Birdman yesterday.
Queenstown rocked and glittered last night as the 2007 Winter Festival finally produced a perfect night of stars, fireworks and music.
Suddenly the town was filled with people for the Mardi Gras.
Traffic slowed again on Frankton Rd but this time it was because of pleasure and party time and not the crippling snowstorm of last week.
Fireworks blazed into a clear night with the mountain peaks etched into a navy blue frosty sky.
Small babies screamed with each whoosh and big kids and adults gasped with delight.
The festival had finally begun.
Celebrity MC Jason Gunn yelled: "Hey Queenstown, here we are, are we warm enough, are we happy?" The crowd of more than 3000 called "more, more, more".
People laughed, hugged and kissed in the streets. Go the 2007 festival.
It's blastoff at last.
Earlier the wacky Day on the Bay finally went ahead and although it was enjoyed by a slightly smaller crowd with just two female contestants in the Undy 500, it featured all the traditional splashes, dashes and mad bravery.
The birdman judges said they looked for humour, costume and the all-important pre-flight routine and crowd reaction.
Props ranged from a flying contraption, jetboat and bikini to an aircraft and an umbrella. While some dived in to an icy Lake Wakatipu, other crashes were not so graceful.
Aviation jokes resounded as an Air New Zealand aircraft "took off" along the runway. But the bottom fell out of the industry as "pilots" Kieron Hunter and Shane Bellamy tipped the craft into the water.
Hoping to take out the winning title for the second year running, Hush Spa contestant Claire Prior wore a perky outfit that had the Top Bloke contestants' eyes fixed.
Most of the Undy 500 entrants said their aim was to win the $500 prize for a chilly sprint in their smalls. They had no chance against men's section winner Nikki Wills, of London, who claimed to be a world pro "undy racer".

posted by Robee Dobee @ 1:11 AM 0 comments