Aerobatics

New Zealand aerobatic action flights are a relatively new development on the adventure tourism scene. This is moderate to extreme adventure for New Zealand thrill seekers and would be 'top guns'. Looping the loop like Snoopy fighting Baron Manfred Von Richthofen 'The Red Baron' in a Pitts Special stunt plane is not for the faint hearted. Feeling the wind rush through your hair in the open cockpit of a Tiger Moth trainer is less daunting - until the pilot does a triple roll over and you remember that you have just had lunch.

Wanaka in the South Island of NZ steals the show in the vintage aircraft scene with its superb Warbirds over Wanaka skyshow and Warbirds Museum. The town boasts the largest collection of airworthy WWII fighter aircraft in the Southern Hemisphere. Put yourself in the driver's seat with the dual control Mustang or Harvard for a special treat. Only your imagineation and the skies the limit. Carve slowly through the New Zealand air space in the more sedate Chipmunk or live out your dreams in a daring dogfight in the simulator suite.

Other New Zealand centres have aerobatic and vintage aircraft to enable you to experience the unique feeling of open cockpit flying. Auckland has a good selection of vintage 'cloud-riders', as does Rotorua. In the South Island, local airports at Nelson, Tekapo, Queenstown and Te Anau are amongst those that invite visitors to experience adventure aviation. Gore, in Southland, has an impressive collection of vintage planes.