Jacques Naviaux, a former Marine Corps fighter pilot, presented his gliding (“mountain wave soaring”) experience in New Zealand. The west side of the South Island gets 220 inches of rain per year, with high winds but moderate climate.
 
The wind blowing eastward up the mountain slopes causes a smooth rising air mass that can keep gliders aloft for hours. The air goes up and down following mountain slopes, and tends to rise over sun-heated areas of dark rock surrounded by snow. The gliders follow rising air masses as judged by ground contour and weather conditions. They stay below 15,000 feet, although the glider altitude record is about 50,000 feet.
 
 
The South Island is sparsely settled, but many farmhouses have bed-and-breakfast facilities. The local airport is next to a village of 500 people. The gliders are towed up to 1500 feet above the ground by a powered airplane and then cut loose. They have oxygen on board for over 12,000 feet, and a parachute. Gliders go slowly and rise smoothly up to 4000 ft/min. The mountain scenery is beautiful. He showed photos of Mount Cook and Norfolk Glacier. He flew about 5-6 hours daily, about 300 miles distance, maintaining radio contact. (The word usage and pronunciation in the local dialect can be challenging for communication.)