Trapeze artist and hot-air balloon create history
02 Apr 2008
An outlandish stunt has created ballooning history, high above the New Zealand countryside.
In the Wairarapa region, a trapeze artist gracefully swung 300 metres off the ground from the basket of a hot-air balloon.
Professional trapeze artist Pipi-Ayesha Rowe completed the stunt as part of the annual Wairarapa Balloon Fiesta.
This is the first time in more than 100 years a trapeze artist successfully swung from a bar and hoop while suspended by a hot-air balloon.
The act required careful weight balancing by local balloon pilot Rick Walczak, with bad weather almost forcing the dangerous act to be cancelled. Walczak instead decided to shift the location of the stunt from Masterton to Martinborough.
Evans was excited and slightly anxious beforehand.
''The most exciting thing is that this has never been done before and it's something I've always wanted to do but never had the opportunity until now.
''It was a little bit scary when I did tricks and went upside down. But I know what I'm doing and nothing went wrong.''
Evans trained at Christchurch's circus school five years ago and has been working as a freelance acrobat performer throughout New Zealand.
''Performing from a balloon has always been a dream of mine so I couldn't believe my luck when Rick contacted me.''
The first attempt at the stunt occurred almost 100 years ago in New Zealand. This attempt ended abruptly when the balloon caught fire and the act had to be abandoned.
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