Instructors
Our instructor team - 5 times NZ Champions
Reuben Muir
Chief flying instructor PG, PPG and kite surfing
info@wingsandwaves.co.nz
Reuben has sailed competitively since childhood, both in NZ and overseas. He has been a member of 3 NZ America's Cup campaigns, both as a sailor and a sailmaker. Once paragliding became his passion, he instructed in the most reputable schools in Europe and also worked for several leading European paragliding manufacturers in their development and manufacturing departments.
When it comes to know-how on PG and kiting equipment and materials, Reuben is the one who can give you first hand information which is based on a solid background in the sailing/sail making and paragliding industry.
Kitesurfing is his latest passion. After watching the sport develop while he was in Europe, he has found the perfect kit for NZ conditions and since has been known to be out kitesurfing whenever it is too windy for Paragliding. He has been teaching kite surfing right from when the sport started and developed the great, intense training courses, perfect for our conditions.
Reuben Muir
No 1 ranked NZ pilot 2011
2nd NZ Nationals 2010
Team Trophy winner 2010 Canungra Cup
National Team Member 2009
Winner of the 2006/2007 NZ Championships
Top 10 NZ pilot consistently for 15 years!
1st Place 1997 NZ Championships
1st Place 1997 New Caledonian Open
Eva Walton-Keim
Chief flying instructor, PG, PPG and kite surfing
eva@wingsandwaves.co.nz
Eva started paragliding in the late 1980s in Austria.
During NZ winters, Eva works with some of the best European schools and instructors to develop the best, safest and most successful teaching methods, a combination of the high European standards and own developments.
Due to this experience and her good connection to overseas paragliding organisations, she has been appointed "Training Manager" for the NZ Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association several times in the past, her job being to try to develop, raise and control the teaching standards in NZ paragliding schools. That is not always an easy task.
For several years Eva flew Paragliding competitions and had some remarkable results: 6th Lady at the World Championships (best Kiwi at the World Champs), National Team Member 5 years running, NZ Team Leader World Championships, NZ Woman's Distance Record, Auckland Distance Record (Male and Female), 3 times NZ Champion, 5th at the Men's NZ Championships.
These days, she concentrates on developing training courses for Wings & Waves, both in NZ and overseas, many of them run with top international instructors.
Kite surfing has turned into a family sport for Eva's family, with her son Lukas turning into a competition kiter at 13 and now a Team rider for GinKites. Speed flying is another new passion of hers, with 2 intense season speed riding at Ruapehu.
Eva Walton-Keim
NZ Champion 2011 and best ever placed woman in the men's ranking
NZ Champion 2010
Team Trophy winner 2010 Canungra Cup and 1st woman
Winner of the 2010 Rotorua Open
Winner of the 2010 Nelson Open
Winner of the 2009 Nationals
2009 Women's XC Champion
NZ Champion 1997
NZ Champion 1995
Jeff Ripley
Flying instructor PG, Speed Riding and PPG
jeff@wingsandwaves.co.nz
Jeff is the ultimate outdoor adventure man. Caving, kayaking, windsurfing, climbing, paragliding and paramotoring - he makes it all look terribly easy. (Don't try to do everything he does without discussing it with him....!)
Last season, he put his mind to paragliding competitions, and turned out NZ Champion! He also had the highest Cross Country (distance flying) score of any North Island pilot and the most site records etc. As a result, he is going to Mexico in the beginning of 2009 to represent NZ at the World Championships Paragliding.
Jeff does some XC courses with Wings & Waves and helps out at all sorts of other courses.
Jeff Ripley
NZ Champion 2010
NZ Champion 2009
NZ National Team member 2009
North Island XC Champion
XC Rover Champion 2009
Winner of the 2008 NZ Championships
North Island winner XC Comp 2008
Runner up 06/07 NZ Championships
National Team Member
Rodger Kerr
kite surfing instructor, assistant PG instructor
rodger@wingsandwaves.co.nz
Rodger is the most passionate kite surfing instructor I have ever seen. (Guess what he does on his days off?! He teaches his mates kite surfing.) And he is good at it. Nothing can change his calm manner, he is extremely good at giving you just the right bit of information to let you progress quickly, plenty of motivation and equips you with the skills you need to become a proficient kite boarder.
He crossed over from kite surfing to paraglider when he run out of things to do on light wind days, and soon found that his instructor skills apply just as well on the paragliding hill as they do on the water. He helps out Eva or Reuben when teaching and you will enjoy his input and his fun personality.
Rodger Kerr