If you've been driving through the Hutt
Valley recently, you may have noticed spherical objects dangling in the sky. No, these are
not aliens or spy satellites.Balloons have been spread over the Hutt River about 1 km north of the entrance to Stokes Valley. They were strung across the river by wire between the pylons on either side by a helicopter which ran the wire across the river and then the wire was winched tight
The balloons have been set up as a trial to see if they are visible from the air at least 1.25 km away by aircraft transiting the area. The Haywards sub station is a reporting point for light aircraft about to enter Wellington Tower controlled airspace.
The different coloured balloons are worth $1000 each. If the trial is successful they will be used around the country to make power lines more visible