Gisborne on Friday

I used to love plane spotting at Gisborne... unfortunately with the arrival of the new terminal the airport has had 10 foot fences installed around the airport...  It is now really awkward to get photos. Another plane spotting paradise ruined. I took these photos on the 26th of February 2021

Sunair's Piper PA23 Aztec ZK-ERM about to depart for Tauranga

Air Napier's Piper PA31 Navajo ZK-NPR was operating the daily Napier-Gisborne courier flights all week

The Westpac Air Ambulance Mitsubishi Mu2G ZK-PSR was on a medical flight

Cessna T210R Centurian ZK-TRO was up from Feilding

Whakatāne eastbound

A brief stop was made at Whakatāne on my way to Gisborne on 25 February 2021... 

Air Chathams' Douglas DC-3 ZK-AWP and Fairchild Metroliner III ZK-CID 

Local operator Aerohire's Cessna 172 ZK-CWD...

...and BRM Aero Bristell LSA ZK-LMR...

A long way from home, Cessna 150 Aerobat ZK-TWT is registered to the South Canterbury Aero Club

Diamond DA 40 ZK-TTC was on a training mission

T20 - Twenty Minutes in Tauranga

Classic Aircraft WACO YMF ZK-CFL arriving at Tauranga on 25 February 2021... a new one for me

The Matamata Aero Club's Zenith Zodiac CH 601-XL popped in and out... another new one for me

AutoGyro MTOsport ZK-FTB was also another one for me

Roaring off on another domestic, Air New Zealand's ATR 72 ZK-MZE

And the final new one for me, NZAI CT/4 Airtrainer ZK-PTH

New Cessna 206 for Air Chathams

 

Registered to Air Chathams yesterday was Cessna TU206G Turbo Stationair II ZK-KMH (c/n U20604075). ZK-KMH flew to the Chathams from Auckland, via Napier, on Monday the 22nd of February. It will replace ZK-KAI was damaged in a non-flying incident.

Queenstown-based Alpine Air's Cessna 206 ZK-KMH at Milford Sound on 10 January 2014

S8 at Taupō

 

Sounds Air's corporate Pilatus PC12 ZK-PLZ at Taupō on 22 February 2021

Hamilton Fog

Monday the 22nd of February 2021 was a beautiful morning at my place and when I saw Air Chathams were bringing a Saab in I rushed out to the airport....

Conditions were not so flash at the airport...

However, Originair's morning flight to Palmerston North got away on time operated by BAe Jetstream 32 ZK-JSK... Does anyone know why Originair boards from the upstairs level passing through the old international terminal??? Kiwi Regional used to do the same. 

Meanwhile, circling to the north was AIr New Zealand's ATR 72 ZK-MVL operating the morning flight from Wellington... it finally got in about 25 minutes late due to the fog

 And as for Air Chathams' Saab... I couldn't wait. It was due, according to Flightaware at 8.15am but eventually arrived at 9.00am. It then flew to Palmerston North and Queenstown before retuning direct to Auckland

Great Barrier Island Airliners

Usually, by Saturday afternoon, most of the people flying to and from Great Barrier Island had already travelled. On Saturday afternoon, 13 February, Barrier Air were operating two of their Caravans and Fly My Sky one BN Islander.

Barrier Air's original Cessna Grand Caravan, ZK-SDB

Sister ship, Cessna Grand Caravan ZK-SDC

Fly My Sky's BN Islander ZK-EVO... Previously this aircraft operated for Wairoa-based Cookson Air and Wanaka-based Aspiring Air

 

Auckland Heavies

"Heavies" at Auckland on 13 February 2021

Fiji Airways' Airbus 330-300 DQ-FJW

Air New Zealand's Boeing 787-9 ZK-NZK

My  first photo of Air New Zealand's Boeing 787-9 ZK-NZR... 

 

Just one of those days...

Some Air Chathams' spotting at Auckland on 13 February 2021, but it looks as if it was just one of those days...

The afternoon flight to Whakatane took off with Fairchild Metro 23 ZK-POF operating the service...

A few minutes later it was back...

And then towed to the hangar

The Whakatane service had departed after the arrival of the late running flight from the Chatham Islands... I wonder if someone was transhipping... CIE's late arrival meant a late departure of 3C 571 to Tauranga and the Chathams operated by Convair 580 ZK-CIE

Meanwhile Fairchild Metroliner III ZK-CIC was brought down to the terminal to operate the service to Whakatane... a case of just one of those days

Nelson-Hamilton Direct

 

Originair commenced a once weekly direct service between Nelson and Hamilton on Sunday 14 February 2021. BAe Jetstream 32 ZK-JSK operated flight OGN 235 from Nelson to Hamilton last evening. It did a morning service, OGN 412 to Palmerston North this morning. The weekly direct service from Hamilton to Nelson operates on Fridays. 

Kiwi Regional were the last airline to operate direct flights between Hamilton and Nelson. 

Originair plans to operate twice daily between Hamilton and Palmerston North from the 28th of March. Flights will leave Hamilton at 8.00am and 3.00pm and Palmerston North at 10.30am and 5.30pm. This will give Hamilton passengers about 8 hours for business in Palmerston North and Palmerston North passengers 3 hours for business in Hamilton.