Air New Zealand @ WLG on the 19th

While I waited for Golden Bay Air's BN Islander to fly into Wellington on 19 April 2024 I was kept occupied photographing Air New Zealand who were having a busy day... still not convinced about the colour scheme

ATR 72-600 ZK-MVF

ATR 72-600 ZK-MVN

ATR 72-600 ZK-MVR

ATR 72-600 ZK-MVU

ATR 72-600 ZK-MZA

ATR 72-600 ZK-MZF

Bombardier Q300 ZK-NEA

Bombardier Q300 ZK-NEB

Bombardier Q300 ZK-NEC

Bombardier Q300 ZK-NEG

Bombardier Q300 ZK-NEK

Bombardier Q300 ZK-NEQ

Bombardier Q300 ZK-NEU

Airbus 320-271N ZK-NHE

Airbus A321-271NX ZK-NNA

Airbus 320-232 ZK-OAB

Airbus 320-232 ZK-OXF

Airbus 320-232 ZK-OXJ

 

On the way to Hokitika - the planes

It was a mucky day at Auckland on the 21st of April 2024 as set off from Auckland...

Qatar Airways Airbus 350-1000 A7-ANP off to Doha

Wamos Air Airbus 330-200 EC-NCK off to Perth

Air Chathams' ATR 72-500 ZK-MCO off to Whanganui 

Air New Zealand ATR72-600 ZK-MVV arriving

Delta Air Lines Airbus 350-900 N357DZ off to Los Angeles

Air New Zealand Bombardier Q300 ZK-NEB arriving

Air New Zealand Bombardier Q300 ZK-NEM arriving

Air New Zealand Air New Zealand Airbus 320-200 ZK-OAB arriving

Barrier Air Cessna 208B Grand Caravan ZK-SDD arriving

Jetstar Airbus 320-200 VH-VFD arriving

It was a better down in Christchurch... just not many movements in brief stopover

Sounds Air Pilatus PC12 ZK-PLZ off to Wanaka

 

Qantas @ WLG

 More from my afternoon at Wellington on 19 April 2024

Boeing 737-838 VH-XZB

Boeing 737-838(WL) VH-VZV

Embraer ERJ-190AR VH-UZK

MCO on Pacific Deployment

 

Air Chathams' ATR 72-500 ZK-MCO has had a Pacific deployment this week. I am presuming this was in support of the visiting delegation of representatives from the US Congress and the UN Foundation which is visiting Fiji, Tonga and Tuvalu as part of its mission to learn more about how the UN is supporting Pacific Small Island Developing States to navigate the interconnected challenges of food security, health and nutrition and managing the increasingly frequent and intense climate shocks in the context of the climate crisis. 

For more see : https://pacific.un.org/en/266751-us-congress-un-foundation-reps-join-fiji-government-visit-ndmo-warehouse-part-pacific

On Monday the 22nd of April the ATR flew from Auckland to Norfolk Island as 3C (CHATHAMS) 401 and then on to Suva as 3C 422. On Tuesday it flew to Funafuti, the capital of the island state of Tuvalu as 3C 422 before returning as 3C 421. Yesterday, the 24th of April, it flew to Tonga's Fua'amotu Airport as 3C 471, returning in the evening as 3C 472. ZK-MCO is now on the way home flying to Norfolk Island as 3C 419. It will return Auckland as 3C 402.

Air Ambulances at WLG

More from Wellington on the 19th...

Life Flight's Beechcraft B200 Super King Air ZK-LFA - The Life Flight air ambulances are registered to Air Freight (NZ) Ltd

Life Flight's Beechcraft B200 Super King Air ZK-LFI

The New Zealand Air Ambulance Services' Beechcraft B200 Super King Air ZK-SDH - The New Zealand Air Ambulance Service is part of the Skyline Aviation Group

 

ATRs Commence Kerikeri Flights

 

 

Air New Zealand commenced ATR flights to Kerikeri today with ATR 72-600 ZK-MVQ flying the first return service, NZ5266 northbound and NZ5267 southbound. Over the winter Kerikeri's Monday morning service from Auckland will be operated by 68-seat ATRs rather than the normal Bombardier Q300. 

The flights leave Auckland at 8.30am to arrive at 9.20am and the return flight departs at 9.50am on Mondays only.

This is the first time ATRs have operated a regular schedule to Kerikeri.

The move is short-lived and will go through to September when the ATR flights revert back to Bombardier Q300s.

I've tried to hurriedly stitch something together of the 49 year old air service, but I have a few gaps and a few questions which I will finish with...

The air service Auckland to Kerikeri effectively replaced NAC's service between Auckland and Kaikohe, which in 1970 was taken over by Geyserland Airways, and the Mount Cook Airlines amphibian service between Auckland and Paihia. 

