23-26th February 2017 Ohakea

After spending a few days at home in Cambridge, fishing at Kawhia and working (!), we finally took-off for the Ohakea Air Tattoo.

Some of the aerobatics at the Air Tattoo

We stopped enroute to Ohakea (where we parked for $30 for the whole weekend) at Marton NZMCA - to make sure we got there early. Marton is a great place for a stop-over, as I've mentioned before....

It was a fabulous airshow - and F16 was a highlight. The overview of the event was a recruitment drive for the Air Force, but I couldn't help wondering about the investment needed into the hardware...



At the end of everyday, the paddock used as a car-park was clear and we could enjoy the peaceful environment - including watching hares running across the length of the fields!

It was dry and sunny and great spot for watching the aircraft - both when they were 'officially' flying and not.




We listened to the marching of the cadets first thing in the morning and supported all the retired veterans who walked by - including one guy from Yorkshire who had been in NZ for 30 years, but still had his recognisable accent!

We met with caravanning friends and spent a very enjoyable weekend. 

It was a very big audience by NZ standards  - about 20,000 maybe more. And very well run - apart from the poor car-drivers weren't given numbers for the aisle they were in  - and it was a massive paddock, full of holes. So many people - after a long day in the sun, were wandering around in search of their car. 

Add caption

The only downside was the surrounding area. I expected some nice riverside walks through the Wanganui and Rangatiki valleys, but the bridges were an eyesore covered with graffiti and around every corner seemed to be a pile of fly-tipping... a very sad sight.