Nice Aerodromes around Central Plateau/Bay Of Plenty?

[hightower1986]

Hi does anyone have any suggestions for some decent areodromes around the mid North island, whats Raglan like? Im after somewhere with great scenery like most of NZ and also a good place for a coffe or even some lunch? Any suggestions greatly appreciated!:)

[Oktas8]

Te Kowhai, near Hamilton, is a nice little field with friendly staff in the café. They build microlights there. No scenery visible from the ground, it's just a nice country airfield.
Raglan is suitable, but a ?ten? minute walk into town for cafés etc. The runway is more challenging than Te Kowhai, but still quite serviceable.
Taharoa Iron Sands is quite unique and requires prior permission. It's a long way from anywhere, but the beach is scenic!

Really every airfield has its benefits, why not check on Google Maps or similar to find out what each one is like and how far from scenery or lunch places they are.

[ZK-NSN]

Turangi isnt too bad, depending on what your flying. Mountain air have a strip at the bottom of Mt Ruapehu if you can get permission. Its one-way but not hard on a nice day (about 3000ft AMSL). No fuel at either but Taupo isnt far away which is also a good place to stop in.

[hightower1986]

Mt ruapehu sounds like fun but ill only of passed my PPL and a one way in place sounds a bit extreme me thinks for now, shame really. Te kowhai it is or turangi is it in the AIP? thanks

[divinesoul]

hi

be careful going into raglan as you got to look out for people from the beach casually walking across an active runway.i suspect there is beach acceess from the grass strip.


If you want to have lunch or coffee i suggest tauranga airport as there is a museum on the airport worth a visit.they got a cafe attached to the museum


cheers.

[HardCorePawn]

Whakatane is a good one... not much in the way of coffee, but if the weather is nice and you have some lifejackets, you can't beat the scenery out by White Island :)

I'd also recommend Pauanui... a couple of nice little cafes and a bakery is just a short walk from the strip.

Oh and Waihi Beach... great fun as there is almost always a crosswind (still trying to figure out why most of the strips in the BoP are parallel to the coast :confused:), it's relatively short, has a curved approach for 31 due to high ground/trees and it has plenty of seemingly blind and deaf 'blue kiwis' that don't seem to be too concerned about large whirring blades o' death... but the cafe next to the strip makes great burgers!

[Got the horn]

Not quite Central Plateau or BofP, but there 's a garden centre across the road from Thames that has a cafe that does (did?) great coffee. I haven't been there in a while so I'm assuming it's still there.

[tinpis]

While on R & R from PNG in 1972, flogging real estate in AK, I flew out to Pauanui and listed the Motel and airstrip for sale at $130,000 :{:ugh:

(Houses, One Tree Hill $10000)

[NZFlyingKiwi]

If you do go to Pauanui, make sure to have a good look at the current NOTAMs, there is quite a bit of work being done on the field there at the moment.

Yes, the garden centre cafe at Thames is still operating. :)

[toolowtoofast]

Raglan can be a bit tight if using 23 - it's easy to stay too high when turning base as the water tower at about 200' amsl gives the impression you're too low. You should be about 30-50' above the Norfolk pines when crossing over them on short finals. Cafes in Raglan are great - Tongue and Groove for nice cake :) There's been 1 or 2 aircraft go throught the fence there due to landing too long, so do some homework first.

Te Kowhai is just instant coffee but nice people :) Trees on the 05 approach are getting quite big if you are on a close/low final

Nice cafe at Pauanui.

Not too far to walk/taxi from Whitianga into town for multiple cafes.

Tauranga's OK - museum cafe is a 10 minute walk. The landing fee there would pay your taxi fare at Whiti.

Nothing at Taharoa.

I doubt you'll get permission for Ruapehu - maybe at a $$$ you will.

Take a thermos and sandwiches and go to the Barrier :)

[tinpis]

Max still going strong at Te Kowhai?

[slackie]

Max still going strong at Te Kowhai?Yip...must be upto Bantam serial number 400+ by now!!

Raglan is cool...short walk across the foot bridge into town...great cafes
Tauranga...museum worth a look
The Boyd...miles from anywhere, but cool to "get away from it all"

[codenamejames]

http://i459.photobucket.com/albums/qq317/brettsmum/public/IMG_0223.jpg

[troppo]

Some fond memories at pauanui filling up a 206 full of pi$$ at ardmore and flying in to beat the booze ban at new year.

[conflict alert]

Tauranga's OK - museum cafe is a 10 minute walk

Presume you landed somewhere other than the airport then!! You can taxi to the door almost!!

