Paraparaumu Airport
Encyclopedia
Kapiti Coast Airport earlier called Paraparaumu Airport, is on the Kapiti Coast
of New Zealand
's North Island
, between the Wellington
dormitory suburbs of Paraparaumu Beach
(to the west and north), Paraparaumu
to the east, and Raumati Beach
to the south. The Wharemauku Stream
flows through part of the airport's land.
Originally government-owned, the Kapiti Coast Airport was the greater Wellington
region's main airport until Wellington International Airport
opened in 1959. It was privatised in 1995.
in July 1939 using equipment from Whenuapai
, Paraparaumu was made available as an "Emergency Airport" by the government. The then-grass Rongotai Airport in Wellington was closed for safety reasons on 27 September 1947 until 1959, as the surface often became unusable during winter months. National Airways Corporation
was forced to move to Paraparaumu Airport, 35 miles from Wellington, causing a one-third drop in Cook Strait
passengers for NAC in a single year, due to the isolation. Nonetheless, Paraparaumu was the country's busiest airport in 1949, with up to 20 DC-3s and Lodestars lined up on its apron.
The original runway dimensions were (16/34) 1350 m x 45 m with a 85 m starter extension available on runway 16, nearly touching Kapiti Road, which runs past the aerodrome.
At that time, the secondary runway (11/29) was 1239 m x 30 m.
Paraparaumu was judged unsuitable for international operations in the 1950s due to Kapiti Island to the near west and the Tararua Ranges barely a mile east infringing the take-off and landing flightpaths. Housing areas were very close to the south and west of the airport, and since the mid 1980s to the north as well, directly across Kapiti Road.
New Zealand's Civil Aviation Authority
has recently approved the airport after identifying approach obstruction issues. In the intervening years, aircraft performance and improvements in aircraft navigation
systems render earlier concerns less critical.
From 1952 to 1957, Wellington unusually had two domestic airports: NAC running Herons from Rongotai (which CAA had agreed to reopen on strict conditions), mainly to Blenheim and Nelson, and to Rotorua via Napier; everything else from Paraparaumu. When NAC introduced Viscounts in early 1958 they could operate to Christchurch and Auckland only, Paraparaumu's runway being about 300 m too short. The reconstructed and much improved Rongotai Airport opened in 1959, although its terminal remained the old Tiger Moth factory until the late 1990s, and Paraparaumu ceased being Wellington's airport and became the a general aviation airfield.
The Kapiti
Aero Club is based at the airport, along with other private fliers and charter businesses. The airport is a base for the New Zealand helicopter company Helipro, which offers both fixed-wing and helicopter flight training, charters, and other commercial services. Due to the relative infrequency of commercial flights, it is a popular base for private and leisure flights.
As recently as 1992, alternate sites for a new airport for Wellington were investigated, including Paraparaumu, but a decision was made to upgrade Wellington Airport's existing site.
Interest in providing commercial flights at Paraparaumu reignited because the Kapiti coast is one of New Zealand's fastest growing regional centres. Many of Wellington's more affluent professionals and business people live at Paraparaumu and tolerate the hour-long commute for the lifestyle offered.
In early 2007, the airport was sold by its first private owners to property developer Noel Robinson for NZ$40 million. Since then some of the airport's property has been sold to allow for residential development and part of the secondary runway 11/29 has been closed.
Re-development proposals involve closing 11/29, with a parallel grass runway as the only crosswind runway. A new multi-user terminal is intended for the southern area, now home to gliding
activities.
This re-development was spurred by interest from Air New Zealand to operate Q300 aircraft. Planning hearings for airport redevelopment occurred in November 2007, redevelopment completed in 2011 with the refurbishing of the runway and recommissioning of the control tower. The rising costs of Wellington Airport also contributed to Air New Zealand's initiative to schedule flights to Paraparaumu.
On 26 January 2011, Air Nelson
, a subsidiary of Air New Zealand, announced that flights would commence between Auckland and Paraparaumu from October 24, 2011. The initial flights consist of 3 return flights during weekdays, and 3 flights over the weekend. They are operated with a Bombardier Q300 50 seat aircraft.
In 1952 a DC-3 experienced engine failure when about to land on Runway 34, and ploughed into a house in Kohutuhutu Rd, Raumati Beach. Three children on board died in the fire that followed (there were no flight attendants on domestic flights until 1956), but the captain helped everyone else to safety.
