Who said that Rotorua airport was one of the most boring plane spotters' airport in NZ?

Who said that Rotorua airport was one of the most boring plane spotters' airport in NZ? This was the subject line of a number of emails I received from Fraser Weir last month when I was really suffering from a dose of shingles...

Fraser tells me he was born and raised in Rotorua an avid plane enthusiast from a very young age growing up during the 90s an exciting time in Rotorua airports history. Rotorua airport just had its 50th be cool if you could give some info or a write up on what was a gem in provincial airports BOP and NZ wide esp in the 90s, when it use to have three 737-200 daily along with one sometimes two Ansett BAe146 daily and many a Mount Cook HS748 Ansett Dash-8 to the rough times of the early 2000s when the retirement of the 737-200 and the collapse of Ansett/QantasNZ BAE146 and the battle of the runway extension led to a dry period of no jets then a little bump when Rotorua  completed its extension and welcomed a return to jet service with Air NZ and Qantas Jetconnect 737-300's then another crash to where it is now with no jet service barring a seasonal A320 Sydney service.

I have a blast from the past photos here.... dating from late 90s to the early 2000's these are all but the entire selection of airline's and aircraft types that have flown into Rotorua in the 90's and the 2000's.

Here are a selection of Fraser's pictures...

Where it all began... My first ever plane flight. Rotorua to Nelson on Ansett's Dash 8 ZK-NEY. 

By  the time Fraser started taking photos Ansett had repainted their tails with the Australian stars

Light damaged film. Had to put this photo in. City of Rotorua. Ansett NZ Bae-146... One of the advantages of digital... no light damaged film. 

The change from Ansett to Qantas New Zealand

Above, Qantas NZ Bombardier Q300 ZK-NER and below BAe 156-300 ZK-NZM with a BAe Jetstream on the runway

Also providing services for Ansett were Air National with Embraer Bandeirante ZK-ECM above and BAe Jetstream ZK-ECN below

And following Qantas New Zealand was Qantas - Boeing 737-300 ZK-JNO

On the Eagle front Fraser has seen the transition from the Embraer Bandeirantes... 

Through the Metroliners... 

...to the Beech 1900.

Fraser has witnessed Air Nelson move from the Saab 340s

....to the Bombardier Q300...

Too young to have photographed Mount Cook's 748s he did capture the 200 series ATR-72s...

...then the 500 series

and now the 600 series.

In the same way Rotorua has seen the advent of the domestic jet fleet... the Boeing 737-200 series 

and the larger Boeing 737-300 series

and Fraser writes this is possibly the last Boeing 737 to Rotorua

And more recently the arrival of the Airbus 320 on international services

Origin Pacific also operated services into Rotorua... 

and the Sulphur City has also seen visits by Air Chathams' Convair 580s on charter flights.

So, who said that Rotorua airport was one of the most boring plane spotters' airport in NZ? Well Fraser, you've proved it is not so... however, I would say its not the most friendly airport for the plane spotter's camera though you obviously found some interesting vantage points. 

Many thanks for sharing your photo history of the 50 year old Rotorua Airport!