Airfields and Stations in New Zealand Used By the RNZAF, Part 28

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Darfield

Opened

Closed

Nearest Town Christchurch

Selected by F/O Arthur Bradshaw from Aerodrome Services Branch of Air Headquarters,
as a reserve airfield.

It was held in reserve and never used, probably intended as a satellite field for Te Pirita

No known units Stationed there

Te Pirita

Nearest town Hororata [between Darfield and Ashburton]

Opened March 1942

Closed 1943

Designed to take the heaviest US bombers, it was never used.

The site was selected by F/O Arthur Bradshaw of the Aerodrome Services Branch of
Air Department, and built in relative Secrecy.

Hurriedly built after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, at the time of its construction
Te Pirita was the largest airfield in NZ.

As the Japanese advanced down through the Pacific the threat of an attack on the
North Island grew and the NZ Government commandeered large tracts of land in the farming
district of Te Pirita.

This was to be a secret retreat base, the first of a network of bomber bases to be set up in the
Canterbury region.

The runways were built in record time using civilian and Air Force Engineers,

Compacted earth runways were built up to 6,600 feet [2,000 meters]long, and laid in the
prevailing wind directions.

The surface of the runways were laid with wattle tree seeds for strength while the base
was designed to handle large numbers of Flying Fortress and Liberator bombers.

At least one B17 landed on the runways to prove the vectors were suitable, and other
RNZAF aircraft used the runways for training flying.

As the tide of the war turned with the victories at Guadalcanal and Papua New Guinea
the airfield was no longer required and the construction of revetments, hangers, and
barrack blocks was halted.

The plans for the other bases in the region was also halted, but kept on reserve, with armed
guards patrolling the sites.

The base was close in 1943, but held in reserve, with the runways regularly mowed.

The proposed fuel bunker was the largest in NZ, located at Bankside, beside the north
bank of the Rukaia River next to the main North South Rail Line, well camouflaged by pine trees,
the "in ground" steel roofed cylindrical brick bunker was served by a hidden rail siding.

The capacity was an estimated 700,000 imperial gallons. It also served the nearby Norwood
satellite station as well.

Eventually the airfield was abandoned and the wattle seed grew into full sized trees.

This was easy to see from the air until approx 2006, when intensive sheep farming returned
to the area and most traces of the airfield began to disappear.

The fuel dump’s trees have been cut down, the area. which had been used a local rubbish
dump, has been cleaned up and the local council has plans to turn the huge bunker into a
historic site with information boards detailing the Te Pirita’s existence in WW2.

RNZAF Station Ashburton

Opened: 17th May 1930 as a civil airfield,
Taken over September 1942

Closed November 1944

Nearest town: Ashburton

Due to the Japanese advance in the Pacific, it was decided to do a prudent re-organization
of Stations.

It was decided to send all the training establishments to the South Island and keep the North
Island purely for operational flying.

Ashburton, the home of the Mid-Canterbury Aero Club, was taken over and upgraded,
starting in February 1942.

Additional ground had been taken over to increase the airfield from its original 93 Acre size.

A 4,200 foot runway was constructed, hangers and workshops built and accommodation for
up to 600 personnel built at a cost of 119 thousand pounds.

No 2 Elementry Flying Training School was moved from Bell Block, New Plymouth to Ashburton,
the first Tiger Moths arriving on September 1942.

The School officially commence training there on 16th October 1942, the strong North West winds
were a problem until the hangers finally received their roofs.

On the 9th of November 1942, a passing steam traction engine that was on the road next to the airfield,
had some sparks from its smokestack ignite the dry grass on the side of the road.

Tiger Moth NZ 819 was written off due to the damage caused by the resultant fire.

The dispersed layout of the Station proved unsatisfactory, so in June 1943 a 66,000 pound reconstruction
of the facilities was commenced, the accommodation was also increased to 900.

This improved the Station greatly, but, by the time the improvements were ready the demand for the
training of Pilots was beginning to slow down.

Two years, almost to the day, after No 2 EFTS had arrived at Ashburton, the School was disbanded
on 14th October 1944.

The instructors and aircraft were absorbed by No 3 EFTS at Harewood, along with those pupils still
under instruction at the time.

Shortly after the Station was closed

In its two years the Station had trained 1192 Pilots.

After closure the Station was still used by the RNZAF as a storage for Tiger Moths and Harvards.

The airfield is now the site of the Ashburton Aviation Museum and is still an airfield

Units known to have been stationed there

No 2 Elementry Flying Training School

Flying Tiger Moths as Ab Initio trainers

Maronan

Opened

Closed

Nearest town: inland from Ashburton

This site was selected by F/O Arthur Bradshaw of the Aerodrome Services Branch of Air
Department in 1942.

The site was held in reserve

No known units Stationed there

Mayfield

Opened

Closed

Nearest town: inland from Ashburton

This site was selected by F/O Arthur Bradshaw of the Aerodrome Services Branch of Air
Department in 1942.

The site was held in reserve

No known units Stationed there

Timaru

Opened

Closed

Nearest Town Timaru

Now known as “Richard Pearse Airport” after the pioneer aviator who flew a more advanced
aircraft before the Wright Brothers

No known units Stationed there

Waitaki

Opened

Closed

Nearest town Waitaki

No known units Stationed there

Ranfurly

Opened

Closed

Closest town: Ranfurly, 110 Km North of Dunedin

No known units Stationed there

Cromwell

Opened

Closed

Nearest town: Cromwell

No known units stationed there

Waianakarua

Opened

Closed

Nearest town

No known units stationed there

Alexandra

Opened

Closed

Nearest town: Alexandra

No known units Stationed there

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