Here and There in the South Island

[Peter Lewis]

The next morning, after defrosting the car windows, we drove up to Glenorchy.
A very scenic trip on such a cold clear day, but nothing of aviation interest seen at the Glenorchy strip.

When we got back at Queenstown around lunchtime the local aircraft that fly the Milford Sound tourist shuttle were returning.

First back was Caravan ZK-SKB of Air Milford



Followed by their A185F Skywagon ZK-ENW



The Air Milford U206F ZK-DWX was already parked



and Eurocopter ZK-IDF of Heli-Works clattered overhead



As we headed down the road Te Anau-bound, AS350B ZK-HJP was spotted carrying out some low-level surveillence work over the Lake



A few miles out of Te Anau, Southern Lakes Helicopters have their base alongside the main road. Visible was Eurocopter ZK-IRM out in the sunshine



while the Robinson R44 II ZK-ITT sheltered inside the hangar. Note the trophys on the wall.

[flyjoe180]

That 185 looks very smart.

[FlyingKiwi]

185s always look very smart Joe.

[Peter Lewis]

We finally had a 'spare day' on reaching Te Anau, so strolled down to the Lake mid-morning. Floatplane U206C Stationair 6 ZK-DRH was still moored out at that time on a Sunday



After a chat and an update on the local scene with the friendly pilot, we drove up to the old Te Anau airport. This looks to be now quite abandoned, and sports a For Sale sign. There's your chance should that Lotto ticket come in.

Moving on to the new Te Anau/Manapouri airfield, we found old-timer Cessna 185B ZK-CFI tied down on the terminal hard



Parked a bit further out, on the grass, was Jabiru J120-C ZK-KIA



There was a MacKenzie Aviation loader parked nearby, but no ag aircraft to be seen.

At the aero club Alpi Aviation Pioneer 200 ZK-LPA was in action. Is this now resident there, or was it just visiting from 'up norf '?



The club hangar was quite packed, the front aircraft being the local B22S Bantam ZK-TNU



No sign of the Spartan ZK-ARH though.

Just as we were leaving the field, The Helicopter Line's AS350B2 ZK-HRM arrived back from a stoat baiting sorte.



Moving into Manapouri township itself for lunch, we came across a powered parachute guy having some Sunday fun right over town. Try that in downtown Auckland!



Arriving back in Te Anau later in the afternoon, we were just in time to see the Robinson R44 II ZK-IAS of Southern Lakes Helicopters landing on its lakefront pad



and so to a sunday snooze.

[flyjoe180]

Some really nice pics there Peter, thanks for posting.

[Peter Lewis]

The following morning we decided on a late start so that we could avoid the day tripper traffic rush from Te Anau to Milford Sound.

Time then to get acquainted with The Great Takahe of Te Anau



Heading off late in the morning, there is the obligatory wait for the green light at the Homer Tunnel entrance



Then down the hill and into the Milford Sound settlement. The airfield there is usually quite busy with tourist traffic.

During our time there, two Islanders were evident, ZK-MCD and ZK-DBV





Cessna 172M ZK-DNS of the Glenorchy Air Services & Tourist Co. arrived



and 172N Skyhawk II ZK-ETK of Fly Fiordland was parked



Cherokee Six ZK-DOJ arrived and unloaded



If you ever want to get your ears reamed out and reminded of why your first marriage ended in divorce, meet up with the female pilot of Milford Helicopters' AS350B3 ZK-ITY. She who must be obeyed.



Having recoved somewhat from that verbal assault,we then moved down to the marine terminal to await the arrival of our overnight cruise boat, courtesy of Real Journeys.

[Dave Homewood]

haha, that takahe is cool.

[Peter Lewis]

After a very pleasant overnighter on the boat, we returned to the Milford Sound wharf midmorning.

By that time, any remaining morning mist had cleared and we had one of those bright windless days that you hear about but so seldom actually experience in Fiordland.
Just right to get the touristy photo of Mitre Peak



Back at the airfield, Islander ZK-MCE had arrived



and 172N Skyhawk ZK-RNX of the Wakatipu AC was manouvering around



Just as we were about to depart, two helicopters carried out a formation landing.
AS350B ZK-HQN and 500D ZK-HOI both of of Heli Tours Queenstown





Back through the Homer tunnel, and at Te Anau we spotted this mural on the wall of a childcare centre. Nice to see the floatplane has become a local icon



Some miles south of Fairlight we found Robinson R44 ZK-HXC of Heliops carrying out agricultural operations



At Jardines, just south of Queenstown, the tandem parachute operation was very active.
Parked in the paddock was Cherokee Six ZK-PDX ex ZK-DBC. That's the runway, down the hill behind the aircraft



Their Cresco ZK-CRE was static outside the hangar, being used as a photographic backdrop for the videos of the about-to-be jumpers. This Cresco used to be ZK-NZO



The work on the day was actually being done by the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, ZK-NZO/2



It looks to be a very well-run and slick operation.

[TS]

Thanks for posting the pic of ZK ETK! I have a fair few hours chalked up on her when she was at North Shore.

