Motor Gliders at Kaikohe on 31-1-2026

I have mentioned previously how big Kaikohe aerodrome is with the main runway being 1540 metres X 140 metres. However the AIP plate advises that gliding takes place on Wednesdays and Sundays and mostly this would be by winch launch, with powered aircraft using a 60 metre wide strip on the Eastern side of the aerodrome. However this did not mean that there was no gliding activity when we were there last Saturday, as a couple of motor gliders were towed down to the end of the field and proceeded to launch themselves:

First to launch was DG Flugzeugbau GmbH DG-800B ZK-GZT (c/n 8-280B188) registered to a Kerikeri owner.

Followed by DG Flugzeugbau GmbH DG-500MB ZK-GLJ2 (c/n 5E214B13) registered to a Kaitaia owner.

Also on the aerodrome was the Glaser-Dirks DG-400 ZK-GNZ (c/n 4-63) which is also a motor glider and is registered to a Hikurangi owner

Another Gulfstream passes though Christchurch.

 Tony McFarlin was on site again today and captured the arrival of this Grumman Gulfstream PR-RDD.

Built on 2010 as N508GA with the c/n of 5280 and became PR-FGA in April 2011.
In October 2017 it was listed briefly as N580JT and quickly became PR-RDD. It joined its current operator in November of 2019.

A couple of recent photos from Nelson

Bill Mannix captured these two flying machines at Nelson recently.

Above we have the TAG Aviation Titanium Explorer ZK-RBZ c/n 0033-0716.

This first appeared on our register on 13-09-2016 for Steven Pegg of Gyrate Auckland Ltd and was signed over to Boele Van Dammen of Auckland from 15-06-2017.

It was taken up by a Nelson local, Mark Stace in September of last year - and was photographed today.

See more on this gyro HERE 

And noted on the 30th of January was the Electric powered Beta Tech Alia CX300 N401NZ c/n BT31C-0004 as leased to Air New Zealand.

It began route trials between Wellington, Blenheim and Nelson on 17-10-2025.

An earlier post on the Alia can be seen HERE

A new aircraft type for Wellington

 A brand new aircraft type graced the Wellington runway this afternoon. Qantaslink Airbus   A220-371arrived from Brisbane as QLK281

VH-X4D, serial No. 552298 had its first flight on 29/08/2024

A fitting salute for its first visit!

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Kaikohe on 31-1-2026

When we arrived at Kaikohe last Saturday Steve Moor taxied in behind us from a local flight in his locally based Jodel D 11 ZK-CKG:

ZK-CKG was the first Jodel D 11 to be registered in New Zealand, and was built from Falconar plans by Bruce Gillies, Jock McKenzie and Keven George at Kaikohe.  It was first registered on 1/7/66 and first flew in February 1968.  So it hasn't moved much in 58 years!

Don McMillan's Mooney M20C ZK-DBK was looking nice and was flown up from Whangarei by Peter Garlick.  Its fuselage is silver which doesn't show well in the photo.

Maurice Honey's Turbulent ZK-CWE is now based in his hangar at Kaikohe.

And a new addition to the gyrocopter fleet in the North is Kevin Maurice's AutoGyro Cavalon ZK-KLC2 up from Parakai.  Kevin has owned it since July 2025.

And finally I photo'd Iain Carruthers of Kerikeri starting up in David Wynne's Fisher Tiger Moth ZK-DSW2.  He took off just after we left in the Sling.

An Eventful and Eventual Flight to Kaikohe for a Picnic on 31-1-2026

 

The Northern Aviators Club introduced a new flyout event this flying season by having a BYO picnic at Kaikohe yesterday.  I had prepped my Jodel D9 Honey Bebe ZK-KMM during the week and I planned to fly to Kaikohe with a fuel stop at Dargaville.

When I got to the airfield on Saturday morning, around 7 45 it was foggy.  But it cleared and I was able to take off around 8.50am and head up the Kaipara for Dargaville. 

All looked good at first but as I flew up the inner channel past Tinopai I was confronted by a wall of fog and low cloud.  However there was a gap out to the West through which I flew through to get out into the main harbour, but I was met with another wall of fog and low cloud where the Northern Wairoa River flows into the Kaipara.  However there was another gap out to the West which I flew through out to the coast.  This was a bit better but still very murky up ahead and I was not confident of being able to find my way to Dargaville from the coast.  I also had to consider my fuel situation, so I made the decision to return to Kaipara Flats.  I am sure I made the right decision for me although from the radio other pilots were making their way North (but by then it was more than an hour later than I had encountered the fog and low cloud).  I eventually landed back at Kaipara Flats at 10,20am, one and a half hours after I left!

Then a very neat thing happened.  Arjen Visser was just starting his Sling 4 TSi ZK-DBV2 as I landed, to fly to Kaikohe with Anne Helliwell for the picnic.  He taxied across to the Aero Club and asked if I would like a ride with him in the back of the Sling!  I surely would! 

So I quickly put Honey Bebe back in the hangar and got my BYO picnic and hopped the back of the lovely Sling and we flew to Kaikohe over the clouds and in some style!  It only took around 40 minutes to get there.

This is the way to travel!  Over the top of the clouds at 7,500 feet and around 120 knots!

