If you’re considering the Fly by Wire in Paekakariki, do it.
Bungy jumping is available in 50+ countries around the world, but there’s only one place you experience the Fly by Wire. In short it’s a self-driven rocket attached that you fly through a stunning canyon.
But, if you’re in two minds, you can check out the video from my experience and all the details you need to know further down the page in this Fly by Wire review.
Having grown up in Waikanae, I was familiar with the Fly by Wire but never got a chance to go on it before a flood caused a landslide that damaged equipment in 2003. After being closed for 16 years, the Fly by Wire reopened in 2019.
If you’re more of a visual person, you’ll want to watch the video on Youtube here.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Details About The Fly by Wire
2. How To Get There
3. Trip Report
1. DETAILS ABOUT THE FLY BY WIRE
Whenever you’re paying $100+ for a tour, you start to question whether the activity is going to be worth it? Maybe that’s just me?
But I’m stoked to say that the Fly By Wire is 100% worth it. If you’ve got the technique mastered (you’ll be told how to do this), you’ll experience up to 2.5 g-forces as you swoop within metres of the ridges of the canyon. And on a clear sunny day you’ll have epic views of Kapiti Island.
Given you park next to SH1, it’s amazing you can be in a quiet canyon after walking for just 10 minutes. From here you can scream as much as you want knowing no one will hear you (except those watching you). With a flight time under 10 minutes, I was worried that the time would go too quickly. It went quick but I was more than ready to get off by then.
Why knock off half a point? It took about four weeks for me to get the video from Matt, the owner. I sent several emails that went unanswered before the video was finally sent through (right about 4 weeks after the experience).
Website: FlybyWire.co.nz
When1: January 2020
Price: I paid $99 (usually $199) through Groupon. That’s no longer available in NZ, so look on Treat Me and GrabOne for possible deals. Without the video option the regular price is $149.
Difficulty2: Easy.
Flight time: The engine is on for just over five minutes, for which you’re driving the entire time. The engine cuts off and you’ll have approx. two minutes of quiet swinging before you come to a stop.
Duration: The walk to plane hangar is 10-15 minutes from the office (address is below). Allow 15 minutes per person for flying time (if you arrive right on time), and then 10 minutes back down the hill. So one person can be complete in 40 mnutes, two people 55 minutes, three people 70 minutes etc.
HOW TO GET THERE
The walk up the canyon itself is super nice!
You can find the Fly By Wire office at 9 Tunapo Road, Paekakariki 5034
From here you’ve got a 10-15 minute walk to where the activity takes place.
Drive: The office is located right next to State Highway 1 so it’s super simple to drive here. You can park in front of the office, or alternatively, you could park in Paekakariki Village/Station if you plan to grab a bite to eat afterward.
Walk: If you’re staying in Paekakariki you’ll have a short walk to get there. Alternatively, you could walk from Pukerua Bay via the Escarpment Track.
Public Transport: While the #251 bus goes from Paraparaumu to Paekakariki a few times a week, the train is the easiest way to get there.
The trains to Parkakariki run seven days a week (from Wellington to Waikanae), and the Paekakariki Train Station is just on the other side of the highway, less than a five-minute walk from the Fly By Wire office. You can see the Kapiti Train Line timetable here.
3. FLY BY WIRE TRIP REPORT
The rocket ready for and waiting for me.
After a few weeks of trying to round up friends to give the Fly By Wire a whirl, I finally decided to just go and do it myself. Dad dropped me off and I gave the owner Matty a buzz to make sure he was up at the hangar (I hadn’t booked a time). He was so I made the trek up through the canyon and after ~200 stairs later I saw the wires crossing the canyon followed by the rocket (and it’s roaring engine) I’d be riding shortly.
Despite looking at photos and a video before arriving I still didn’t really understand what was going on until I saw it.
And shit, I’m stoked I got to see two others go before me…and not just to get a few photos! It’s cool to see how the setup works, and it’s so logical. There are wires crossing the canyon, and in the centre another wire drops down from the middle that the rocket is attached to. That’s the simple explanation, it’s more sophisticated than that of course.
