Tauranga Airport (TRG/NZTG) is a small regional airport located south of Auckland in the northern center of the northern Island of New Zeeland. The airfield is located northeast of the city of Tauranga and was opened in 1939. It serves some daily flights to bigger cities like Auckland with Air Newzeeland ATR72s or Dash 8s. The airfield handles roughly 350.000 passenger a year, but is also home to quite a lot of general aviation traffic.

Close to the marked spot along Kittyhawk Way the airport is preparing an all white ATR72 to become the new firefighter trainer. Check the satelite image or following coordinates: 37°40’05.5″S 176°11’46.0″E

TRG-Firefighter

Written by Severin Hackenberger in cooperation with Maximilian Kramer and Thomas Rings. Last Update: Spring 2024

	Spot #1 – Terminal Area
WHERE	This spot is located just east of the terminal along Jean Batten drive. Just leave the terminal and search your favourite position outside along the fence.
WHAT	All runway movements and also some nearby apron/taxiway activities.
TIME	All day is fine in winter, but light is backlit from around midday in summer.
MISC.	Everything you need is inside the nearby terminal. 2 steps ladder useful, but not needed as you can also shoot thru the mesh.
FOCAL LENGTH	50-250mm Dash 8-300 on runway = 185mm

TRG-Spot1

TRG-Spot1

	Spot #2 – Airport Viewing Area
WHERE	This spot is an official airport viewing platform located on the corner of Aerodrome Road and De Havilland Way. To get here via car from the main road (State Highway 2), you can drive directly south on Aerodrome Road, just prior to where the road turns, there is a slip road of sorts (impossible to miss), take this and continue straight for 150 where you will arrive at the location. From the terminal, walk east for 200m and you will arrive.
WHAT	All runway movements and some fantastic views of the GA/Airclub Ramp.
TIME	All day is fine in winter, but light is backlit from around midday in summer.
MISC.	As this is an official viewing spot, the fence is lowered to knee height and there are two picnic tables here. There is also a miniature hill that you can stand on for a slightly better vantage point. Closest food, drink and bathrooms are in the terminal, roughly 5 mins walk.
FOCAL LENGTH	18-250mm Will cover everything here.

	Spot #3 – Crash Gate – 07/25 Movements
WHERE	This spot can be found east of the hangar of Synergy Tech NZ at the fence front. Just drive down Kittyhawk Way till its end, park in front of the mentioned hangar and pass it on the western/right hand side to get to the fence.
WHAT	From here you can see aircraft movements on runway 07/25. As mentioned above, you will pass an all-white ATR72 on your way to this spot – picture can be found in the introduction above.
TIME	In winter all day long, in summer around noon for the runway.
MISC.	You can try to shoot thru the mesh here or use live view to clear the fence. A small 1-2 step would be very helpful. Nothing around, keep a low profile. Haze can be an issue on hot days.
FOCAL LENGTH	24-400mm ATR72 on runway = 210mm / Dash8-300 on runway = 240mm

TRG-Spot3

TRG-Spot3