Paraglider lived life with no regrets
All flights from Mt Maunagnui, or Mauao, are grounded as paragliders hold a vigil for their friend killed in an accident.
Richard Marriner died on December 7 after his paraglider crashed after taking off from the mountain.
Friends describe him as someone who believed ‘‘life was for living’’.
‘‘Angels take time to learn to fly but I know Richard will be up there already zipping around,’’ his friend and former flight instructor Darrell Packe said.
‘‘He would hate all this fuss he has caused.’’
Marriner became the second paraglider to die in an accident atop Mt Mauao in 2018 after Josh Tingey collided with a rockface in February after a manoeuvre was misjudged.
Coroner Wallace Bain released his findings in September and described Tingey as a ‘‘highly skilled, capable and talented pilot’’.
Packe used similar words to describe Marriner’s skill level who had held his paragliding licence for two years.
‘‘He just loved it,’’ he said. ‘‘He wanted to paraglide every day and, he probably did. He had done about 400 flights off Mauao. He loved the walk up, loved the flight and loved the people.’’
It was the sense of freedom, serenity and peace felt while gliding on wind currents that attracted Marriner to the sport.
‘‘It is a surreal feeling,’’ Packe said. ‘‘People look at us and think we are mad, and maybe they are right, but it is pure joy.
‘‘Richard would enjoy putting smiles on peoples’ faces who would watch him with this same sense of joy he was feeling. He probably appeared in quite a few holiday albums.
‘‘He was not into selfies, he was too busy living life.’’
Packe did not know the specifics of the accident yet and police have asked for anyone with footage to come forward.
Tari Sinclair saw Marriner before his crash. He described described Marriner being hit with a sudden gust of wind and watched as the paraglider changed directions suddenly before heading straight down.
‘‘He was going side to side, how he normally always does ... Next minute... he basically dropped. It just went straight down. I thought: ‘What the bloody hell just happened?’ I thought this can’t be, this isn’t real.’’
Having two deaths at Mauao has shaken the close-knit group of paragliders in Tauranga.
‘‘It’s been a bad year,’’ Packe said. ‘‘We have had two too many.’’
It was Tingey’s death that made Packe realise accidents could occur in paragliding in Tauranga.
‘‘I have never thought of it like that,’’ he said. ‘‘It just seemed surreal as we are flying around the sky not even going very fast. We are at peace with nature and the elements. I was so dumbfounded that it was possible.’’
Packe has logged more than
1500 flights off the top of Mauao and only ever seen minor scrapes and no fatalities before 2018. ‘‘I think the last one before this year was decades (ago),’’ he said.
To combat human error Packe says all of this students are well trained in safety procedures before being allowed to fly near Mauao.
It can take up to two years to obtain a paragliding licence and pilots will start off on small; 30ft slopes, before moving up to larger launch sites like Raglan, which is
80 feet.
Pilots are trained how to read the weather conditions and recognise fronts which may cause unfavourable conditions.
He said Mount Paragliding educates people new to Mauao the best way to fly and how to cater to the different conditions. The mountain was a popular place for paragliding due to its unique flying conditions.
‘‘It is a spiritual place to fly as you just elevate up off the wind cascading up the cliff face,’’ he said.
‘‘The view is amazing. It is surreal. You are surrounded by the elements in absolute quiet.’’
Upon hearing of Marriner’s death all flying was cancelled until iwi could perform a karakia and Marriner’s funeral was completed.
‘‘It’s shaken us all up,’’ Packe said.
‘‘We’re going to head up there as a group, head up to where he launched off and swap stories about our friend. There will be plenty of laughs and tears.’’