By DPA
Wellington : German tourist Gerhard (Gerry) Mayr became the first man Wednesday to fly over Mount Cook, New Zealand’s highest peak at 3,754 metres, in a motorised paraglider, news reports said.
Mayr, 42, who owns a motorcycle shop in his hometown Constanz, took about two-and-a-half hours to make the flight after taking off from the Fox Glacier, his support crew spokesman Tim Haller told reporters.
Haller said Mayr struck severe turbulence in getting over the mountain with his paraglider, which has a small motor strapped to his back.
Mayr, who is making a 40-day tour of New Zealand in a quad bike (a motorised four wheel motorcycle), told Radio New Zealand before taking off: “It could be dangerous, but I don’t want to think about that. I want to have fun – I want to see the mountain from up there.”
He said he got the idea for the flight after seeing pictures of “this beautiful mountain”, adding: “I want to see if for myself, not with a helicopter and pilot”.