Best places for a soaring pilot to retire?

On Monday, February 16, 2015 at 10:41:00 AM UTC+13, Matt Herron Jr. wrote:
Looking for new Ideas for places to retire. The usual considerations apply; cost of living, health care, weather, and available soaring. Doesn't have to be the US. near water would be nice. I own a Ventus C.

There are multiple places here in New Zealand that have pretty decent soaring. *Everything* is near the ocean.

My club, at Paraparaumu. Airfield is next to the ocean, hills start 3 km inland, rising to a long 5000 ft mountain chain 25 km inland. Sea cliffs to the south. Wellington city 40 min by car or an hour by commuter train. Flyable year round and some good soaring in winter.

http://hoult.org/bruce/carol.jpg
http://hoult.org/bruce/hector10.jpg

Unfortunately, we're likely to be moving sites soon to a site 20 minutes further from Wellington by car, 15 km from the mountains, and ocean 40 km to the east or 45 km south.


You should also look at Whangarei, Tauranga, Matamata ... all with good flying and within 2 1/2 hours drive of downtown Auckland. All have summer temperatures in the high 70s or low 80s, and winter temperatures that seldom get below the 60s.

I hear the fly in the South Island too. It's lovely in the summer.