Invercargill Airport
Invercargill Airport is a controlled aerodrome located 1 NM west of the city centre of Invercargill at the south of the South Island of New Zealand, it's also the southern most controlled airport in the Commonwealth. Formed on reclaimed land from the Waihopai/New River Estuary in 1938, the airport was prone to flooding, the worst being in 1984, leaving it unused for two months. At this time the city council proposed moving the airport back to Dawson Farm, Myross Bush, the original site up to 1942. Instead a large flood protection scheme was built, but during its construction the airport was flooded again in 1987, thanks to a combination of heavy rain and an unusually high tidal surge. Once completed, the airport has had no problems since.HistoryThe site of today's airport is located on what was a tidal estuary lake. It was chosen as a closer to town facility than the then current leased land aerodrome, Dawson Farm, located a then considerable 10Â km away northeast of Invercargill. This was to allow the southern city a better airline gateway. The draining and stabilising of land began in 1936. It took until 1939 before a rudimentary landing strip was considered acceptable for light aircraft to land. By then World War Two had begun and the RNZAF used it as a back-up auxiliary field while Dawson Farm remained the air force's aerodrome of choice as heavier patrol bombers could land there. The continual draining of the surrounding land was (and still is) achieved with the use of a large canal and tidal pumping system. In summer months the area is below mean sea level. The City Council built two hangers while the air force built one larger facility. Pre-fabricated office blocks provided basic administration facilities.
