Parapente Mt Puketutu

Puketutu is located on the Bombay Hills, south of Auckland. To get there, take the southern motorway to Bombay, turn left at the Bombay exit, then follow the signs to Paparata. Take the second right and the first left into Main Road. Access to the site is on the right several hundred meters down Main Road through a farm gate. Follow the signs to Mt William walkway at the end of Puketutu Rd for access to the NW launch and a short walk to the NE launch. The launch height is 1,230 feet A.S.L. and 450 feet A.G.L. The site consists of a series of spurs and gullies with limited bottom landing options, further reduced by recent olive tree plantings. The surrounding hills have various transmitter towers, aerials, and suspended wires. The site is suitable for flying in North, North East, West, and North West wind directions. However, it is not very soarable, especially for hang gliders. Note the presence of towers and wires. The site is located in GAA G275 with a height restriction of 4,500ft ASL. The area just north of Puketutu is GAA G276 with a height restriction of 3,500ft ASL, which can be extended to 4,500ft ASL by notifying ATC. Access conditions require keeping the number of people to a minimum (six pilots and spectators at most) and limiting vehicular use. No flying is allowed if there is a lot of stock on the flying face. Permission from the landowner, Jim Ball, must always be obtained, preferably through the site monitors. Contact Jim Ball at 09-236 0515 or 025-934 571. As of December 1997, there is a padlock on the access gate due to uninvited visitors. Contact the site monitors for access. Hang glider pilot Steve Elliot flew 128 kilometers from this site in 1995. Paraglider pilot Jeff Ripley set a new site record by flying 64.2 km on 21 Nov 2008. For more information, visit: - [Cloudbase](https://www.cloudbase.org.nz/site-guide/flying-site-puketutu) - [Parawait](https://parawait.org/sites/puketutu/)