South Auckland - FPV spots

Best for: Black sand surf beach backed by 60 m cliffs and dunes - the most dramatic flying in Auckland, north or south.

Hazards: Active paraglider and hang-glider site (give way and stay well clear), strong onshore wind, surf and rips, soft sand kills motors.

Airspace is completely clean - 24 km from the nearest aerodrome. This is the best single spot in South Auckland by a distance.

Best for: Rocky coast, pohutukawa, bush and the Hauraki Gulf - cliffs and reefs give you lines you don't get on a flat beach.

Hazards: Rocks and tide, boat ramp traffic, shorebirds, the regional park north of the point needs a permit.

Clean airspace. The reserve is local council land; the bush north is regional park, so keep to the coast strip.

Best for: Quiet Manukau Harbour settlement with a wharf, tidal flats and shell banks - flat water and big skies.

Hazards: Mudflats at low tide, shorebirds on the shell banks, wharf fishermen.

No permit. One of the quietest accessible spots in the south.

Best for: Small quiet beach on the harbour with bush and farmland behind - you'll often be alone.

Hazards: Narrow road, mudflats, no facilities, NZ Steel works nearby (industrial backdrop).

No permit, clean airspace. Combine with Clarks Beach and Waiuku in one run.

Best for: Rolling hill country, shelter belts and big views back to the Manukau - genuinely empty.

Hazards: State highway traffic, private farmland, stock.

No permit on the domain. Everything around it is private - stay on the reserve or get permission.

Best for: Tiny harbour settlement with a wharf and tidal creek - the quietest water in the south.

Hazards: Mudflats, one-lane road, no phone coverage in patches.

No permit. Pairs with Awhitu Regional Park if you're doing the peninsula.

Best for: Rolling farmland, the Wairoa river, bush remnants and the Hunua foothills - rural lines with real depth.

Hazards: Private farmland everywhere (don't cross it), stock, river users, and Ardmore's 4 km ring is 7 km away so you're clear.

No permit for the village reserves. For farmland you need the owner's permission - Part 101 requires it anyway.

Best for: Former psychiatric hospital grounds turned village - mature trees, old buildings and open fields.

Hazards: Private land around the village, derelict buildings are not public access, stock.

Clean airspace and quiet, but the interesting buildings are mostly private. Treat it as a rural open-space fly.

Best for: Harbour beach with a long tidal flat, boats and the Awhitu hills across the water.

Hazards: Boat ramp traffic in summer, mudflats, shorebirds.

No permit. Good at high tide; at low tide you're flying over mud.

Best for: Lifestyle blocks, horse country and open sky - room for long-range runs with few people.

Hazards: Inside the Auckland Model Aero Club danger area (NZ D225) - legal to fly, but watch for model traffic. Private land elsewhere.

Danger areas are legal but shared. Stay on council land and keep your eyes up.

Best for: Estuary, moored boats, the old steel mill skyline and harbour flats - industrial-meets-coastal.

Hazards: Town traffic, boats, mudflats, shorebirds.

No permit. Most useful as the staging town for Karioitahi 10 minutes away.

Best for: Town parks, the racecourse and market gardens - utility flying rather than scenery.

Hazards: 6.5 km from Pukekohe aerodrome so you're outside the 4 km ring, but light aircraft are active in the area.

Only worth it if you're local. Franklin's coast is a much better use of the drive.