Kiwi Air operates daily service into Waimarino

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 3, Issue 12, 13 August 1985, Page 5

Kiwi Air operates daily service into Waimarino

Kiwi Air Services operate nine flights a week between Auckland and the Waimarino. They work in with Turoa Taxis 7-seater mini-bus which meets the plane and provides a service from the Karioi airstrip to the destination(s) of the travelling passengers. On this flight last week from Auckland there was only one passenger who had come to ski Turoa for the day on a package deal of S199 which included return flight, transport up to the skifield and an all-day pass. Because there was only one passenger, pilot Andy Greville of Auckland had flown the 6-seater Piper Aztec, the smallest of Kiwi Air Service's three aircraft. The other two are a 7seater Piper Navaho and a 9-seater Piper Chieftain. The flights are made from Auckland International Airport and take about 55 minutes depending on weather and flight routes. Pilot Andy Greville said that the Karioi airstrip had been selected for this end of the operation because of the base radio and beacon established on Ian Strachan's property and the very accurate local weather reports he receives from Karioi on the flight down.

"I can talk to them all the way from Hamilton," he said, "and this makes it possible to plan my approach from sorne distance away. This morning I could see Ruapehu rising above dense cloud cover in clear brilliant sunshine but was able to pick a hole over Raetihi to get through on an all-visual approach." Andy explained that the nine flights per week in and out of Karioi are designed to serve the whole Waimarino community but at present

80-90% of the passengers he carries are staff from the Winstone Samsutig Pulpmill. This is expected to change as the ski season develops. "We are looking at Japanese skiers and others coming in on international flights our Auckland terminal is right next door to the Auckland International Airport terminal. Andy makes one flight each way per day — down from Auckland in the morning and back at 5.15 in the evening — on Tuesdays, W ednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. On Fridays and Mondays I he makes two flights per day — two in the morning and two in the evening. This is to enable weekend commuters, either in Auckland or the Waimarino, to spend a full weekend either skiingorvisiting the Queen City. The service is no winteronly wonder "Our intention is to serve the whole community by operating it the whole year round," he said.