List of Cook Strait crossings by air

This is a list of notable first crossings of the Cook Strait by air.

First crossings

Date	Crossing	Participant(s)	Aircraft	Departure point Arrival point	Notes
25 August 1920	First aeroplane	Euan Dickson, C.H. Hewlett and J.E. Moore[1]	Avro 504K	Blenheim Trentham
28 August 1920	First aeroplane (N-S)	Euan Dickson and J.E. Moore[1]	Avro 504K	Trentham Blenheim
8 May 1930	First woman	Aroha Clifford[2]	Avro Avian	Christchurch Wellington
17 April 1946	First jet	Squadron Leader R M McKay[3][4]	Gloster Meteor Mk III	Paraparaumu Woodbourne, Blenheim
28 March 1956	First helicopter	Peter Marshall	Hiller UH-12B	Paraparaumu Blenheim	Flight took 1 hour 17 minutes.[5]
31 October 1957	First glider	Keith Wakeman	Slingsby Skylark 2	Harewood, Christchurch, Freyberg High School, Palmerston North	Flight distance of 290 miles, in under 4 hours.[6]
1 January 1975	First balloon	Roland Parsons and Rex Brereton[7]	Cameron Model O-77 Westwind	Cape Jackson, Marlborough Whitby, Porirua
28 September 1980	First inverted	Kurt Maluschnig	Pitts S-1D		Double crossing, flying inverted from the time he crossed the North Island coastline till his return there.[5]
21 February 1982	First microlight	Ken Asplin Trevor Barrett Marty Waller	Ultralight Flight Mirage Ultralight Flight Mirage Quicksilver MX	North Island South Island	Formation flight. Crossing achieved as part of a longer journey travelling from Cape Reinga to Bluff.[5]
28 September 1999	First autogyro	Bill Black Terry Tiffen	2 x autogyros	Woodbourne, Blenheim Papaparaumu	Duo also made a return flight the same day.[8]
2 March 2013	First paraglider	Matt Stanford	paraglider	Tory Channel, Marlborough Sounds Cape Terawhiti, Wellington	Launched from a helicopter. Flight took 35 minutes.[9][10]
1 November 2021	First electric aircraft	Gary Freedman[11]	Pipistrel Alpha Electro	Omaka Aerodrome, Blenheim Wellington

References

1. "First flight across Cook Strait". New Zealand History. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
2. "Lady Aviator Arrives". Evening Post via Papers Past. 9 May 1930. p. 11. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
3. "Tour of Gloster Meteor: Arrival at Wigram This Week". The Press via Papers Past. 16 April 1946. p. 4. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
4. "Gloster Meteor". The Kaikoura Star via Papers Past. 15 April 1946. p. 2. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
5. Waugh, Richard J. (1995). "Other Cook Strait Firsts". Strait Across – The Pioneering Story of Cook Strait Aviation. Invercargill, NZ: Craig Printing Ltd. p. 66. ISBN 0473034271.
6. Craven, Wynn (October–November 2011). "The First Glider Crossing of Cook Strait - An Extraordinary Flight in 1957" (PDF). SoaringNZ. No. 24. Christchurch, NZ: McCaw Media Ltd. pp. 30–32.
7. "Historic strait crossing was balloon enthusiast's last trip". Stuff. 8 January 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
8. "Bill Black and Terry Tiffen flying in their gyrocopters". National Library. 28 September 1999. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
9. "Paraglider first to cross Cook Strait". Radio New Zealand. 3 March 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
10. "Final Glider: Crossing New Zealand's Cook Strait". Cross Country. 8 August 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
11. "First Electric Flight Over Cook Strait". Sustainable Tourism. 1 November 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2025.

See also

• List of Bass Strait crossings by air
• List of Cook Strait crossings by sea
• List of English Channel crossings by air
• List of Irish Sea crossings by air