On 6 November 1970, Douglas C-47B ZK-AXS of the Ministry of Transport
was damaged beyond economic repair during a simulated downwind takeoff, when the undercarriage collapsed. The aircraft was operating a training flight. The fuselage was subsequently used for fire training purposes, and was last reported to be at Wellington
.
On 17 February 2008, above an adjacent hardware store, Placemakers, there was a triple-fatality mid-air collision between a Cessna 152 and a helicopter, both of which plummeted from approximately 1500 ft, the helicopter into the store and the plane into a nearby street. No one on the ground was injured.
Kapiti Coast
The Kapiti Coast is the name of the section of the coast of the south-western North Island of New Zealand that is north of Wellington and opposite Kapiti Island. It falls under the jurisdiction of the Wellington Regional Council...
of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
's North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
, between the Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
dormitory suburbs of Paraparaumu Beach
Paraparaumu Beach
Paraparaumu Beach is situated to the west of the 'township' of Paraparaumu, located 50 km north of Wellington, New Zealand. The area overlooks Kapiti Island....
(to the west and north), Paraparaumu
Paraparaumu
Paraparaumu is a town in the south-western North Island of New Zealand. It lies in the Kapiti Coast, 50 kilometres north of the nation's capital city, Wellington....
to the east, and Raumati Beach
Raumati
Raumati collectively refers to two neighbouring places on the Kapiti Coast of New Zealand's North Island. They are located 50-60 km north-east of Wellington, and immediately to the south-west of the larger town of Paraparaumu. The Maungakotukutuku area is located immediately behind Raumati...
to the south. The Wharemauku Stream
Wharemauku Stream
The Wharemauku Stream is a stream on the Kapiti Coast of New Zealand's North Island. Its headwaters are in the Maungakotukutuku valley, and it flows through Paraparaumu and Raumati Beach before reaching the Tasman Sea on the northern side of Raumati Marine Gardens...
flows through part of the airport's land.
Originally government-owned, the Kapiti Coast Airport was the greater Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
region's main airport until Wellington International Airport
Wellington International Airport
Wellington International Airport is an international airport located in the suburb of Rongotai in Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. It is a secondary hub and focus city for Air New Zealand and its subsidiaries...
opened in 1959. It was privatised in 1995.
History
Constructed by the Royal New Zealand Air ForceRoyal New Zealand Air Force
The Royal New Zealand Air Force is the air arm of the New Zealand Defence Force...
in July 1939 using equipment from Whenuapai
Whenuapai
Whenuapai is a suburb and airport located in the western Waitakere area of Auckland City, in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on the northwestern shore of the Waitemata Harbour, 15 kilometres to the northwest of Auckland's city centre. It is one of the landing points for the Southern...
, Paraparaumu was made available as an "Emergency Airport" by the government. The then-grass Rongotai Airport in Wellington was closed for safety reasons on 27 September 1947 until 1959, as the surface often became unusable during winter months. National Airways Corporation
National Airways Corporation
National Airways Corporation was the national domestic airline of New Zealand from 1947 until 1978 when it amalgamated with New Zealand's international airline, Air New Zealand. The airline was headquartered in Wellington...
was forced to move to Paraparaumu Airport, 35 miles from Wellington, causing a one-third drop in Cook Strait
Cook Strait
Cook Strait is the strait between the North and South Islands of New Zealand. It connects the Tasman Sea on the west with the South Pacific Ocean on the east....
passengers for NAC in a single year, due to the isolation. Nonetheless, Paraparaumu was the country's busiest airport in 1949, with up to 20 DC-3s and Lodestars lined up on its apron.
The original runway dimensions were (16/34) 1350 m x 45 m with a 85 m starter extension available on runway 16, nearly touching Kapiti Road, which runs past the aerodrome.
At that time, the secondary runway (11/29) was 1239 m x 30 m.
Paraparaumu was judged unsuitable for international operations in the 1950s due to Kapiti Island to the near west and the Tararua Ranges barely a mile east infringing the take-off and landing flightpaths. Housing areas were very close to the south and west of the airport, and since the mid 1980s to the north as well, directly across Kapiti Road.
New Zealand's Civil Aviation Authority
Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand
The Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand is the government agency tasked with establishing civil aviation safety and security standards in New Zealand....
has recently approved the airport after identifying approach obstruction issues. In the intervening years, aircraft performance and improvements in aircraft navigation
Navigation
Navigation is the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another. It is also the term of art used for the specialized knowledge used by navigators to perform navigation tasks...
systems render earlier concerns less critical.
