our training sites around auckland
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The Auckland Club lists about 40 flying sites around the city, most within 60mins of driving.
They include a wonderful variety of coastal soaring sites, some easy and 30odd km long, some small, challenging and beautiful.
Both North and South of the city are also gorgeous XC sites within 30-60 mins of town. Check out some photos in the photo gallery.
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While we fly many of them, only some are suitable for teaching and training. Below are the sites we meet at regularly.
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Karioitahi Beach
This is probably the most popular teaching / learning site in NZ. 30 km of beach are quite easy to soar along on a good day. At the same time, our training site, about 6km South of the car park, is very nearly the perfect learning site. We have been leasing this site of the farmer for many year.
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Typically, we meet at the car park - see marker on the map, at about 11am or 12 pm. This varies due to weather or what we are planning for the day. Contact us for details, please.
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Note that there is very limited cell phone coverage on the beach. Should you run late, you need to ring us before we get to the beach.
There are toilet blocks by the car park where we meet, but otherwise no facilities. Bring plenty of lunch, lots of water for the day and sun protection!
Muriwai Beach
This part of the West Coast is particularly spectacular to visit, walk along, or best - fly above! Different take off spots allow flying in a variety of wind conditions.
For tandems, we launch from a private site which is only accessible with permission.
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We often meet at the Sandunz Cafe near the main car park.
Maungauika, North Head Devonport
North Head is one of our inner city flying sites. It is amazingly scenic with views of gorgeous Devonport, Cheltenham Beach, the Hauraki Gulf and all it's wonderful Islands, but also Downtown Auckland, the Harbour Bridge and the Waitakeres.
Being a little volcano, it is small, busy, restricted where you can fly, launch or land. You should definitely be experienced and get an intro from the site monitor Reuben for this very special site.
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The NNE launch near is most popular
Moirs Hill
Moirs Hill is Auckland's most popular thermal and XC site.
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It works well on SW wind, or perhaps S to WSW. We typically fly towards Warkworth, Matakana, Leigh or Parkiri, Mangawhai or even Waipu Cover from there (which is where the airspace is restricted).
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If you want to go to the site for the first time, I would definitely recommend to go with a local pilot to get a site briefing. It is a wonderful place, offers amazing coastal views when you get to cloudbase, but is also not all that easy to fly from.
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Whenever the weather suits flying at Moirs, some keen Auckland pilots usually go flying and will be happy to help you. Email or call Eva or Reuben!
Dills Hill
Dills Hill is a great and easy thermalling and soaring site, located inland from Warkworth. It is best in a NE wind direction.
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The launch is a huge grassy area which is suitable for beginners and is suitable for top landings in the right conditions. You only need to get a little above the top of the hill to enjoy amazing views over both the Kaipara harbour and the East Coast and downtown. It's stunning!
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Landing is on a huge paddock on the bottom of the hill. Watch out for stock!
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The walk up is a bit of a battle, but manageable.
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There is also a training hill by the landing paddock which is good for first day training in certain conditions.
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Both the top and the bottom are separate working farms, so we need to check with the farmers for permission. During lambing in spring, the site is closed.
Mangawhai Heads
Such a beautiful East Coast beach! The views are amazing. If you look carefully, you may see the odd dolphins, whale or shark in the water.
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This site is best on a NE or a seabreeze day.
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The launch is challenging: A bit steep and small in a little gully, but once you are flying it is as easy as any other soaring site. On a good day, you can cross the gap towards Bream Tail which offers higher altitudes and a great look towards Lengs Beach, Waipu and Whangarei Harbour in the distance.
Please land North of the surf beach, not among the swimmers and beach goers, and walk the short distance back to the car park. There are some perfect grassy spots to land and pack North of the launch area.
Paeroa Range
This is one of NZ premier XC sites and maybe the best competition site.
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The 10km range faces NW but is flyable in all directions as long as the wind is very light. Both in front and behind the hill are mainly farms with easy landing options. It is a reliable thermal site.
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We run regular fly ins and thermalling courses here. Please check for the usual meeting points.
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Access to the site is somewhat difficult due to complicated key / gate / farmer arrangements. While the take off site is on DOC land, the access is through private land. If you are not accustomed to the site protocol, please go with an experience pilot first time. Please treat this with great respect; we all want to keep this site!!
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Moirs Hill is Auckland's favourite thermalling and XC site for SW conditions
Eva taking off at Moirs Hill
Beautiful East Coast site for light N conditions.
XC flying North of Auckland
in Devonport is a very special, small, technical site with wonderful scenery of town, beach, islands, Hauraki Gulf. Get some instructions to fly there to avoid issues.
by Mark Hoksbergen
in the Waikato is a great XC site
30+km of wonderful wild West Coast, easy to soar, often flyable in our prevailing SW wind. About 45 mins from town.
flying from Moirs Hill offers amazing views over the East Coast Islands, downtown, the Kaipara Harbour, all at the same time
Mangawhai Heads flying site, North of Auckland, NE conditions
North Head works if seabreeze / NE conditions. It is a very small site with a bunch of obstacles and restriction, but amazingly scenic.
North of Auckland, we have a bunch of beautiful and challenging XC sites which offer flights across the North Island farm land with amazing views to both coasts, the Kaipara harbour, the eastern Islands and downtown Skytower at the same time. Stunning!
North of Auckland, inland, Dill's hill is on a private farm, accessible with club members. It is a beautifully easy thermalling and soarable XC site for light NE conditions.
We run thermalling / XC courses in Wanaka once a year
Raglan is on the West Coast, west of Hamilton. It is best on a NW or W wind.