Wellington - A 42-year-old German daredevil on Wednesday became the first man to fly over Mount Cook, New Zealand's highest peak, in a motorized paraglider. Gerhard "Gerry" Mayr struck severe turbulence in getting over the 3,754-metre mountain with the craft but said later, "If I didn't make it or really crashed, then it's better than dying at home in bed."
"It was one of my dreams, and I live my dreams," he told Radio New Zealand. "I want to show the younger generation, or young people, that everything is possible."
Mayr, who owns a motorcycle shop in his hometown of Konstanz near the Swiss border, took about two-and-a-half hours to make the flight after taking off from Fox Glacier.
"It was the best flight I ever had in my life," the veteran adventurer said. "It was a wonderful, peaceful, stunning sight.
"Mount Cook is really something special. I'm a tough guy, I can tell you, but I had tears in my eyes."
He told Radio New Zealand that he used "a basic paraglider for beginners - nothing special" - and a two-stroke engine, adding, "So everybody can buy this thing and fly over the mountains."
Before taking off, Mayr said, "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."
After the flight, for which he needed ideal conditions and a tail wind, he said, "I'm lucky. I had a perfect day. Some people wait for a day like that months or years."