[Peter Lewis]

Heading back into Queenstown, there were a few new arrivals at the airfield.

Cessna TU206G ZK-KMH of Invercargill Holdings was wearing Alpine Air titles



At Heliworks, there was a lineup of three Squirrels, ZK-IBR HJP and IDF



AS350B2 ZK-IBV of The Helicopter Line was departing



while the AS350B2 ZK-IDM of Glacier Southern Lakes was refuelling



and the same operator's ZK-IVW was being preflighted

[Peter Lewis]

We then drove on from Queenstown, over the Cardrona Road and ended a long day by arriving at Wanaka as night fell.
The next morning I was told that more shopping was essential. Fortunatly, this then left me free to persue aviation.

At the Wanaka airfield, the Fighter Pilots Museum was open for business.
This museum has been revamped in the last few years, and is now 50% a motor car museum.

Entering the museum, the first exhibit on the left is the replica SE5a. This is presented as E1294, the SE5a flown by Lt Donald C Inglis



Over the passageway from this exhibit is A-4K Skyhawk NZ6202, which arrived at the museum in 2012



Behind the Skyhawk is a replica of the Hawker Hurricane Mk.IIA P3351. As we know, the actual aircraft, which flew here as ZK-TPK, departed for Europe early in 2013. The replica does look quite realistic.



Against the outside wall is long-term Wanaka resident Vampire FB.5 NZ5765.



while tucked away in the dark back corner is Strikemaster NZ6374



The mural on the rear wall of the hangar is still there, and appears to be in good condition



Coming back around through the car display (mostly USA classics) the Hiller UH-12E ZK-HBL in Luggate Game Packers livery is seen suspended from the roof. Possibly the only reminder of Sir Tim.



Outside, on the active airfield, there was plenty of helicopter activity.

AS350D A-Star ZK-HBX was the first of the Infinity Heliline fleet I have seen



Heli-Flightworks provided Hughes 369D ZK-HDE



Alpine Helicopters towed out AS350B ZK-HIH for me



and C4 Aviation displayed their R22 Beta ZK-IGT



Over in the light aircraft area, Fisher R80 Tiger Moth ZK-JAL had its security system on the alert



The Champion 7GCA Citabria ZK-CPM was taxiing in from a local flight when it suddenly can to a crunching halt. if you think that the pilot looks to be a little confused, it is probably because his tailwheel assembly has just collapsed!



Departing from the airfield, the rather oddly named National Toy and Transport Museum is just a short distance down the road.

Out front, I found new exhibit Jet Provost T.5 XW357. This aircraft entered RAF service in 1971, was retired in 1991. Shipped to Australia, it was at one time intended to fly there as VH-YZD. Presumably this never happened, and it is now a fixture at Wanaka.



Nosing around the various hangars, I thought I had struck gold when I saw this



Further investigations (and some enquiries) revealed that the Tiger is actually a new-build replica, and will hang from the hangar ceiling when complete. However, I did find that a few of the parts did seem to be u/s genuine items.

Inside the hangar sits Fokker F27 Friendship 120A ZK-BXH still in its last ANZ colours, minus the fin which lies on the grass outside.
Access to the interior from the port side is available, and no doubt interior restoration will proceed.



The other aircraft usually seen at this museum all seemed to be present and correct.

[Dave Homewood]

Great stuff Peter. I had no idea there was a Friendship preserved at Wanaka, fantastic.

The JP looks pretty sad. I hope it gets restored and maybe even flying.

[Peter Lewis]

Heading out towards the Haast Pass, we stopped to admire the views at Lake Hawea.
There was a fascinating contrail high in the sky. In such a clear, windless day it hung there for well over an hour



By lunchtime we had got as far as Makaroa West.
The airstrip there is home to Southern Alps Air Charter, and their Cessna A185F Skywagon II ZK-FMA was tucked away in its hangar.



Just to the south of the strip the Hughes 369HS ZK-IHH of Back Country Helicopters sat on its pad



By mid-afternoon we arrived at Haast. The airstrip there hosted a few tumbleweeds and not much else. Even the attached residence cum packing shed cum coolstore looks abandoned and featured only  'For Sale' signs



Driving north up the West Coast road, we finally struck rain about 5km south of Fox Glacier township.
What in Auckland we would call a heavy downpour and on the Coast they would consider a light sprinkle.

Running out of both energy and daylight, we took luxury accomodation for the night and were then able to raise a smile at the words of The Bard:

"It rained and rained and rained 
The average fall was well maintained 
And when the tracks were simple bogs 
It started raining cats and dogs. 
After a drought of half an hour 
We had a most refreshing shower 
And then most curious thing of all 
A gentle rain began to fall. 
Next day but one was fairly dry 
Save for one deluge from the sky 
Which wetted the party to the skin 
And then at last the Rain set in!"
(Anon)

[Gavin Conroy]

Fantastic thread Peter, lots of variation, love it!!!