When we arrived there were maybe a dozen aircraft on the ground and over the next little while quite a few more arrived.  Maurice Honey and his wife had graciously opened up the airfield gate and what used to be the old terminal building (when Kaikohe had a NAC DC 3 service up to 1970), and provided water for tea and coffee, and Steve Moor had pushed the aircraft out of his hangar so picnics could be held in the shade as it was pretty hot!

Kaikohe Aerodrome has an interesting history as it was built by US Marines in 1942 as a heavy bomber base but it was never used as such.  That is why it has such a long and wide main grass runway (1540 metres X 140 metres) which makes it the largest grass airstrip in the Southern Hemisphere.

Looking Down on Kaikohe Aerodrome – the old terminal building is at the end of the long drive with the hangar where we had our picnics is just to the right.

Merlin in town

 Two of Merlin Labs NZ Ltd's aircraft arrived into Christchurch International Airport on Thursday the 29th of January.   Australian registered Cessna 208B Grand Caravan VH-WZY c/n 1035 ferried over from Gold Coast, Queensland via Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands on 09-01-2026, reaching Auckland and Ardmore on the 10th. 

It arrived at Christchurch from Kerikeri via Blenheim the 28th and Christchurch (see comment below) on Thursday the 29th. It moved on today (31st) to Hokitika and Franz Josef.

This is a 2005 model initially listed in the US as N5058J followed by N421YC before taking up VH-ZGS on 28-10-2005. It was transferred to VH -WZY on 14-09-2006 and spent most of its time with Lip Air, West Wing Aviation and Skytrans - all in Queensland.
Then followed a private owner with a transfer to operator Merlin Labs on 28-01-2026 with it remaining on the Australian register.

Also at Christchurch is the Cessna TU206F Turbo Stationair ZK-MLP c/n U206-02397 which has been with Merlin Labs of Paraparaumu since 14-11-2022.

This has had a varied career since 1974 -serving time in the USA, then in Lesotho, Kenya and South Africa. It became ZK-OAY on 15-03-1999 and after several operators was acquired by Merli Labs from 16-09-2022 and re-registered as ZK-MLP on 14-11-2022.

Rangiora swap over today - Friday 30th

 From the North, with a stop over at Whanganui, came the Piper PA-28 -181 Cherokee Archer II       ZK-EBQ c/n 28-7690458. It later departed for Alexandra.
ZK-EBQ was first registered in NZ to Airwork (NZ) Ltd at Ardmore on 21-10-1976 having been built in the States as N9633N. 
It took up with the Southern Districts Aero Club at Gore on 03-03-1977 until becoming part of the Southland Aero Club on 01-12-1999 and the Southland Aviation College Ltd on 22-02-2001.
This in turn became Southern Wings Ltd on 02-04-2002.
Southern Wings Ltd set up a branch at Ardmore in August of 2014.

From the South, direct from Invercargill, came the Piper PA-28-181 Cherokee Archer II ZK-MIL c/n 28-869035. It later departed for Omaka and Ardmore.

Ten years younger - ZK-MIL was originally listed with the Piper Aircraft Company at Lock Haven as N169AV and N9094L. After six US operators it was exported to NZ to become ZK-MIL from 07-06-1995 with D & C Croft of Kamo.

It went to the Southland Aero Club at Invercargill from 24-12-1996. This became the Southland Aviation College Ltd from 22-02-2001, and then Southern Wings Ltd from 02-04-2002.

Ten Thousand Posts! and a New H 130 Helicopter

WOO HOO!  This post is number TEN THOUSAND since the NZ Civair blog was first published in December 2007.  You can have a look at the first post HERE

The blog was set up by Mike Condon (MRC Aviation) and other contributors over the 18 years have included Blue Bus, Greybeard, AVI8OR, Flyernzl, AgAirNZ, Minicooper, Richard Currie and I used the handle Sir Minty for many years.  My apologies if I have missed any contributing posters - let me know and I can add to this post.  Thanks also to the many other people who have sent in photos to be posted  Although ten thousand posts is a great milestone we will carry on and if anyone else wants to join as a posting contributor contact Dave Paull whose email is in the heading photo.

And so to the subject of this post:  Yesterday I was down at North Shore and I called into the Rosedale heliport where a new bright red Airbus H 130 helicopter was out in the sun:

ZK-IEH3 (c/n 7939) was registered to Inflite Ltd earlier this month.  It is great to see a brightly coloured H 130 as although most of the others have subtle colours they mostly all seem to be black to me.

Actually the fortuitous sighting of this helicopter nicely book-ends the ten thousand posts as the very first photo posted was of a bright yellow Eurocopter EC 130 helicopter, ZK-HPV4.  In that original post Mike Condon noted that this bought the New Zealand population of these machines to one dozen.  And Richard Currie advises that there are now 46 of these machines (of various versions) on the register.

A Line Up of Biplanes at Kaipara Flats Today 28-1-2026

One of  our Rodney Aero Club members, David Signal, has some really nice video equipment and he arranged to do a bit of vintage aircraft videoing at Kaipara Flats in the nice weather today.  I am more of a stills guy and before the flying we lined up some of the Kaipara Flats vintage aircraft fleet for a photoshoot:

The line up consisted of Isaacs Fury ZK-JHR, and de Havillands: Tiger Moth ZK-CCQ, Fox Moth ZK-APT, Tiger Moth ZK-ATM2 and Tiger Moth ZK-ASM.

Also in Bruce Lynch's hangar were his Miles Messenger ZK-AKE2 and his Aeronca ZK-AMW2, but we kept it to biplanes on the day..