Balloon panda a Wairarapa festival star | Wairarapa News | Local News in Wairarapa

Pigs might not be able to fly but, as the skies of the Wairarapa will soon show, giant pandas are a different matter.

Next month's annual hot air balloon festival, held from Thursday, March 8 to Sunday, March 11, will be livened up by the addition of a large, black and white panda balloon.

Piloted by Mark MacSkimming of Hershey, Pennsylvania, the balloon has had a long journey to get to the Wairarapa.

Made in Brazil, "Pandy" is 3540 cubic metres and as high as an eight-storey building. More than 2100 square metres of fabric were required to put it together.

It now calls Texas home, and its Wairarapa flight will be the first time is has explored the skies outside of the United States.

Hot air balloon festival organiser Jonathan Hooker said having the flying panda was a delight.

"It's extremely exciting," he said.

"If it's anything like the polar bear balloon [that came to the festival in 2001] it will be quite spectacular."

Along with the Panda balloon, a balloon pilot from Masterton's Chinese sister city Changchun will arrive with his wife to take in the festival.