Where to see lots of helicopter activity in New Zealand?
Thread Starter
Where to see lots of helicopter activity in New Zealand?
Heading there for a holiday, was wondering where there might be some choppers around? (Apart from the airports.)
Thanks in advance!
Thanks in advance!
The airports are where they are concentrated so if you want to see a lot of activity, that's where you have to go. Otherwise they're spread out anywhere difficult and remote - the point of a helicopter is to get somewhere you can't easily get to without a helicopter!
Always a lot of traffic at Queenstown airport. Always a lot of traffic at Mechanics Bay heliport in Auckland.
Always a lot of traffic at Queenstown airport. Always a lot of traffic at Mechanics Bay heliport in Auckland.
The only opportunities outside of airports I could think of were:
- Airshows (Warbirds over Wanaka or a RNZAF airshow)
- Frost fighting ops (but you need to get up really early on very cold days)
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As well as Franz Joseph, there is Fox glacier helipads. Also a little bit of action at a few lakefront’s. Rotorua, Taupo and Te Anau . Would be the best three lakes.
kaikoura at the waterfront. Wellington queens wharf.
There are often lots of helicopters at Wanaka Airport as well, as there are quite a few operators and a lot of maintenance done there. Also has the Alpine fighter collection and a transport museum right beside it.
New Plymouth airport has 139s and sometimes 212 or 412, although haven’t had the Bells for a few years. Eltham, 30 min south of New Plymouth often has Bell Hueys out on the pad right beside the main road.
kaikoura at the waterfront. Wellington queens wharf.
There are often lots of helicopters at Wanaka Airport as well, as there are quite a few operators and a lot of maintenance done there. Also has the Alpine fighter collection and a transport museum right beside it.
New Plymouth airport has 139s and sometimes 212 or 412, although haven’t had the Bells for a few years. Eltham, 30 min south of New Plymouth often has Bell Hueys out on the pad right beside the main road.
I am down here at Wanaka at the moment and its actually the busiest uncontrolled airport in NZ. There are a lot of heli maintenance ops here as well as operators.
Alpine Helicopters
Helisupport
Helicraft
Wanaka Helicopters
We did a quick air to air shoot yesterday and when we were coming back in I counted a total of 19 helicopters parked out the front of various hangars, as well as quite a few coming and going from the various main shops.
Alpine Helicopters
Helisupport
Helicraft
Wanaka Helicopters
We did a quick air to air shoot yesterday and when we were coming back in I counted a total of 19 helicopters parked out the front of various hangars, as well as quite a few coming and going from the various main shops.
Thread Starter
Thanks everyone for the replies, we had a great time in NZ and saw plenty of machines.
I saw countless AS350s around the south island mountains and lakes, a few EC130s, EC135s and H500s around (saw a couple of early /-tail models also), and a JetRanger and R44 here and there in Auckland. Seeing the H500s come in fast at Milford Sound against the mountain backdrop was a thrill. Didn't get to the Mechanics Bay Heliport unfortunately.
There's also an old mothballed Mil on display at a roadside cafe which you can go into just outside of Lake Taupo. The town itself has the McDonald's with a real DC-3 which you can go inside to eat your meal.
I saw countless AS350s around the south island mountains and lakes, a few EC130s, EC135s and H500s around (saw a couple of early /-tail models also), and a JetRanger and R44 here and there in Auckland. Seeing the H500s come in fast at Milford Sound against the mountain backdrop was a thrill. Didn't get to the Mechanics Bay Heliport unfortunately.
There's also an old mothballed Mil on display at a roadside cafe which you can go into just outside of Lake Taupo. The town itself has the McDonald's with a real DC-3 which you can go inside to eat your meal.