[steveh]

A tour around the SI without leaving home, thanks Peter, just the sort of trip I'd like to do, probably need to leave the handbrake & offspring behind though, they get sick of Dad stopping & looking at stuff.
Steve.

[Peter Lewis]

Thanks for the comments.

The next morning at Fox was perfect IFR weather - complete overcast at 300ft AGL and persistant drizzle.
An uncheduled visit to the Fox Glacier medical centre (nice people) was followed by a look-see at the Fox airstrip.

As you would expect, nothing was happening there



Even the Fox jumpship Fu-24-turbine ZK-DJE was tucked away in the hangar and protected by Toyota



Moving on to Franz Josef, the current airstrip there gave us no improvement weatherwise, but revealed TurboPorter ZK-MCK parked out in the rain



while the adjacent small hangar had been suitably modified to house the fin of Air Safaris' Airvan ZK-SAF



The old Mt Cook strip a bit further on looked abandoned apart from a few sodden seagulls who gave us a comprehensive report on their opinion of the weather.

We stopped to refuel at the Fox Glacier township's sole petrol station. This is the only petrol station in NZ that has ever charged me extra for a credit card payment. Avoid if you can.

A few miles further north there is the Fox Franz Helicopters base, run by James Scott. Both of his Squirrels, ZK-HSE and ZK-HGE, were parked out





The next township is Harihari. They have made a big thing about Australian pilot Guy Menzies, who landed his Avro Avian G-ABCF a short distance outside the town at the conclusion of the first solo Australia to New Zealand flight on 7th January 1931, flight time 11 hours and 45 minutes.

He made a landing on what appeared from the air to be a smooth pasture, but was actually a swamp. The Avian turned over onto its back and suffered some damage, but Menzies was unhurt.
The aircraft was tranported to Wigram, repaired, and carried out some further flying in NZ before being shipped back to Australia.

In the middle of the town is a signboard giving details of the event



and another detailing the area's transportation history



Part of the display is a replica of the Avian, witha mannequin dressed in appropriate 1930s aviator clothing alongside, housed in a small display building



The building is locked and the display difficult to photograph through the glass. The replica is very crudely finished, but I guess serves the purpose of giving Joe Public some idea of the size and structure of the Avian



By following a signposted route from the main road just south of the town, you can get to the actual landing site. You'd never find it otherwise, and the final leg is down a farm lane. At the end of the lane there is another display board



The actual landing spot is about 100 metres to the right of the lane end, on private land but easily visible.

Overall, a sterling effort of keeping the memory alive of an historical event by a small settlement.

[johnnyfalcon]

Thanks Peter for taking us along on your adventure, I've really enjoyed the narrative. I'm impressed that you managed to make such a comprehensive airfield-crawl without permanent injury being inflicted upon you or some other life-time consequence, from your travelling companion. Or have I spoken too soon? (I did note the reference to more shopping...)

[Peter Lewis]

I could go for the easy answer, and say its M's choice.

After all, whenever I say "Which hobby do you think I should persue dear, Things with Wings or Loose Women and Strong Drink?" she always plumps for the first option.

In reality, it's about choosing the right person.

For our second ever date I put her in the rear seat of a Piper Cub and took her flying. She loved it. Even now she gets a bit antsy if I do too much aviating without taking her along as well.

She also enjoys meeting the fascinating and eccentric characters we often meet at airfields. A few years ago, when I was inspecting the DC3 at the Gisborne museum, I came back out to find her in a deep discussion on organic and macrobiotic diets with the guy who had unlocked the door for us.

Tolerance cuts both ways. I will settle into the husband seat in a shoe shop for two or three hours while she enjoys herself. Not a word of complaint will pass my lips.

I have not covered the nature parks, bird sanctuaries and nature walks we also visited during this trip. That's among the things she enjoys, so be it.

(The one thing I will not do is go to an opera that is sung. In a foreign language. There are limits).

[flyjoe180]

Great reports and pictures Peter, thanks.

[johnnyfalcon]

Jun 13, 2013 20:37:29 GMT 12 Peter Lewis said:

I could go for the easy answer, and say its M's choice.

After all, whenever I say "Which hobby do you think I should persue dear, Things with Wings or Loose Women and Strong Drink?" she always plumps for the first option.

In reality, it's about choosing the right person.

For our second ever date I put her in the rear seat of a Piper Cub and took her flying. She loved it. Even now she gets a bit antsy if I do too much aviating without taking her along as well.

She also enjoys meeting the fascinating and eccentric characters we often meet at airfields. A few years ago, when I was inspecting the DC3 at the Gisborne museum, I came back out to find her in a deep discussion on organic and macrobiotic diets with the guy who had unlocked the door for us.

Tolerance cuts both ways. I will settle into the husband seat in a shoe shop for two or three hours while she enjoys herself. Not a word of complaint will pass my lips.

I have not covered the nature parks, bird sanctuaries and nature walks we also visited during this trip. That's among the things she enjoys, so be it.

(The one thing I will not do is go to an opera that is sung. In a foreign language. There are limits).

It's a hard road finding the perfect woman... Good on ya mate!