Waikato-based start-up business Manta5 demonstrated its revolutionary water e-bike in Queenstown Bay on Sunday, to the delight of onlookers.
The $7495 hydrofoil machine, which has pedals assisted by electric motors, is good for 80 minutes' ride time and about 20kmh, depending on the conditions.
Manta5 head of content Blair Paterson said the XE-1 bike, designed to withstand reasonably choppy conditions, was the company's seventh prototype and the one it was taking to market.
He thinks it could soon be a familiar sight in the resort.
``We see it as both a recreational product for Queenstown residents and also for the tourism market, for trips or available for rent,'' Mr Paterson, who rode the bike across the bay, said.
``It's so much fun. It takes a little bit of getting used to.
``It's like learning to ride a bike again, but that's the fun of it - people having a go with their mates.''
Queenstown is no stranger to niche products: successful resort business Hydro Attack offers semi-submersible rides in a motorised shark-shaped vessel. And the resort has become a biking mecca over the past decade.
Manta5 XE-1 has carbon fibre hydrofoils and an aircraft-grade aluminium frame, and is part-powered by a 400W e-bike motor.
Pre-orders were strong, and Crown Prince of Dubai Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was among those interested, Mr Paterson said.
The product won gold at the New Zealand Best Design Awards last year. It is the brainchild of Guy Howard-Willis, who founded the company after dreaming one night of cycling on water surrounded by dolphins.