From 1952 to 1957, Wellington unusually had two domestic airports: NAC running Herons from Rongotai (which CAA had agreed to reopen on strict conditions), mainly to Blenheim and Nelson, and to Rotorua via Napier; everything else from Paraparaumu. When NAC introduced Viscounts in early 1958 they could operate to Christchurch and Auckland only, Paraparaumu's runway being about 300 m too short. The reconstructed and much improved Rongotai Airport opened in 1959, although its terminal remained the old Tiger Moth factory until the late 1990s, and Paraparaumu ceased being Wellington's airport and became the a general aviation airfield.
The Kapiti
Kapiti
Kapiti can refer to:*Kapiti Island, a small island a short distance off the New Zealand coast north of Wellington*Kapiti Coast, the stretch of coast that runs adjacent to the island.*Kapiti Line, a suburban railway in Wellington...
Aero Club is based at the airport, along with other private fliers and charter businesses. The airport is a base for the New Zealand helicopter company Helipro, which offers both fixed-wing and helicopter flight training, charters, and other commercial services. Due to the relative infrequency of commercial flights, it is a popular base for private and leisure flights.
As recently as 1992, alternate sites for a new airport for Wellington were investigated, including Paraparaumu, but a decision was made to upgrade Wellington Airport's existing site.
Interest in providing commercial flights at Paraparaumu reignited because the Kapiti coast is one of New Zealand's fastest growing regional centres. Many of Wellington's more affluent professionals and business people live at Paraparaumu and tolerate the hour-long commute for the lifestyle offered.
In early 2007, the airport was sold by its first private owners to property developer Noel Robinson for NZ$40 million. Since then some of the airport's property has been sold to allow for residential development and part of the secondary runway 11/29 has been closed.
Re-development proposals involve closing 11/29, with a parallel grass runway as the only crosswind runway. A new multi-user terminal is intended for the southern area, now home to gliding
Gliding
Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word soaring is also used for the sport.Gliding as a sport began in the 1920s...
activities.
This re-development was spurred by interest from Air New Zealand to operate Q300 aircraft. Planning hearings for airport redevelopment occurred in November 2007, redevelopment completed in 2011 with the refurbishing of the runway and recommissioning of the control tower. The rising costs of Wellington Airport also contributed to Air New Zealand's initiative to schedule flights to Paraparaumu.
On 26 January 2011, Air Nelson
Air Nelson
Air Nelson, a subsidiary of Air New Zealand is a regional airline based in Nelson, New Zealand. It operates services on provincial routes under the Air New Zealand Link brand. Its main base is Nelson Airport, with hubs at Auckland, Napier, New Plymouth, Wellington, Tauranga and Christchurch.The...
, a subsidiary of Air New Zealand, announced that flights would commence between Auckland and Paraparaumu from October 24, 2011. The initial flights consist of 3 return flights during weekdays, and 3 flights over the weekend. They are operated with a Bombardier Q300 50 seat aircraft.
Incidents
In 1949 when a Lodestar from Whenuapai (Auckland) crashed into the Tararua Range. Paraparaumu Tower had cleared the aeroplane to fly under Visual Flight Rules when the cloud base was below 800 m and did not ascertain that the aeroplane turned east into the ranges instead of out to sea near Kapiti Island to line up with the main runway.In 1952 a DC-3 experienced engine failure when about to land on Runway 34, and ploughed into a house in Kohutuhutu Rd, Raumati Beach. Three children on board died in the fire that followed (there were no flight attendants on domestic flights until 1956), but the captain helped everyone else to safety.
On 6 November 1970, Douglas C-47B ZK-AXS of the Ministry of Transport
Ministry of Transport (New Zealand)
The Ministry of Transport is the New Zealand Government's principal transport policy adviser. It leads and generates policy, and the government's New Zealand Transport Strategy provides the framework within which transport policy is developed...
was damaged beyond economic repair during a simulated downwind takeoff, when the undercarriage collapsed. The aircraft was operating a training flight. The fuselage was subsequently used for fire training purposes, and was last reported to be at Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
.
On 17 February 2008, above an adjacent hardware store, Placemakers, there was a triple-fatality mid-air collision between a Cessna 152 and a helicopter, both of which plummeted from approximately 1500 ft, the helicopter into the store and the plane into a nearby street. No one on the ground was injured.