A Flight from North Shore to Whitianga Today 30-3-2025

 I travelled down to North Shore aerodrome this morning to meet up with David Signal.  This was because we were planning to fly across to Whitianga for an Auckland Chapter of the Sport Aviation Association of NZ / Northern Aviators Club BBQ hosted by Gavin and Delys Magill at their hangar home, and to see Gavin's Airdrome Aeroplanes Sopwith Camel.  We were flying in David's red Foxbat ZK-SGI :

On climb out from North Shore we flew over the Weiti River where contractors are well advanced with building the bridge which is part of the Penlink motorway.  That is the Whangaparaoa Peninsula on the left and Stillwater in the middle with Long Bay in the distance.

Then we flew out into the Hauraki Gulf with Motutapu Island down there and Rangitoto in the distance.  These two islands are joined at the hip with a narrow isthmus.

Then on towards Coromandel into the sun reflecting off the water.

It is not far across the Coromandel to Whitianga and on the way you look down on some of the famous jagged peaks of the Coromandel Peninsula, but from a different perspective.

We arrived into Whitianga in light rain and there are some impressive hangar houses on view.

It was quite busy when we arrived, we were number 1 of 3 when landing.  Then a few aircraft arrived from Ardmore (which is pretty close in a straight line).  Here is Russell Jenkins in his lovely Stearman ZK-RJS.

Then Andrew Hope in his Pitts S 2E ZK-ELI.

Here is Gavin's Airdrome Aeroplanes Sopwith Camel which is quite well advanced.  It is a full size replica and he will power it with a Continental O-320 engine which produces 140 HP.

It was also the first time I had seen Pete Walton's Airdrome Aeroplanes Fokker Triplane replica ZK-CCO2 which is also full size.

It was a machine guns at 20 paces standoff outside Gavin's hangar!

I will post some more from the great day later, and thanks for the flight David.