New Plymouth Airport (NPL/NZNP) is a small regional airport located south of Auckland in the northern center of the northern Island of New Zeeland. The airfield serves some daily flights to bigger cities like Auckland with Air Newzeeland ATR72s or Dash 8s. The airport handles roughly 400.000 passenger a year, but is also home to quite a bit of general aviation.

Spotting at New Plymouth Airport is a bit difficult as you cannot access the area north of the runway which would be offering good light. The street to the east from the terminal is closed off by a crash gate and can’t be accessed, while the street to the west is marked with signs “authorized vehicles only”. That’s why spotting is tough here, but the two spots presented below work quite nicely as well.

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

Rating
Movements
Airline Variety
Photo Locations
Weather
Airport Information
Runways
05L/23R	05L/23R is the major runway with 1310m (4300ft) – there are two more grass runway (05R/23L and 14/32)
Terminals
T1	There is one small terminal handling all passenger flights.
Spotting Information
Ladder	A ladder is useful at NPL at both spots, otherwise you have to try to shoot thru the mesh or with live view over the fence.
Car/Public Transport	A car is definitely recommended for spotting at NPL, public transport is poor.
Drinks/Food	Nothing around the airport.
Hotels	Nothing around the airport except some airbnbs or bed and breakfast.
Season	Summer has better weather and is thus recommended for spotting here. Traffic is the same all year around.
Security	Spotting is absolutely no issue here.
Runway Usage
General Info	Runway 05/23 is used according to wind and direction of destination.

	Spot #1 – Hangar – Hangar Apron + 05/23 Movements
WHERE	Pull off Puketapu Cres to the hangars west of the terminal, get rid of your car in front one of the hangars and head for the fence maked on the map from where you can take some pictures.
WHAT	From here you can spot the nearby apron parts in front of the hangar plus movements on runway 05/23
TIME	Only good/useable during the morning hours normally.
MISC.	The fence is quite high here, so you need to shoot thru the mesh unless you have a 2-3 step with you. Nothing around, keep a low profile and be aware of haze on the runway during summer.
FOCAL LENGTH	24-300mm Dash8-300 on runway = 175mm / Catalania = 30mm

NPL-Spot1

NPL-Spot1

NPL-Spot1

	Spot #2 – Viewing area – Terminal Apron + 05/23 Movements
WHERE	This spot is located in the airport’s viewing area which can be found east of the terminal. Just park your car in the terminal’s carpark and head for the viewing area here.
WHAT	From here you can see the terminal apron in front plus movements on the runway 05/23.
TIME	Only good/useable during the morning hours normally.
MISC.	There are some benches in the viewing area here which you can use to clear the view. All you need can be found in the nearby terminal. Haze can be an issue on the runway during summer.
FOCAL LENGTH	30-300mm Dash8-300 on ramp in front = 55mm

NPL-Spot2

NPL-Spot2

NPL-Spot2