The RAANZ flyin at Matamata over the next 3 days hit the jackpot with the weather and this enabled aircraft to come from a long way away, for instance from Manapouri. I also planned to fly down to the flyin today for a bit of RAANZ fellowship and the nice weather enabled me to take the scenic route at low level (usually around 1,000 feet). This involved flying down the North Shore Transit Lane and then across to Ponui Island and on down the Western coastline of the Firth Of Thames.
Out of the hangar at Kaipara Flats in the early morning sun.
Flying along the North Shore Transit Lane just South of Long Bay. Nice houses but close to the edge!
Takapuna with the beach on the left and Lake Pupuke on the right.
Looking across to Auckland City past Devonport with the Harbour Bridge on the right.
North Head is just past the end of the transit lane, then we turn to Port and head for Ponui Island.
That is Musick Point down there with the memorial to Captain Edward Musick who piloted the first Pan Am clipper to land on the Waitemata in 1942.
And this is why we have to stay under 1500 feet - enlarge the photo to see a heavy flying into Auckland International (just to the left of my fuel gauge)
Some fresh slips just North of Orere Point.
The Firth of Thames awaits.
I am not sure what this is, some sort of port? - it shows as HMNZS Hinau on Google maps.
As I got closer to the Thames Valley there was low cloud that I only just managed to fly under - you can see it looking across the Firth to the Coromandel Peninsula.
But I broke through into brighter weather at Tatuanui. That is the intersection of SH 27 and SH 26 just over the nose and the Tatuanui Dairy Factory on the right.
On the ground at Matamata after a 1 hour 40 minute flight.
I will post more from the flyin tomorrow.
Lovely pics of your journey and good doc of all the slip damage to cliff edges. The mystery "port" near Kaiaua is the kaiaua stone mining facility which has operated since the fifties. At the entrance you can see an old ship hulk. Thats the "Guy C Goss", a ship that was sunk there as a breakwater. I used to play on it when I was a kid - my folks had a bach about 3 km north of there. cheers, Peter
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