Thousands thrill to air antics over Lakeside

Tamlyn Stewart | 16th March 2010

The city got so enthusiastic about it [Rotorua Lakeside Airshow] I think it took on a life of its own. Peter McLeod, events and venues general manager The Let's Go Rotorua Lakeside Airshow thrilled thousands of Rotorua residents as 15 air displays filled the sky.

Among the displays were the P51 Mustang Fighter, DC3/Dakota aircraft, a Messerschmitt, solo and team aerobatics, skydiving, and wing walking.

Rotorua's Marnie Knox was there with her son, Ryan Burgess, 4, and her nephew, Logan Burgess, 3. "These guys are plane fanatics, planes and trains," she said of the boys.

When she heard about the airshow on the radio she decided to take them down to the Lakefront to enjoy the show.

Blair McNaughton and his 2-year-old son Cooper were in Rotorua from Auckland to visit family and went along to the airshow as Cooper loves planes. "He enjoys planes, he's right into them so it was perfect timing," Mr McNaughton said. Cooper held tightly to a toy plane his grandmother had given him that weekend.

Gilly Marino said he enjoyed the airshow as he was a fan of old war planes and the WWII dogfight was the highlight for him.

The airshow was originally scheduled as part of the celebration of the inaugural transtasman flight from Sydney to Rotorua in December but the show was cancelled on the day because of bad weather.

Events and Venues general manager Peter McLeod said he was pleased to have been able to stage the event.

"The city got so enthusiastic about it I think it took on a life of its own," he said.

The weather on Saturday presented a bit of a challenge as the wind conditions meant the skydivers couldn't land at the Lakefront but that didn't stop families enjoying picnics and the carnival at the Lakefront. Tree-carving, jumping castles, Zorbing, Segway rides and kite-flying spoiled the children for choice.

Children queued for the chance to don bright red firefighter helmets and ride in a mini-fire engine while others swarmed around a wind sculpture tent, making their own sculptures out of bamboo poles and streamers.

Others went out to the airport for a chance to fly in an historic DC3 aircraft.

By 2pm most people had settled down on their picnic blankets to enjoy the 14 aerial displays on the programme for the afternoon.

The show kicked off with an aerobatic display by five Yak-52 aircraft that performed aerobatic manoeuvres like loops and hammerheads, to the Top Gun soundtrack that played over the loudspeakers.

A few low swoops by a Messerschmitt and a daring display by a wing walker on a Tiger Moth thrilled the crowd, many with binoculars and cameras trained on the aircraft.