Up, up, up, and away!
As the second person in line was flying I signed the thoroughly detailed waiver that basically says that I’m responsible for my own decisions and there’s a risk with everything you do so I won’t sue Fly By Wire if something bad goes wrong which is how it should be! It’s NZ, so everything is triple and quadruped by OSH for safety purposes.
A few minutes later, and the guy before me was chuffed with his experience and it was now my turn as Matty gave me my call up. Another couple of minutes later and the 360-degree camera was being fitted as I lay down on my stomach on the rocket to have the 5-point harness lock me in…I wasn’t going anywhere.
Matty had already talked me through what the story was, but he did so again as I acquainted myself with the controls and the throttle which I was told to keep on full throttle for the whole ride as soon as the engine reached about 3,000 revs.
The plane itself has been improved from the early 2000’s model to be more aerodynamic and is still how Jeremy Clarkson described it as “A plane without wings.”
I’m not sure why he didn’t just call it a rocket?
Sending it.
The steering is straightforward. The steering wheel is like the handlebars on a bike and the throttle is like the traditional front brakes on a bike.
Once the 24 horsepower motor kicks in you can certainly hear the engine, it’s loud, but you aren’t annoyed by it. As I lifted up and was given the go to begin I pulled down hard on the throttle as I was propelled forward. It’s at this moment you’re trying to remember the instructions you were told about a minute earlier and second-guessing yourself. Or it that just me again?
Once my momentum came to a stop at the top of the first arc I tried to turn hard and lock the steering wheel as instructed, but in what would be my downfall I kept turning the wheel as though I was driving a scooter through the polluted streets of Bangkok. It’s hard to describe the feeling, but I just knew I wasn’t doing it right but figured I’d get it right at the top of the next arc. Nope, I was having a shocker and rather than turn in the same direction as the first arc, I went back in the other direction….just like I was told not to. Fail.
Nevertheless, as I tried to figure out the steering I was definitely getting faster and was started to get the adrenaline pumping. But I also had another obstacle I didn’t adjust to, the wind. There was a couple of times when I tried to turn into the wind at the top of the arc, which meant I came back down the arc backward. I should have been turning with the wind (I think)…but it didn’t help that I got nervous and eased off the throttle momentarily a couple of times.
Despite all this drama, I was appreciating the views as I soared into the skies (over 50 metres if you’re a good driver…I’ll get my license one day) with Kapiti Island silhouetted in the low cloud. The other goal was to swoop over the northern ridge of the canyon where you get within a couple of metres of the ground for that extra adrenaline rush. I think I got there towards the end as I started to finally get the hang of the ride as the timer ticked below the one-minute remaining mark.
Can you spot the rocket?
Another key I kept failing at was the countersteering after fully locking the wheel to initiate the turn at the top of the arc.
As the engine cut out after five minutes I started to slow down and the noise of the engine was now noticeable as I swayed about the canyon in silence taking in what I’d just experienced. It’s similar to bungy jumping in that you are plunging towards the ground, just hoping that engineers and operators know what they’re doing with their maths.
You’re flying towards the ground lots on the Fly by Wire but you don’t get that sustained feeling of weightlessness as you do in bungy jumping. There were definitely times where I was flinching throughout the ride thinking I was going to fast as the ground approached.
Once I came to a stop I was definitely smiling, quite chuffed with it all. As bad as my driving was, the adrenaline combined with the uniqueness of the experience made the Fly by Wire a winner!
On a clear day, this view looking west would be incredible.
The Fly by Wire is 100% unique. You’re controlling the plane 100% yourself, and there’s so much power in that in what’s fast becoming a world where we can’t do anything for ourselves. Matty was a legend and I hope the Fly by Wire is becomes a mainstay of things to do on the Kapiti Coast for a long time.
If you’ve got any questions about the experience and/or my Fly by Wire review, let me know, happy to help!
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Hey, it’s Jub here. I’m the guy behind Chur New Zealand, helping you have the best time hiking, trekking, walking…whatever you want to call it…in NZ. I’m based in Queenstown and am always out and about exploring trails, old & new. If you have any questions, reach out.