TALES OF THE NORTH by Paul Rockell (with tongue in cheek)
Let me tell you a true tale of a remarkable place likely to make grown men shrivel. It is a place of rolling bush clad hills and long dissecting harbours, unsealed roads, rugged headlands and long crashing surf beaches, Incredibly beautiful, this alluring land is fabled to be the home of glider devouring demons, just waiting to pull the wings off those soaring innocents who usually play on the plains of Hobbitville and Springdale, should they dare be seduced by the sirens of the Far North.
I have occasionally seen pilots who escaped southwards from this Northern landscape with silly grins, claiming it was a great experience and that they would be back, bring reinforcements. Our small band is still waiting and is forced to continue the adventure alone. The summer campaigning of sea breeze convergences is wearisome. Kilometre after kilometre is flown to the north and south, through grasping white tendrils hanging low but the reward is a vista of pearly white sand and the languid teal waters captured by headlands of Pohutukawa. One of our monsters of the North is frequently sighted but not often engaged, despite residing near Kaikohe Gliding Club, and can be seen very often, beating them with a good stiff rotor. They know a good day and stay well tucked up at home, while others, from Whangarei Gliding club, lacking good sense, have set out to battle with it and its siblings, over the years. The Prince of Lenticulars is over 70 kilometres long, forming behind the Tutumohe Plateau, often rising to 30,000 feet in a good strong westerly, while all the north/south ranges regularly produce good wave over 9,000 feet high. Anecdotally, climbs to 16,000 feet have been talked about. I have been to 12,000 feet three times before breaking away in still strong lift, and 9,000 feet several times farther south. One wave that has never been flown is slightly off shore, between Cape Brett and Whangarei Heads, caused by wind falling over the East coast escarpment and bouncing, to give good lennies around 8000 feet plus. A Duo Discuss climbed away to 7,000 ft behind Mount Mania, out at sea near Whangarei Heads some years back. I also am
top L: lenticular off West Coast Hills top R and centre: Lenticular stayed for three days and nights at 23,000 feet. bottom R: High point, no oxy
sure that the consolidated sand dunes rising about 600 feet high at the North and South Kaipara heads must produce a wave over the Kaipara Harbour at times. RASP predicts these Northland wave bar events with good accuracy, according to what I am seeing and experiencing. So be brave and venture north to share our good fellowship, fairy stories and have a crack at those demons. The worst that could happen is having to wash dust off your car.
December 2012
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