96:, the airfield was no longer required and construction of revetments, hangars and barrack blocks was halted. The plans for other bases in the region were also scrapped, although basic administration facilities remained and armed guards continued to patrol the site. The base closed in late 1943 but was held in reserve for the duration of the war. The runways were kept intact and tidy by regular mowing of their unique wattle grass.
122:
returned to the region and most traces of the base began to disappear. In the early 21st century a dairy boom took over most of the flat mid-Canterbury region including Te Pirita. By late 2010, three large rotary method dairy farms sat over the site of the airbase and most of the wattle tree-sown runways finally vanished, although the general layout of the runways are still vaguely visible.
63:
The airfield was constructed in record time using seconded civilian and New
Zealand Armed Forces engineers. Three heavy earth compacted runways up to 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) long were laid in the prevailing wind directions of the region. The runway surfaces were laid with wattle tree seeds for
121:
Eventually the airfield was abandoned and left to return to nature. The wattle grass soon grew into bushes and then into full size trees. This allowed the airfield site to be easily spotted from the air as late as 2006 with perfect runway layouts created by the overgrowth. Intensive sheep farming
125:
After years hidden in a small stand of its camouflage pines, and after years of use as a local rubbish dump, the bunker site has been completely cleaned up, and exposed. The trees were cut down in 2008 and the local council now owns and maintains the site.
108:
Railway. Well camouflaged by pine trees, the inground, steel roofed cylindrical brick bunker was served by a hidden rail siding. The fuel capacity was estimated at 700,000 imperial gallons. The bunker also served the nearby and more visible RNZAF
87:
while still under construction in 1942, the airfield was initially used for air training. At least one B-17 Flying
Fortress landed on the runways to test vectors. As the tide of the Pacific War turned in 1943 due to Allied victories at
59:
commandeered large tracts of land in the farming district of Te Pirita for use as a secret retreat base, which was intended to be the first in a network of bomber bases to be built in the
Canterbury region.
51:, Te Pirita was, at the time of its construction, New Zealand's largest airfield. As Japanese forces advanced through the Pacific during 1942, the threat of an air attack on the
204:
877:
1621:
908:
104:
The airbase's aviation fuel bunker was the largest in New
Zealand and was located at Bankside, beside the north bank of the Rakaia River next to the
1616:
1518:
1513:
1577:
1508:
197:
1418:
35:
heavy bombers, at the time of its construction, it was to be the largest airfield in New
Zealand, but it was never officially used.
1503:
1470:
1250:
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1398:
873:
267:
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1559:
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1109:
28:
980:
1053:
65:
64:
strength while the base was designed to handle large numbers of US
890:
186:
167:
Wings Over New
Zealand|World War II RNZAF Bases|Fuel Stores
1532:
1496:
1489:
1453:
1427:
1329:
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1193:
1167:
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1016:
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8:
43:Hurriedly built in 1941–42 after the
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1013:
945:
909:
895:
887:
205:
191:
183:
1593:43.603835959526634°S 172.00719209168955°E
31:in New Zealand. Designed to accommodate
1598:-43.603835959526634; 172.00719209168955
135:
23:airfield, located south of the inland
7:
1419:Whitecliffs Branch historical site
14:
1622:Royal New Zealand Air Force bases
176:Hororata Museum|picture Archives
1617:Defunct airports in New Zealand
874:List of airports in New Zealand
1:
1504:Arthur's Pass railway station
1337:Arthur Dudley Dobson Memorial
33:United States Army Air Forces
1519:Springfield railway station
1372:Midland Rail Heritage Trust
1296:Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora
85:Royal New Zealand Air Force
1643:
1330:Facilities and attractions
1514:Rolleston railway station
1404:Terrace Station Homestead
928:
871:
55:grew and in response the
1509:Darfield railway station
1476:Pineglades Naturist Club
1271:Coopers Lagoon / Muriwai
1382:RNZAF Station Te Pirita
1377:R. F. Joyce Observatory
1362:Little River Rail Trail
1357:Hororata Highland Games
1347:Craigieburn Forest Park
117:Abandonment and remains
17:RNZAF Station Te Pirita
73:Consolidated Liberator
57:New Zealand Government
49:attack on Pearl Harbor
45:Imperial Japanese Navy
1414:West Melton Aerodrome
1342:Burnham Military Camp
1461:Darfield High School
1388:Springfield Doughnut
1017:Hawkins Sub-Division
148:Wings over Cambridge
83:Commissioned by the
1589: /
1540:Inland Scenic Route
1471:Lincoln High School
1367:McHughs Forest Park
1244:Geographic features
1168:Selwyn Central Ward
1085:Castle Hill Village
1063:Tawera Sub-Division
823:Ocean Beach (Bluff)
113:satellite airbase.
