PPRuNe Forums - Where to see lots of helicopter activity in New Zealand?

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Tickle

24th Oct 2018 01:42

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!

krypton_john

24th Oct 2018 02:54

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.

flyinkiwi

24th Oct 2018 21:09

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)

BigMike

24th Oct 2018 21:55

Franz Josef helipads on the West coast of the South Island is pretty busy. Mainly Squirrels and a few 500's.

EMS R22

24th Oct 2018 22:25

As mentioned Franz Josef Helipads on the South Islands West Coast. Also Queenstown and drive through to Milford Sound.

SuperF

25th Oct 2018 00:06

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.

KiwiNedNZ

25th Oct 2018 00:53

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.

tartare

25th Oct 2018 01:44

Queenstown.
A lot of Eurocopters of all shapes and sizes.
The odd D-model and Jetranger.

GrayHorizonsHeli

25th Oct 2018 10:42

the sky....just keep looking up....:rolleyes:

Kiwi500

26th Oct 2018 09:40

Cmon super F, what about the lovely JR’s on the pad 👍

Tickle

9th Nov 2018 01:51

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.

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