It has come to my notice that an international airport should be built at Kaikohe in the future.
I have taken a casual interest in this proposal as it has a hard base for a runway, plus extensions as required. It could also be used as a secondary function to the Auckland International Airport.
Auckland is built on an active volcanic field, and it is just a matter of when, not if, another volcano would make its present felt there. A recent letter in the NZ Herald suggested that the next volcano might just be around Mt Wellington/Otahuhu area, which would knock out Auckland International for some time. I would suggest that Kaikohe would be of good use then. Don't think it won't happen?
Think about Christchurch. The railway line runs round the perimeter of the airfield so much use would no doubt made of that. Tourists could be brought into Kaikohe, travel the length of the country by luxury train, and fly out of Invercargill, and vice versa. Just a thought.
In the meantime, Auckland Harbour Board could forget about building out into the harbour, and turn the waterfront area into a tourist haven. Marsden Point is strategically placed to handle the larger freighters of the future and the existing railway line could become a little
more useful.