1399:St Joseph's Church
1352:Homebush Homestead
1321:Waianiwaniwa River
863:Whataroa (Wataroa)
1572:
1571:
1568:
1567:
1481:Rolleston College
1466:Ellesmere College
1239:
1238:
1163:
1162:
1145:Waimakariri Gorge
884:
883:
661:Te Anau/Manapouri
100:Hidden fuel depot
1634:
1604:
1603:
1601:
1600:
1599:
1594:
1590:
1587:
1586:
1585:
1582:
1560:State Highway 77
1555:State Highway 75
1550:State Highway 73
1494:
1445:Regional Council
1435:District Council
1394:St John's Church
1014:
946:
942:Populated places
911:
904:
897:
888:
798:Kohimarama Beach
651:Taieri (Mosgiel)
343:Palmerston North
207:
200:
193:
184:
177:
174:
168:
165:
159:
158:
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154:
140:
94:Papua New Guinea
1642:
1641:
1637:
1636:
1635:
1633:
1632:
1631:
1627:Selwyn District
1607:
1606:
1597:
1595:
1591:
1588:
1583:
1580:
1578:
1576:
1575:
1573:
1564:
1545:State Highway 1
1528:
1485:
1449:
1423:
1325:
1235:
1189:
1159:
1058:
1005:
937:
924:
918:Selwyn District
915:
885:
880:
867:
766:
735:
423:
417:
268:Chatham Islands
251:
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211:
181:
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137:
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106:Main South Line
102:
81:
69:Flying Fortress
41:
12:
11:
5:
1640:
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1527:
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1521:
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1490:Transportation
1487:
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1327:
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1281:Hororata River
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1117:
1115:Lake Coleridge
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949:Ellesmere Ward
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916:
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906:
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711:Waiheke Island
708:
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673:
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646:Slipper Island
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568:
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558:
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526:Hanmer Springs
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478:
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468:
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427:
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418:
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410:
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365:
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358:Stewart Island
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134:
133:
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118:
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40:
37:
25:mid-Canterbury
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1639:
1628:
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1623:
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1605:
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1454:Organisations
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1287:
1284:
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1279:
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1276:Hawkins River
1274:
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1269:
1267:
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1262:
1259:
1257:
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1252:
1251:Arthur's Pass
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1229:
1227:
1224:
1222:
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1202:
1199:
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1156:
1153:
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1136:
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1128:
1126:
1123:
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1103:
1101:
1098:
1096:
1093:
1091:
1088:
1086:
1083:
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1078:
1076:
1075:Arthur's Pass
1073:
1071:
1068:
1067:
1065:
1061:
1055:
1052:
1050:
1047:
1045:
1042:
1040:
1037:
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1027:
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1008:
1002:
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936:
932:
927:
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919:
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889:
879:
875:
870:
864:
861:
859:
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849:
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844:
