New Zealand 1993

[agent86]

I went to New Zealand in the Summer(winter here) of 1993.it was a wonderful place to visit.I lived with my good friend in the town of Orewa.(edmond hillary's
home town)

) for a month.we went to an airshow in a place that I think was called Dairy flats.we brought my friends 4 year old nephew Named Peter to the airshow.One of best memories of this visit was when I bought Peter an Ice Cream cone.as he was eating his cone,my buddy mike said"look at the size of the propeller on that helicopter" and 4 yr old peter ,with melted ice cream dribbling all over his hand ,looked up at his 40 yr old uncle and said"thats not a propeller ,Mike,thats a rotor" kid was right,mikey was wrong. if you get the chance.go and see New Zealand.they actually like us Yanks.need a new computer.sorry for the screwed up post

[Dave Homewood]

Yes that would have been Dairy Flat. In fact Dairy Flat is the rural area there and the airfield is officially North Shore Aerodrome, but everyone refers to the drome as Dairy Flat too. There are a number of really classic aircraft based there. If you're going to be in Auckland the other three main points of call to make are to the Museum of Transport and Technology in Western Springs (big aircraft colection), the Auckland War Memorial Musem (Spitfire and Zero) and Ardmore Aerodrome which is home to the New Zealand Warbirds, Avspecs, Pioneers Aero and many other great companies and organisations. Did you go to any of these places agent? Things have come a long way since 1993 though.

[Lynn Allen]

Yes that would have been Dairy Flat. In fact Dairy Flat is the rural area there and the airfield is officially North Shore Aerodrome, but everyone refers to the drome as Dairy Flat too. There are a number of really classic aircraft based there. If you're going to be in Auckland the other three main points of call to make are to the Museum of Transport and Technology in Western Springs (big aircraft colection), the Auckland War Memorial Musem (Spitfire and Zero) and Ardmore Aerodrome which is home to the New Zealand Warbirds, Avspecs, Pioneers Aero and many other great companies and organisations. Did you go to any of these places agent? Things have come a long way since 1993 though.

I will 2nd that list as a must see....

Lynn

[agent86]

Went to MOTAT ,saw the Sunderland.saw most of the North Island.saw my buddies sis but we wont go there

[agent86]

at that airport/airshow there was the worst condition wise Grumman Avenger I have ever seen parked out front.this poor plane had more holes than a chunk of swiss cheese.I thought for sure it was gonna become cans for Lion Red beer.but someone here said they were gonna restore it.I just wanna know why? it would be much cheaper to buy one that somebody already spent tons of money restoring.and they had great ice cream cones at the airshow.I can still see lil Peter(inherited his moms bad eyes) with pop bottle bottom thick eyeglass lenses ,Melted vanilla running all over his hand and arm.teaching his 40 yr old uncle the difference between a Helicopter rotor and an airplane propeller

[Dave Homewood]

That Avenger is well on its way through a full restoration by volunteers to static condition at MOTAT. It is a pretty special and historic aircraft in that it both served in the Royal New Zealand Air Force in WWII with No.'s 30 and 31 Squadrons, but it was also one of a small handful of aeroplanes used in the first ever official aerial topdressing trials in 1949 by the RNZAF. For those reasons, andbecause only 4 examples of the Avenger exist in NZ now, it is worth the effort. It is partly because of the topdressing trials that it was corroded badly, an affect of the superphosphate fertiliser it carried. After its RNZAF servuce it spent a long time in a park and then in outdoor storage at Dairy Flat and in a shed at Western Springs. Now it's in the workshops at MOTAT II and the team have been replacing all the corroded rivets and panels and bringing it back to life. I have been told that when it is finished it will be painted into the colour scheme of a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm aircraft as flown by a New Zealand crew and be displayed in the Fleet Air Arm of New Zealand section of MOTAT. That's a great idea. I'd rather see this relic restored through the work of volunteer labour and donated materials, and a few Government grants, than see if scrapped.

[ErrolC]

That Avenger is well on its way through a full restoration by volunteers to static condition at MOTAT. ...

A photo of the Avenger at MOTAT in April.


MWW11_2629ef by errolgc, on Flickr

[avenger2504]

ANd its a rare Grumman built TBF-1c, not the more common TBM-3e that you normally see

[Russell Smith]

I'll second that as well. i've been to NZ twice - in 2007 and again in 2009 - for the Classic Fighters Airshow in Blenheim. Not only a spectacular airshow, but perhaps the most beautiful country on earth as well. I look forward to returning again sometime soon.

[DaveM2]

You guys need to apply for a job in our US Tourist Office. NZ-it offers spectacular airshows-is beautiful beyond words ....and the deal clincher....the locals don't shoot at Yanks

Dave

[agent86]

I didnt realize the history of this airplane.this alone justifies the restoration.If I come back and wrench,will you buy me a case of Lion Red beer that didnt come from the Avenger scrap? and the plane has come along way since I saw it in 1993.that was a while ago wasnt it? good for you guys,good luck.I thought it was a lost cause.

[Dave Homewood]

If you come back and bring a few spare parts for the Avenger with you, I'm sure the boys will find you some good beer, not the Lion Red that we reserve for tourists.

[agent86]

I caught grief from my Kiwi friends because they said lion Red beer was Maori beer.I liked it.The thing about beer in NZ ,was the fact that the most expensive and popular beer is bud

[DaveM2]

The thing about beer in NZ ,was the fact that the most expensive and popular beer is bud

Eh??? No self respecting Kiwi pays to drink brown tap water

[Dave Homewood]

"The thing about beer in NZ ,was the fact that the most expensive and popular beer is bud"

What?? Where were you drinking? At Operation Deep Freeze??

Millers is seni-drinkable and is now reasonably common here because Coca-Cola import it, but Budweiser is considered a light beer here and tastes like weasel's p*ss, so no-one seems to waste their money on it.

You never see Bud in bars here, not even in the bottle fridge with the alco-pops for the ladies. Occasionally it may appear in the specialty beer import shops, but I don't know anyone who buys it. I'd rate it as one of the least popular beers.

Lion Red used to be more popular than it is now. I was a big drinker of it in my youth and still have it occasionally when it's cheap but I discovered about ten years back there are much better brews out there, even NZ made ones.If I have the choice and the cash I fully think the best beer in the world comes from the Trappiste breweries of Belgium. Chimay is awesome for example. But it's a bit too dear for me to drink all the time so I usually drink Speights (which is much the same as Lion Red).

Actually if you're interested in the current kiwi beer market I spotted a link to a story on just that very topic on Radio New Zealand National's site here which you can listen to. I haven't had a listen but you might find it interesting, under the heading Beer Scene:
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/thiswayup