THE RNZAF AIRFIELD

WWII Te Kopuru Aerodrome opened 27th May 1943. Two runways NW-SE 1738 yards SW-NE 1628 yards. Located approx 4ft above mean sea level with a good grass surface and reasonably hard.

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During 1935/36 a lot of correspondence was generated regarding an airfield in Te Kopuru by the ‘Te Kopuru Aerodrome Committee’. With the outbreak of World War two and New Zealand throwing its support behind Britain with the rest of the Commonwealth, It was suggested that a site in Ruawai should be selected, this site and others were inspected in July 1942 by Mr Langbein a Highways Engineer who was accompanied by Lt Commander H H Houk of the US Forces. Other Ruawai sites and also sites on the Te Kopuru side of the river were looked at as well. However because the site was located on a low lying mud-flat area and below the high spring tide level it was regarded as unsatisfactory from a military point of view.

In August of the same year a site in Te Kopuru was recommended, work on it to be started in early November and the estimated cost, including purchase of the land, laying of strips and clearing of obstructions would be in the vicinity of £45,000. The site is situated between the west bank of the Northern Wairoa River and the Dargaville –Tikinui highway on flats, one mile south of Te Kopuru.

Towards the end of August of that year a recommendation was made to establish an airfield for emergency use for Hudsons and other aircraft as nothing was available of a suitable nature between the two strips under construction at Kaitaia and Waipapakauri and the RNZAF base at Whenuapai. A change had been suggested that rather than purchase the land it should be leased and the total cost could then be kept down to around £7,000.

The following month the following ruling came from the Air Staff.
“The construction of a temporary airstrip landing ground as recommended by the AOCNG is approved. It is decided that work should commence as soon as possible, preferably by No. 1 Aerodrome Construction Unit. The question of a permanent aerodrome at Te Kopuru, or at any other site in the vicinity, should not be considered until Kaitaia is finished.”

The RNZAF Construction Unit was based on Bradleys farm just south of Te Kopuru while the work was carried out. Telephone and power lines which ran down Creamery Road were moved further South across the Kidd farm and thousands of yards of sandstone were carted from the quarry above the tennis courts to form the base for the runway.

 

Considerable changes to the original plans took place over the following weeks, supply of manpower and machinery being the main problems however in a memo dated 18/2/43 it was advised that the Air Force construction unit handed over the airfield to the PWD in March and in May of 1943 the District Engineer was able to advise
“that the flying field at Te Kopuru is available for use – the original boundary fences have been replaced with electric ones as these can easily be removed if the field is to be used”

Members of the Tatarariki Tennis Club c1942 pose in front of the hopper used to supply the Construction Unit with sandstone for the construction of the airfield.

Left to right,back row, Mavis Bassett, Elsie Marshall, Kate Marinkovich, front row Kathleen Kidd, Kath Searle, Marjorie Woollam.

 

 

In the final monthly “Turf Report“ report filed in December 1943 it was noted that Air Ministry would be meeting soon to decided on the disposal of the airfield and that the local landowners had been subcontracted to replace the boundary fences.

It was also noted that the following work was required to re seed the 35 acres used.
2000lbs Paspalum
880lbs Chewing fescue
400lbs Brown top
200lbs Poa pratensis
40lbs Yarrow
80lbs Italian Rye Grass
160lbs Perenial rye
And the following application of fertiliser.
3 ton Sulphate of Ammonia @ 1.5cwt per acre
2 ton Super phosphate @ 1cwt per acre

It is not known if the airfield was ever used “in anger” however local legend has it that one aircraft did land and take off but details of that are sketchy. The airfield was handed back to owners at the end of the war and little remains to indicate it was ever an airfield. No doubt the successful but costly intervention of the United States forces in the Pacific Campaign made the requirement of an airfield no longer needed

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Orignal drawings of the site for Te Kopuru Airfield