Sounds Air Flight 507 Flying into the Twilight Zone to Nelson

Part 2 of my flying with Sounds Air on Friday 2 May 2025 was the Paraparaumu-Nelson sector.

Airlines flying this go back to the 1950s when NAC were using Paraparaumu as the main Wellington airport before the development of the current airport at Rongotai. NAC continued to operate Paraparaumu-Nelson flights even after the introduction of De Havilland Heron flights betweeen Wellington and Nelson in 1953. Alongside the NAC service Safe Air used its Bristol Freighter aircraft on the same route for cargo operations. 

With the official reopening of the Wellington airport on 25 October 1959 the Paraparaumu-Nelson sector was not flown again until 1983 when Associated Aviation, later Associated Air and Associated Airlines began operating between the two centres.

See : https://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2010/05/associated-air-paraparaumus-friendly.html

On the 4th of February 1991 Air Nelson expanded its services with Metroliners taking over from Associated Airlines' Cessna aircraft on the Paraparaumu-Auckland route with either a Metroliner or Piper CHieftain being used on the Paraparaumu-Nelson route. Three Associated Airlines' pilots transfered to Air Nelson staff and underwent training as Metroliner first officers and three Air Nelson captains will transfer to Paraparaumu. 

By 1991 these flights had been cut and it was not until late 1996 that flights between the two centres were reintroduced by Welair, later known as Air Wellington, who operated the route until 1999.

See : https://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2018/03/air-wellington-another-paraparaumu.html

Air Wellington was replaced by air2there in late 2004. The airline had ambitious plans for a city hopper service in the Wellington region. This never came to much but the airline remained operating on the Paraparaumu-Nelson sector until 2018.

See : https://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2015/03/air2there-city-hopper-air-service.html

On the 15th of June 2015 Sounds Air introduced Paraparaumu-Nelson services incompetition with air2there. Initially two return flights a day were operated on weekdays and one on Sundays. At the same time the Paraparaumu-Blenheim service changed to the same frequencies, the traffic not building as expected. Today Sounds Air operates the route 4 times a week, flying Blenheim-Paraparaumu-Nelson and return on Sunday afternoons and Monday mornings and both Friday mornings and afternoons.

Continuing on my flight to Nelson, I was able to stay on board while Ron, the local ramp agent, sorted the unloading and boarding of passengers and bags... 

Rolling 16 into the murk again

And into the spectacular last light of the day

Great colours and the sunset and the Sounds

Golden Bay out to Farewell Spit

Approaching Nelson, the Boulder Bank and Rabbit Island

A BIG THANKS TO CALEB AND ANDREW CRAWFORD AND THE SOUNDS AIR TEAM