Moir's Hill
Site Information
NOTE: Before flying this site, the farm manager needs to have been contacted, and approval for the day given. Refer section on Site Monitor. Approval will be broadcast via the Auckland PG WhatsApp group.
Moir's Hill is Auckland's finest cross country site with many good cross country flights having been made, and great promise for more.
Access to this site is 6 kilometres north of the Puhoi turn off on the old State Highway 1.
(Don't miss the Puhoi exit, there's no other exit until Warkworth).
Turn left into Moir Hill road, adjacent to the rest area at the end of Windy ridge. Follow this gravel road to 300m past the Transmitter Tower and park near the walking gate, with a DOC sign 'Waihunga/Moir Hill'.
Access from this point is by foot through the gate, following the track to the end for around another kilometre.
Take-off is at 980 feet A.S.L, 800 foot above the landing paddock.
Because of concerns around the spread of Kauri die back disease, pilots are asked to ensure that footwear is clean and free of visible soil before entering the track. Please keep to the track and do not make any side detours into the surrounding bush.
More information about preventing the spread of Kauri die back can be found here: http://www.kauridieback.co.nz/prevention
Site Type
Inland/Thermalling
Landing
Landing requires careful consideration being in a valley with the wind usually coming from West.
If the wind is coming from the East, the site it is definitely not flyable
An aircraft type landing approach is strongly recommended to determine the wind direction in the bottom of the valley (often different from the wind on launch).
Top landing on take-off is possible although very tight for hang gliders and often quite thermic, posing difficulty for paragliders.
An alternative top landing is available to the West of the Transmitter Tower requiring a minimum of 600 feet above take-off before making an approach. It is behind the bush line and can be turbulent.
Only land in official bottom landing area unless it is an emergency.
No low flying over stock.
No slope landing on areas that have stock.
Avoid landing in stock pasture.
If you land on stock pasture, or areas with stock, move off the paddock as soon as possible.
Moirs Landing
LA - Official landing area
R - Road to Puhoi and SH1
B - Beehives
W - Walking track to take off (Closed for lambing from August 1 to September 30)
Weather and Wind Direction
West, South West, South
The site can be quite rough at times in a Westerly.
Mandatory Notices
Because of concerns around the spread of Kauri die back disease, pilots are asked to ensure that footwear is clean and free of visible soil before entering the track. Please keep to the track and do not make any side detours into the surrounding bush.
More information about preventing the spread of Kauri die back can be found here: http://www.kauridieback.co.nz/prevention
Site Radio Channel
If schools are operating, they are normally on Channels 10 and 26.
Other pilots site channel is Channel 20 - 476.900MHz
Restrictions
Hang Gliding
HG Intermediate
Paragliding
PG 2
Cautions
See landing area comments above.
Hunters may be operating in the Waihunga/Moir Hill Reserve.
Airspace
Take-off (TO) is located below class C controlled airspace and within GAA’s NZG152 Moir Hill, NZG153 Waitoki, and NZG157 North Shore
The flight ceiling immediately above launch is 3,500 foot ASL, or 4,500ft upon opening NZG152 Moir Hill.
The ceiling rises to 4,500 feet as you cross Woodcocks road, heading in a north or north easterly direction. When heading north beware of aircraft on circuit to Kaipara Flats Airfield 7km directly north of Moir's.
Further north the ceiling rises to 6,500ft in an arc from Wellsford to Leigh.
Heading south across the valley past Ahuroa road is within NZG153 Waitoki and North Shore air-field training space with a flight ceiling of 3,500 feet. NZG153 can be opened to 4500ft with ATC approval.
Please open airspace ‘NZG 152 Moir Hill’ by phoning Air Traffic Control Duty manager 03 3581694. Identify yourself with your own NZHGPA PIN. Remember to close Airspace by setting a time or auto-deactivate by Civil Evening Twilight.
If everyone is finished flying, call again to let them know NZG152 can be closed again. This shows good use of airman-ship, and maintains another record of our use of the site.
Access Conditions
Please note an immediate change to site protocol as requested by the farm manager.
All access to the site requires pre-approval from the Farm Manager. There requests will go via the Site Monitor.
Approved access to the site by the Farm Manager will be confirmed on the WA Group.
The access track back from the bomb-out landing is on private farm land, as is the launch. The new farm manager requires that we advise of any potential to need access to the track, on any given day
Site Monitor
Request information through the Site Monitor Jeremy Watts via Auckland PG Whatsapp group, or direct via 021 611 960
Notes
See mandatory notice regarding Kauri die back disease.
Site Achievements
Hang Gliding
Hang glider pilots have flown cross wind to Orewa, North to Matakana, Leigh, Pakiri, Te Hana, Mangawhai, and Kawakawa.
Paragliding
Paraglider pilots have regularly been to Matakana, Leigh, and Wellsford with Lyn Watkins first reaching Te Arai Point 35.5km.
The record was next broken in December 1997 by Eva Keim's flight to Mangawhai of 41.4km.
Eva's record was finally broken by Jeff Ripley in 2006, with a flight of 46.8km landing just north of Mangawhai Heads.
In Feb 2011 Jeff extended the record by 1.6km to make it 48.4km, landing at Lang's Beach.
The distance was steadily increased beyond 50km by Evan Lamberton, Eva, and Jeff until in Oct 2015 Evan Lamberton flew 67.2km, landing just south of Marsden Point to take the record.
On 20th Feb 2020, Jeff flew a very nice flight of 78.7k, but it was again Evan setting a new site record (and indeed Auckland distance record), with a very well executed flight of 88.6k, having carefully negotiated the Whangarei Airspace, and only feeling forced to land due to a rather dark and wet cloud a bit ahead of him.......100k possible?
Well, probably, but in this case not quite yet, but again Jeff...on 20th march 2020, just under with 98.2km!!!
On March 15th 2020 a HG pilot flew 139k, but no track log is uploaded.
An effort worth noting, Canadian (but regular Visiting Pilot) Alex Raymont flew an out and back on 11th Jan 2020, crossing the Dome twice!
Kawau and Moturekareka islands were also reached in 2005 by a crazy PG pilot, and subsequently a couple of times more.