Waiouru Runway

[Dave Homewood]

I have heard and read that there is a military runway at Waiouru Military Camp where C-130's, helicopters and in the old days Andovers operated in and out of, but looking at the satellite image on Google Maps of the area I cannot see it. Where is it in relation to the Army base please? Is it grass or sealed? And when was it first built?

[30sqnatc]

It is a sealed runway north west of Waiouru. On google maps follow the Desert Rd north of the township, past the Navy antenna farm until you come to Shawcroft Rd which heads towards the mountain. The airfield is at the end of the road beside the Tangiwai River. It is aligned NNW to SSE so the approach is directly over the township.

I'm going to guess it was built in early 1970s.

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks very much Paul. I was looking too close to the town.

[30sqnatc]

There is (was) also a short grass strip just South of Waiouru that was used by Austers and as a para drop zone in the 1960s

[Peter Lewis]

I was told that they got their bearings wrong and that the strip was built at 90 degrees to the prevailing wind.

[30sqnatc]

I spoke to an Army construction engineer who was aware of the construction project. He said there was no ideal place to build the airfield due to lack of suitable flat ground, soil conditions and the proximity of national grid high voltage power wires. The Air Force made the final decision of the orientation of the runway which was a massive compromise of all the factors. The flat ground to the South of Waiouru provided the best was orientation but its not called the Ngamatea Swamp without reason.

[oj]

I cannot see that runway orientation as being 90 degrees to our prevailing westerlies,so we should discount that remark methinks.

[Dave Homewood]

I think that Transpower should bury or shift that National Grid stretch along there, it totally ruins the view. Why the hell did they put it on the mountain side of the road?

[gtw]

From memory the airfield was opened about october 1968. I flew the land owner in with ZK_CAT.

[Dave Homewood]

Interesting stuff. I did not realise that was private land along there.

[gtw]

Waiouru Station was owned by the Harding family.

[typerated]

How often does it get used - and by what??

[Dave Homewood]

Hercules use it, Andovers used to. I think they used to take the Strikemasters in there sometimes too, didn't they? And of course the helicopters.

[typerated]

Oct 23, 2019 15:54:48 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

Hercules use it, Andovers used to. I think they used to take the Strikemasters in there sometimes too, didn't they? And of course the helicopters.

Ok Ta

[30sqnatc]

Oct 22, 2019 20:27:25 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

I think that Transpower should bury or shift that National Grid stretch along there, it totally ruins the view. Why the hell did they put it on the mountain side of the road?

When the grid was built (I believe early 1950s) the Desert Road was not much more than a shingle track and the land was only populated by horses and tank crews. I read a report of a 1946 trip from Wellington to Rotorua to test a rural fire engine which included the Desert Road. That section of the trip was stated to be very difficult especially the narrow and weak bridges.


Val range shoot by tankienz, on Flickr

Edit. The Desert Road, then only a track, climbs up the escarpment behind the Valentines and line of pillons.

[Dave Homewood]

I was told this evening that the runway at Waiouru is no longer used and is closed.

[30sqnatc]

Oct 23, 2019 15:34:18 GMT 12 typerated said:

How often does it get used - and by what??

One night I was supervising a group of Hamilton Territorial soldiers in Waiouru for a training weekend. Their task that night was to guard the airfield mounted in their Landrovers. Around 2am one of the vehicles had just completed a patrol along the runway with no lights on. Shortly after we heard what we assumed to be a Hercules approach, circle over Waiouru then it roared over our heads and landed. It taxied to the far end, turned around, stopped with engines running for not more than 2-3 minutes before roaring back down the runway and went off to the North. The whole time not a single light was shown.

Several of us literally said did we really see (or really hear) that. I immediately contacted the camp duty hut on the radio demanding to know why we had not been warned of the landing as I knew only my unit had the zone booked. I was reassured no one else had a booking and the flight schedule was clear. On the Monday I went to camp HQ to follow up the incident and was reassured it was not an RNZAF aircraft (which we already knew as 40 Sqn were not using NVG at that time). I wonder if there was a visiting black C-130 operating out of Whenuapai that weekend. Guess i'll never know for sure.

Paul

[skyhawkdon]

Oct 22, 2019 20:27:25 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

I think that Transpower should bury or shift that National Grid stretch along there, it totally ruins the view. Why the hell did they put it on the mountain side of the road?

Happy to oblige Dave if you want to pay for it! That part of the grid has been there for a very long time and would have been built back in the MOW/Public Works Act days. Scenic factors wouldn't have been high on their list of priorities or concerns back then.

[Dave Homewood]

In today's New Zealand tourism is our number one priority so I am sure Jacinda could make it happen.

[skyhawkdon]

To underground it these days would require 10 years of consultation with affected parties (and employing an army of consultants), paying a lot of "koha" to certain local groups, the relocation of various protected species and appeasing the swap Taniwhas! The job could be done in 6 months and would cost about 10% of all of the rest of the aforementioned BS! Such is the world we now live in. Bring back the Public Works Act!