Taupo Airport - Spotting Guide

Taupo Airport – Spotting Guide

June 19, 2020 - last modified on October 19, 2022

Taupo airport (TUO/(NZAP) is a small airport at the lake taupo, with regulars pax service from Air Newzealand to Auckland and Sounds Air to Wellington.

The airport’s website can provide the weather updates and the scheduling of flights.

General Information
Terminal	There is one small terminal.
Runway	There has two runways but only 07/25 is asphalted. The other one is a grass strip.

	Terminal area
WHERE	To reach the location from the Volcanic Loop Highway, take the ANZAC Memorial Drive. Continue on the drive till you reach the main terminal here , park there and then you can go and explore around the terminal by foot. You can get really close to the aeroplanes. The fence is not so high and only one step will be required.

WHAT	You can see the whole ramp area and runway, depending on where you are, but exploring around the loop is worth it. Mostly GA and helicopters can be spotted, sometimes an Air New Zealand Dash 8.

TIME	Depends a bit on what to photograph but best time is in the afternoon until sunset. The heat haze might be an issue if you want to shoot planes on the runway during sunny days, refer to ZK-SDT’s picture.

MISC.	Everything you need is inside the nearby terminal. There are some picnic tables to sit down and relax.

FOCAL LENGTH	If you want to shoot a GA aircraft on the runway a 300mm or if you want to shoot the parked aircraft a 24mm will be more than enough.

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