Hightower

You have to be more specific - are you talking just a day trip from a North Is airfield or are you talking a flying trip. Having flown extensively around NZ - the South Island is the only place to go regarding the scenery.

[hightower1986]

No im talking about Aerodromes in the bay of plenty/central Plateau region so no more than about 1.30mins flying really. Im learning to fly at Tauranga so was after somewhere nice within this timeframe/area. Pauanui is closed now till june according to the notam.

[philipnz]

Taumaranui is a very scenic place to fly into. No coffee but a beautiful strip.

In a similar vein Stratford is nice

Raglan and Pauanui have the closest cafe's. Waihi Beach cafe has closed but there are others within walking distance. Whitianga cafe's are a bit of a hike but doable.

TeKowhai is super friendly, plenty of people happy to talk and have a coffee with.

[riseagainst]

How about ohakune?
Strips 1000metres long,elevation is 2100ft and the runway headings are 04/22
would suggest landing uphill and taking off downhill depending on performance of your aircraft.Need to ring Ian on 021578 747 first to make sure there is no stock on the runway..and a five dollar landing fee.
Pauanui is nice, but think its closed at the moment, not too sure!
check notams..
Raglans a nice place, normally just go to the fish and chip shop by the camp grounds.

[riseagainst]

If anybodys after information/charts for some of the less used/non aip charts send me a pm and ill see what we have got!

[Steve Zissou]

What is Tokoroa like? I've driven through the town itself numerous times on the way up to AKL but never done any flying round there. The area looks very scenic

[Lineboy4life]

Awesome little airfield! real quiet and away from the feds - however becoming popular with the model jet scene, and those things tas out faster than yer average GA bus:eek:


god I miss the Plateau:(

[Cypher]

I remember Waihi Beach had a good cafe. I also remember rattling every cup, saucer, latte, lamington and pie as we got airborne in a C185 at full tit... :E

Whakatane doesn't have much if any of a cafe, just a terminal nicknamed Disneyland. I'll let you find out why.

Kawerau, nothing there..

Optoiki, not much there either. Pretty much a deserted paddock.

Rotorua, Expensive Robert Harris. Mix it up with ATRs, Q300s and B1900s. And a controller that used to get grumpy as f$ck if you said "Say again.."
Scenery is good. The old scenic flight route used to go from the airport, beeline for Mt Tarawera, to cross it at minimum 4200 ft. Don't go low as the local Maoris will pot you for low flying. (Pot being the operative word in Rotorua) Used to be a strip there.. but you'd have to have big balls or an engine failure to try that one. From Mt Tarawera, the track used to go towards the Waimangu Rift valley, to view the Frying Pan Lake (biggest hotspring in the world) and the Inferno crater lake. Then from there towards the Blue and Green Lakes to enter the CTR back over the Green Lake, then flying over Whakawerawera and the Geysers there. If in a good mood, used to fly over Kawerau Park over the western side of the city. Then back to land at the airport.

Tokoroa, sealed strip. Yes heaps of jet powered R/C aircraft around there. Nothing else. Wind down the window and follow the stench from the paper mill and you'll find it.

Galatea, Bugger all there.. glorified paddock.

Taupo, apart from meatbombers x 3, Eagles' 1900s and the odd charter aircraft and the odd biz jet, not too bad of a place for a coffee. Taupo Tandem Skydive have a cafe there. Does a mean lasagna. Cafe at the terminal only open during Eagle flights.

Paunaui, been awhile since I've been there. Used to take a twin in there regularly. Cafes and shops located 5 minute walk at the western side of the field. Be careful where you park, local landowners getting pissed off at aircraft parking on their back lawns. Tad overpriced.. but what do you expect in a suburb of Auckland....
Strip drains well in rain as it's mostly sand. Though take care with braking action in the wet.

Whitanga, good long strip, may get boggy in the wet. A bit out of town but Mercury Bay Aeroclub is located there.

Matarangi. Bugger all there. Shortish strip at around 600-700 metres. Boggy in the wet. Been awhile since been there but bugger all there last time I was there.

Coromandel, tricky approach. One way strip really. Pretty limited facilities and strip. Wouldn't go there in the wet..

Great Barrier. Waikato Aeroclub have accommodation there for hire. Good place to spend the weekend. Stay at Tryphena, Irish pub there pretty good and has good accommodation to boot. Did the best seafood chowder I've had this side of the country.

[NZFlyingKiwi]

Tokoroa is a really nice airstrip - I believe they resealed the runway quite recently, certainly the last time I was there it was in great condition. Unfortunately there isn't a great amount to see away from the airfield itself (and not a lot to see on the airfield either).