Mount Cook Airlines introduced the first Auckland-Kerikeri service on the 12th of January 1975 with Britten Norman Islander ZK-MCC flying the first services. Mount Cook operated four flights a day to Kerikeri with a lesser schedule over the winter.  

On the 3rd of May 1977 Mount Cook Airlines upgraded the Kerikeri service to a 48-seat Hawker Siddeley 748. The first 748 flight into was operated by ZK-MCA under the command of Captain Geoff Williams and First Officer David Wyatt with Chief Purser Trevor Edlin and Steward Wally McKee looking after the cabin. This was a direct flight from Christchurch, the scheduled first flight breaking down in Auckland.



The first Hawker Siddeley 748 Series 2A flight to Kerikeri. ZK-MCA and Britten-Norman BN2A-26 Islander, ZK-MCC, taken at Kerikeri on 3 May 1977. Pictured left to right are: David Wyatt, co-pilot on the HS748; Bruce Packer, pilot of the BN Islander; Captain Geoff Williams, operations manager and pilot of the HS748; Anna Laloli, Miss Airport 1977; Wally McKee, steward; Trevor Edlin; chief purser. Photographer unknown. S Lowe Collection

Failing to generate an adequate the level of patronage to make the service viable the Hawker Siddeley 748s were withdrawn from the Kerikeri service on the 31st of March 1979 in favour of an Islander service over the winter. The 748s returned for the 1979/1980 summer when one 748 flight was operated daily alongside two Islander flights. The 748s flew their final service to Kerikeri on the 31st of March 1980 and they never operated this route on a scheduled basis from this point on. 

In mid-1982 the Islander was replaced with a faster Piper Pa31-350 Navajo Chieftain, ZK-MCM. While the nine seat Chieftain did not have quite the load hauling capacity of the Islander it was faster and, probably more importantly for the passengers, distinctly quieter to fly in.

Boarding for Auckland. Piper Chieftain ZK-MCM at Kerikeri on 3 March 1992

Further development of the air service occurred on the 16th of January 1984 when an 18-seat de Havilland Canada Twin Otter, ZK-MCO, was introduced to the service. Two Rotorua-Auckland-Kerikeri return flights per day were flown each day. The Twin Otter plied the Auckland-Kerikeri route for the next two years with two flights being offered each day in the winter and three flights being offered over the summer.

Northern News, 17 January 1984

In mid-1986 the Twin Otter was moved south to Queenstown and the Piper Chieftain returned to the Kerikeri run. Again ZK-MCM was used and this was supported by ZK-EBT leased from Airwork. The Chieftain flew four return services a day to Kerikeri with at the peak of summer a fifth flight being offered. 

The Chieftain was to maintain the Kerikeri service until the 31st of October 1993. 

On the 1st of November 1993 Eagle Air took over the Kerikeri service with 15-seat Embraer Bandeirante ZK-MAS operating the first Eagle flight to Auckland. The Bandeirantes were operated until the early 2000s when they were replaced by the 18-seat Beech 1900s.

Operated by Eagle Air, Air New Zealand Beech 1900 ZK-EAR at Kerikeri on 5 July 2011.

Kerikeri's last Beech 1900 flights were operated on the 8th of February 2015. ZK-EAM flew the last two Auckland-Kerikeri return flights as NZ2654/NZ2689 and NZ2662/NZ2665.

Also on the 8th of February 2015 Bombardier Q300 ZK-NEC, operated by Air Nelson, flew Air New Zealand flight NZ8674 from Auckland to Kerikeri on the overnight service inaugurating the introduction of the 50-seat Bombardier Q300s to Kerikeri.

Air Nelson continued to operate the Q300s Air New Zealand air service to Hokitika until the the 18th of November 2019 when it ended all operations with the cessation of its Air Operating Certificate. From the 19th of November 2019 the Air Nelson Bombardier Q300 aircraft were transferred to the Air New Zealand Air Operating Certificate.

Air New Zealand Bombardier Q300 ZK-NEU arrives in Kerikeri on 19 March 2024

So many questions...

• Given the first scheduled 748 flight broke down, when did the first flight fly in from Auckland? Any details?
• Did Eagle Air happen to operate Metroliners to Kerikeri? If so, any details of crew etc?
• When was the last Bandeirante flight operated to Kerikeri? Are there any details of crew etc? 
• When was the first Beech 1900 flight operated to Kerikeri? Are there any details of crew etc?
• Any photos and details of crew for today's first 
• Would anyone happen to have any photos of the various types at Kerikeri?

Any responses gratefully received to Steve - westland831@gmail.com

Another lesson in noting things down as they happen today to preserve the history for tomorrow