37 Napier - Rotorua
16. March 2007
Last night I met with another fellow Danish pilot, Mads, who now lives in Hastings. We had a few beers in a pub in Napier.
The next morning I decided to stay another day in Napier. The wind was still very strong and gusty.
But the hotel had no vacant rooms for the night, so I decided instead to hire a car, and go for a drive to some of the vineyards in the area.
In the afternoon the wind had become calmer, and I decided to fly out, and head for Rotorua via Lake Taupo. There was still a lot of turbulence as I came over the mountains, but I went ahead, and soon Lake Taupo was in sight.
I continued towards Rotorua, and called the tower 30 miles out after listening to the Atis. I came in on a downwind over the lake to runway 18.
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On the ground I talked to the security personnel about getting fuel. It has proven to be a problem here, as you get fuel by using a BP carnet. I have one – but it does not work in these parts of the world?
A friendly former DC3 pilot was called, and he let me use his card, and then I paid him cash. His son took me to town for the night.
