A few weeks ago I had my first stint with the Coastguard Air Patrol. I was given the role of 'observer' which involved being the eyes of the aircraft, and also taking notes for the pilot. The plane itself is a Cessna..... 182 I think...... and can carry up to four passengers.
It was touch and go whether we would actually be able to fly as the weather was quite bad in the morning. Fortunately it cleared up and visibility became near perfect, as evidenced by the photographs. We took off from a small airfield called Ardmore and flew towards the city. On the way I snapped some great photographs of the islands in the Hauraki Gulf. The first shows the Wairoa River, the second is of Maraetai, and the third (my favourite) is Brown's Island in the foreground, and Rangitoto (volcanic) and Motutapu in the background.
After our brief view of the city centre we flew north over the Harbour Bridge and towards the North Shore of Auckland. The first picture is of the bridge itself and the second is of North Head, with the monument at the top.
We then started our journey back to the airfield and flew via the skies over Waiheke Island.
Once safely back on the ground, we refuelled, and put the plane in the hangar. I had a great day and took some fantastic photographs. Can't wait to have another go as soon as possible!