841:
839:
836:
834:
831:
829:
826:
824:
821:
819:
816:
814:
811:
809:
808:Mechanics Bay
806:
804:
801:
799:
796:
794:
791:
789:
786:
784:
781:
779:
776:
775:
773:
769:
763:
760:
758:
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748:
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744:
742:
738:
732:
729:
727:
724:
722:
719:
717:
714:
712:
709:
707:
706:Twizel/Pukaki
704:
702:
699:
697:
694:
692:
689:
687:
684:
682:
679:
677:
674:
672:
669:
667:
664:
662:
659:
657:
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629:
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619:
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614:
612:
609:
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594:
592:
589:
587:
584:
582:
581:Milford Sound
579:
577:
574:
572:
569:
567:
564:
562:
561:Martinborough
559:
557:
554:
552:
549:
547:
544:
542:
539:
537:
534:
532:
529:
527:
524:
522:
519:
517:
514:
512:
509:
507:
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502:
499:
497:
494:
492:
489:
487:
484:
482:
479:
477:
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469:
467:
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452:
449:
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429:
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411:
409:
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266:
264:
261:
260:
258:
254:
248:
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238:
235:
233:
230:
229:
227:
225:International
223:
219:
215:
208:
203:
201:
196:
194:
189:
188:
185:
173:
170:
164:
161:
149:
145:
139:
136:
129:
127:
123:
116:
114:
112:
107:
99:
97:
95:
91:
86:
78:
76:
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67:
61:
58:
54:
50:
46:
38:
36:
34:
30:
26:
22:
18:
1574:
1386:
1381:
1316:Selwyn River
1311:Porters Pass
1306:Porter River
1256:Broken River
1194:Springs Ward
1125:Rakaia Gorge
1010:Malvern Ward
853:Waipapakauri
842:
476:Forest Field
333:New Plymouth
313:Kapiti Coast
303:Invercargill
237:Christchurch
172:
163:
151:. Retrieved
147:
138:
124:
120:
103:
82:
62:
53:North Island
42:
39:Construction
21:World War II
16:
15:
1596: /
1584:172°00′26″E
1524:TranzAlpine
1409:The Station
1301:Lake Lyndon
1286:Kowai River
1266:Castle Hill
1185:West Melton
1155:Windwhistle
1150:Whitecliffs
1135:Springfield
1120:Lake Lyndon
1095:Craigieburn
1001:Southbridge
996:Selwyn Huts
922:New Zealand
848:Waimakariri
793:Hobsonville
783:Dawson Farm
731:West Melton
716:Waihi Beach
631:Pitt Island
536:Jacks Point
491:Franz Josef
481:Fox Glacier
338:North Shore
293:Hawke's Bay
218:New Zealand
144:"Te Pirata"
90:Guadalcanal
79:Initial use
1611:Categories
1581:43°36′14″S
1428:Government
1291:L II River
1261:Cass River
1221:Springston
1216:Prebbleton
1201:Broadfield
1140:Waddington
1100:Glentunnel
986:Motukarara
878:Statistics
833:Shelly Bay
813:Mount Iron
778:Bell Block
762:Woodbourne
726:Waipukurau
666:Te Awamutu
656:Taumarunui
591:Mount Cook
556:Mandeville
506:Glentanner
466:Dargaville
461:Dannevirke
451:Coromandel
247:Wellington
242:Queenstown
153:1 November
130:References
47:'s sudden
1231:Templeton
1206:Ladbrooks
1175:Rolleston
1130:Sheffield
1049:Kimberley
1039:Greendale
1029:Courtenay
1024:Aylesbury
971:Ellesmere
966:Dunsandel
961:Doyleston
935:Rolleston
843:Te Pirita
788:Evans Bay
757:Whenuapai
696:Tongariro
671:Te Kowhai
566:Masterton
516:Greymouth
501:Glenorchy
446:Balclutha
441:Ashburton
431:Alexandra
413:Whitianga
408:Whangarei
403:Whanganui
398:Whakatāne
75:bombers.
1226:Tai Tapu
1110:Hororata
1105:Homebush
1090:Coalgate
1034:Darfield
828:Seagrove
740:Military
676:Te Kuiti
641:Roxburgh
636:Rangiora
571:Matamata
546:Kaikoura
531:Hastings
471:Feilding
456:Cromwell
424:aviation
393:Westport
373:Tauranga
323:Kerikeri
298:Hokitika
288:Hamilton
283:Gisborne
263:Blenheim
256:Domestic
232:Auckland
214:Airports
29:Hororata
27:town of
1211:Lincoln
1044:Hawkins
981:Leeston
956:Burnham
838:Te Anau
818:Norwood
803:Mangere
752:Waiouru
721:Waimate
701:Turangi
691:Tokoroa
626:Pauanui
621:Parakai
616:Opotiki
611:Omarama
586:Motueka
551:Lumsden
541:Kaikohe
496:Galatea
436:Ardmore
422:General
388:Wānaka
353:Rotorua
318:Karamea
308:Kaitaia
278:Dunedin
111:Norwood
1054:Kirwee
991:Selwyn
976:Irwell
858:Wigram
771:Former
747:Ohakea
686:Thames
681:Tekapo
596:Oamaru
576:Mercer
486:Foxton
383:Wairoa
378:Timaru
363:Tākaka
348:Picton
328:Nelson
273:Claris
66:Boeing
19:was a
1440:Mayor
1180:Izone
1070:Avoca
606:Omaka
601:Okiwi
521:Haast
368:Taupō
1533:Road
1497:Rail
1080:Cass
931:Seat
511:Gore
155:2012
92:and
71:and
216:in
1613::
933::
920:,
876:—
146:.
910:e
903:t
896:v
206:e
199:t
192:v
157:.
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