Kiwi soars on Hendo Hoverboard

Kiwi soars on Hendo Hoverboard

Flying cars are not yet a reality, but for fans of the Back to the Future movies, one piece of the future is finally here and on show at Big Boys Toys.

The Hendo Hoverboard launched 10 days ago, and New Zealanders are now getting a taste.

Lift-off for a New Zealand first was lucky first rider seven-year-old Timmy Keely.

"I was quite worried at the start but when I got on it I felt actually quite good," says Timmy.

The Hendo Hoverboard is hard to come by – only 11 exist in the world. One belongs to one proud Kiwi who liked it so much he bought two – each priced at almost $15,000.

"Two's better than one, and I have a passion for the technology," says owner Jamie Vujcich. "I love it."

Just getting it here has been a long journey. It was a one-year wait to pick it up in the United States on October 21, 2015 – a sacred date for Back to the Future fans.

Then it took a week to ship it from the States to New Zealand, and one frantic night to put it all together.

"Up to about 2am this morning to get this thing going, but I'm just running on excitement and just vapour," says Mr Vujcich.

The way it works is like a Maglev train, using a magnetic field to lift the board off the copper surface. Its designers hope one day the technology can be used to protect homes during earthquakes, but for now its purpose is simple – for fun.

Lifting buildings off the ground is still a long way off, but for boards and people the future has arrived.

Mr Vujcich says this is only the beginning.

"It's amazing and the technology is evolving. It's going to go far and change the way we do things."

He and his partner are banking on that; they're looking to build up their hoverboard business, and on today's evidence, it's already taking off.

3 News