Airfields and Stations in New Zealand Used By the RNZAF, Part 6

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Russell

Nearest town, Russell

This was listed as a NZ Government Landing Ground

Closest airfield now is Kerikeri

No known units were permanently stationed there.

Kaikohe
35^27’10” S 173^ 49’ 17”E

Nearest town: Kaikohe

A civil airfield opened on 14 Oct 1935, listed as an emergency airfield,
it may have been used by No 1 GR Squadron detachment at Waipapakauri
or No 7 Squadron also at Waipapakauri.

No known units permanently stationed there.

Was upgraded in 1942 as a US Marine Bomber Base, and remains the
largest grass landing strip in the Southern Hemisphere.

The site is a small plateau, with a solid volcanic foundation, that was
suitable to sustain the heavy landings by the Marine’s bombers.

The Okaihau Branch Railway line wrapped around the airfield when the
airfield was laid, but since closed in 1967.

Post war it was returned to civil use and on 23 January 1947 National
Airways Corporation began their first passenger service, initially using
Lockheed Electra 10 seat aircraft.

This was upgraded to DC-3’s eventually, by 1969 NAC [National Airways
Corp] reported that it had only carried 5,000 passengers that year,
an average of 7 people in and out of the airport per day.

In 1970, with the introduction of Fokker Friendships that could not handle
the uneven grass service, the NAC connection was lost.

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