Sounds Air Flight 390 from Nelson to Wellington

 

My flight from Nelson back to Wellington on 8 September 2025 in Sounds Air's Cessna 208 Grand Caravan ZK-SAA

Airborne off Runway 02 at Nelson looking over the mudflats to Rabbit Island

Looking out the other side over Nelson

The Northern end of the Boulder Bank and looking north to Ataata Point and Pepin Island

Out the other side again... the Port of Nelson

And the Nelson CBD

Ataata Point and Pepin Island

Pelorus Sound coming into view coming from left and going left... Mahau Sound in the centre and Kenepuru Sound going out to the right

The Grove Arm of Queen Charlotte Sound... Anakiwa, famed for Outward Bound, on the left

Waikawa Bay - just to the north-east of Picton

The Port of Picton

Queen Charlotte Sound

Tory Channel and the entrance to Cook Strait coming up

Perano Head, part of Arapaoa Island

Crossing the lower North Island with the spectacular wind farms

Looking up the Hutt motorway

Some of the Wellington CBD

Interislander

Finals for Runway 16 at Wellington

Thanks to Johnny and Cessna 208 Grand Caravan ZK-SAA for a great flight

Plane Spotting at Nelson

I only had about half an hour of spotting at Nelson on 8 September 2025 before my flight back to Wellington

My ride back to Wellington, Sounds Air's Cessna 208 Grand Caravan ZK-SAA

As the Caravan arrived Sounds Air's Pilatus PC12 ZK-PLS departed for Paraparaumu

Golden Bay Air's Gippsland Airvan ZK-ZUG had arrived from Karamea

It departed back to Takaka a few minutes later

I didn't have time to get out of the terminal so a few average photos... Cessna 180 ZK-DXA

Helicopter Nelson's Guimbal Cabri G2 ZK-IHN

And the real bonus, my first glimpse of Pelorus Air's Cessna 172 ZK-MGR out of the window of the Caravan

Domestic Jet Service for Hamilton

 

Air New Zealand commenced 171-seat Airbus 320 flights between Christchurch and Hamilton today, the 18th of September 2025, the first time the Waikato city has had a domestic jet service in the last 25 years.

The Air New Zealand flights are scheduled to leave Christchurch at 3pm arriving in Hamilton at 4.20pm and return to Christchurch at 5.05pm, arriving at 6.25pm. The service is being offered on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.  

The first flights, NZ324 from Christchurch to Hamilton and the return NZ325 were operated today in Airbus 320 ZK-OJR. 

Jetstar stole Air New Zealand's thunder earlier this month when they announced they will operate Airbus 320 aircraft on the same route on a daily basis from the 1st of December 2025.  

Air New Zealand's Airbus 320 ZK-OJR, operating the inaugural Christchurch-Hamilton jet service on 18 September 2025

Sounds Air Flight 345 from Wellington to Nelson

 

A last minute need to go to Nelson saw me fly Sounds Air between Wellington and Nelson and back on the 8th of September 2025... My ride for the flight was Pilatus PC12 ZK-PLB

On the taxi... with Wellington's iconic control tower... scaffolding?

Airborne from Wellington

And passing the entrance to Wellington Harbour... Barrett's Reef which sunk the inter-island ferry Wahine in April 1968 is in the middle of the channel

Looking out the other side to Island Bay

Crossing the Marlborough Coast with the mouth of the Wairau River

A glimpse of Blenheim

Looking south towards the Seaward Kaikouras with Tapuae-o-Uenuku the highest peak in the range at at 2,885 meters (9,465 feet)

 

On descent into Nelson with Richmond in the centre

and Nelson to the left

Moturoa/Rabbit Island

Monaco

Apron work going on at Nelson