Flying to Kapiti Coast

May 16th was a beautiful day for flying I couldn't resist. Most of my flying up to this point had been in the local area, so I was anxious to get out in the 'system'. I chose to go south to Kapiti Coast, which was the primary Wellington airport during the 40s and 50s. One of the tricky bits of flying in New Zealand is the tendency for controllers and pilots to use local ground references when reporting positions. Often, the pronunciation used on the radio doesn't match the spelling or the pronunciation used by the locals. Kapiti Coast was previously named Paraparaumu, but on the radio it's "pram-pram". At any rate, it was a lovely day to fly as the pictures can attest.

Hawera, our fair city

Looking northwest along the Taranaki coast

Mist in the valleys

Wanganui

Wanganui Airport, no parallel taxiway

Mouth of the Wanganui river

Mt Taranaki