The balloon pilot who heard the call of the skies

Thursday, 19 March 2026

Balloon pilot Joshua Anderson getting ready for lift-off.

Travelling the world as a sound engineer for artists such as Ed Sheeran, Kaylee Bell and Toto can be high-pressure for Hamilton’s Joshua Anderson.

Anderson, who is among 23 pilots taking part in this year’s Balloons over Waikato, said flying offers a rare sense of calm and is his “one happy place”.

He’ll take the skies in the Waikato Hot Air Balloon club colours.

23 balloons are set to take to the Hamilton skies on Saturday, as part of the week-long Balloons over Waikato.

“(Work is) very high stress, long hours, and ballooning has really become the release. That’s probably made me enjoy my job more than anything.

“Being able to go and get in the air and do something different.”

Anderson’s fascination with balloons started young, when he was “thrown in a basket with a stranger” growing up in Levin.

The passion stuck, and after returning to it during Covid, he has now been flying for four years.

Balloon pilot Joshua Anderson says nothing beats the feeling of getting off the ground in a hot air balloon.

While he describes ballooning as “peaceful and calm”, it also brings a unique mental challenge.

“You’re actively thinking about where you’re going to go and what manoeuvres you need to do, but at the same time, the moment you get two feet off the ground is one of the most amazing feelings ever.”

Hot air balloons will soon fill Waikato skies as the week-long festival kicks off this weekend.

The aerial extravaganza is one of the region’s premier events and attracts thousands of people each year.

Balloons over Waikato Trust chair Steve Gow says the Zuru Nightglow’s changing slot is to keep things fresh.

Festivities begin at Innes Common on Saturday morning, with balloons lifting off and flying over Hamilton.

The event will also open with the Zuru Nightglow on Saturday night at the University of Waikato.

This year’s Zuru Nightglow will be at the University of Waikato, after spending three years at Claudelands Oval.

It’s a shift from its traditional end-of-event slot but Balloons over Waikato Trust chair Steve Gow said the change was about keeping the event fresh.

“We just thought we’d try having it at the beginning of the week and bring a bit more energy to the front end of the ballooning rather than have it at the end.”

Around 60,000 people are expected to attend the Nightglow with all free tickets already claimed.

The event was held at Claudelands Oval for the past three years, but Gow said capacity was limited.

“Claudelands was always going to be restricted in terms of numbers. We could only have around a maximum of 30,000 to 35,000, so it meant a lot of people who wanted to go couldn’t.”

He said returning to the university site would allow for a bigger crowd and atmosphere.

“It gives us more space to create more energy.

“We’re trying to build momentum at the start of the week — it’s all part of constantly changing and refreshing things.”