New warbird resident arrives into Tauranga.

 Tauranga received a new warbird resident on the 1st October when Yakovlev Yak 7B ZK-YKB landed just after 5.30pm after a 7 year restoration project by JEM Aviation at Omaka Airfield.

Piloted by Local resident pilot Nick Rowe, the Yak 7 left Omaka on the afternoon and headed for Napier for a fuel stop before arriving at Classic flyers where the new owner Mike O'Rourke gladly accepted his beautiful machine to join his collection of aircraft at Tauranga which consists of a Yak 52,Cirrus SR22 and a Gyrocopter.

Myself ,Neil Williams and Warrick Hamilton where on hand to witness its arrival with plenty of photos.

MOTAT Museum of Transport and Technology visit

 MOTAT is a interesting museum in the heart of Auckland city and I decided on the 12th September 2026 to eventually visit the aviation collection except the reserve collection in the adjacent hangar which is off limits to all public !!!

At a cost of NZ$19 ,it covers not just the aircraft collection but entry to the other areas of the transport museum .

Here is a current record of the collection on view to the public

NX665 Avro 683 Lancaster MR.VII 1964.116
NZ2031 Lockheed 414 Hudson GR.III 3854
NZ2305 De Havilland DH.98 Mosquito T.43 A52-1053
NZ2527 Grumman TBF-1C Avenger 5625
NZ3039 Curtiss p-40E Kittyhawk 20218
NZ6466 Aermacchi MB-339 6797
NZ4115 Short S.25 Sunderland MR.V SH.1552
NZ6206 Douglas A-4K Skyhawk 14089
NZ775 De Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth 83202/DHNZ25)
NZ944 North American AT-6 Harvard, 66-2757
WR202 De Havilland DH.100 Vampire FB.9 V1043
ZK-ADV Lincoln LS-2 Sports 1
ZK-AEK De Havilland DH.83C Fox Moth FM48
ZK-AFD     Lockheed 10-A Electra 1138
ZK-AHO Beechcraft AT-11 Kansan 3691
ZK-AHS     De Havilland DH.89 Rapide 6423
ZK-AMO Short S.45A Solent 4 SH.1559
ZK-ANN De Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth 83202
ZK-ANT Miles M.65 Gemini 6322
ZK-AYW Miles M.14A Magister 799
ZK-BPU     Commonwealth CA28 Ceres Ca28-4 
ZK-BWH Auster J/1B Aig 3103
ZK-COO Cessna A.188 Agwagon 1880024
ZK-CTZ     Fletcher Fu-24 1001
ZK-CVB Transavia PL12 Airtruck 706
ZK-CXU AESL Airtourer T2 521
ZK-EYL     Flaglor Sky Scooter AACA/367/1
ZK-FMF Bantam B 10 0030/MAANZ339
ZK-GDG AB Flygplan Grunau Baby IIB-2 107
ZK-HKG Eurocopter AS355 (Police1)
ZK-HGI     Transavia PL12 Airtruck 1865
ZK-UZA Zee Aero Mule SPA 2
ZM-AAA Mignet HM-14 Pou-du-Ciel
No reg         Everson Gyrocopter
P3854         Hawker Hurricane | OK1 | replica Main Gate