Mike McManaway is a game designer from New Zealand. He previously competed in international Backgammon tournaments, winning the New Zealand Backgammon title in 1986. He also opened a small chain of game and puzzle shops called Mind Games. He invented and manufactured his game Tantrix in South America while recovering from a climbing fall. The name Tantrix means "tangled tracks". His 178 kilometer paragliding flight was one the furthest distance flown by a native of New Zealand. In 2007, after a ten years, he finally won the World Tantrix Championship.