Re ‘A new breed of tourism' (page 4-5, The Weekend Sun, April 27). I was taken aback when I read about one person's dislike of paragliding as it appeared to have nothing to do with the rest of the article.

I am a hang glider pilot. I have been hang gliding for over 40 years and still feel the exhilaration of un-powered flight just as much as I did when I first started in the 70s. To be able to foot-launch off a hill and fly like a bird is one of the most amazing experiences.

You will not find us to be the selfie type. We are generally a good bunch of environmentally-friendly people who respect Mauao. We are totally reliant on the generosity of landowners for the limited places we can fly and we respect this generosity.

In my experience over the many years of flying off Mauao I have found the general public to be extremely interested and in many cases in awe of the paragliding and hang gliding that takes place.

I hope we have the opportunity to continue our great sport for many years to come and by doing so, give the rest of the Mauao users something else to enjoy watching.

G Christophers, Matua (Abridged).