Awhitu Adventurer (HG)

Task type: Coastal soaring

Difficulty: Intermediate

Launch site: Karioitahi (Club Launch)

Site rating for launch: HG Novice

Task distance: 60 km

Description: This is fundamentally the same as the Awhitu Adventurer (PG) task except that it starts at the hang-glider friendly Club Launch and there is a larger cylinder at Maioro to avoid any potential conflicts with student PG pilots.

Launch at the Karioitahi 'Club Launch'. Fly south to Maioro, then north to tag a circle with a 2000 m radius centred on the Manukau Heads lighthouse. After reaching this turnpoint fly back south to goal, a 200 m circle centred on the Surf Club, to complete a return flight along the full length of the Awhitu Peninsula.

Skills required: Good judgement of weather conditions and wind direction to enable the return journey to be made safely. Confident in using judgement to successfully cross Hamilton’s and Cochrane’s Gaps in both directions. 

Note that the radius of the third turnpoint at the Manukau Heads lighthouse has been set at 2000 m to discourage pilots from pushing too far north to where the coast starts to curve to the east near the mouth of the Manukau Harbour. Flying past this point runs the risk of having pilots ‘pinned’ due to the venturi effect and decreased ridge lift at the harbour entrance.