Show off your colours Peacock - hot air balloon

The Peacock balloon is truly amazing and a real show stopper. It is the biggest bird in the air over the 5 day event with the balloon standing 30 metres high, taking up 4000 cubed metres of space and weighing 250 kilos, of which most of that weight is in the huge tail.

Pilot AJ Troost has been ballooning for 13 years making over 1100 flights in many parts of the world and this festival will be visiting New Zealand for the first time.

Resene has a long history of introducing colours to New Zealand since its first introduction of bold colour in the 1970s. And now Resene is extending its colours onto the Peacock balloon encouraging everyone to show off their colours. This striking balloon celebrates the beauty of peacocks and will be a colourful and fun feature in the sky. As Resene is New Zealand owned and operated we especially enjoy adding colour to iconic events such as this one.

Balloons over Waikato is New Zealand's premier hot air balloon festival. Held annually, in Hamilton, this five-day icon event it is arguably the most popular event in the city. It attracts balloonists from all over New Zealand and around the world, who come to experience the fun, friendship and warmth this balloon friendly city provides and to demonstrate their skills in a range of competitive activities.

Over 130,000 spectators will enjoy the spectacle the magnificent balloons create, by visiting Innes Common or the University of Waikato to view the Nightglow. Many thousands more enjoy watching their progress across the skies from other vantage points in the city and region.

Mass hot air balloon ascensions just after sunrise, amazing new feature balloons with their special shapes, the opportunity to interact with the pilots and their crews and the magical Hamilton NightGlow (now located at The University of Waikato) entertain and delight members of the local community and visitors to the region. Admission is free.

Balloon festivals have been part of the Hamilton scene since 1988 and are enthusiastically supported by the local community. In late 1999 the Balloons over Waikato Charitable Trust was established as the governing body to provide new direction and continuity for the Festival.

› www.balloonsoverwaikato.co.nz