On the 10th of May Hamish, Dylan and Wayne embarked on a South Island trip in ZK-CWD. Peter Rutledge’s C172 SP. This would be a flying trip of a lifetime, a trip that makes getting your PPL all the worthwhile. We left Whakatane and headed south towards Fielding, a quick stop for fuel then onwards to Nelson, more fuel then on to Hokitika for the night. The next morning, we headed south down the west coast, then via the Aspiring National Park, and Mt Aspiring to Te Anau. The weather so far had been amazing, with blue skies and not much cloud, with the excepting of the west coast, where we were at 1000ft down the coast. The next day was Te Anau to Invercargill, with a stop in at Bill Richardsons Car Museum, and breakfast. Then it was off to Wanaka for the night. We had a lay day the next day, as it wasn’t very nice, so we drove over to Queenstown for the day. Day 5 was Wanaka to Pukaki, with a night in Twizel. We also did a trip up and around Aoraki Mt Cook, that was truly breathtaking, With Mt Cook in clear blue skies. Day 6 Pukaki to Hanmer Springs, a nice soak in the hot pools followed by a pretty good pizza, and it was ready for a good night’s sleep, before the journey home. Hanmer to Kaikoura for fuel, then the long haul up to Hasting for fuel, a stretch and a coffee, before embarking on the last leg to Whakatane. This trip had it all, breathtaking landscapes, the Southern Alps, lakes, glaciers and coastline. Flying in the South Island offers a variety of weather, terrain, air space challenges- great for honing your pilot skills. It’s a rare way to see the country and a memorable use of your license that few others get to do.
