Bombs trucked around North Island
High-explosive weapons are taken by truck through Auckland and the North Island because of rules around loading aircraft at Auckland’s Whenuapai air force base.
The revelation in the latest addition of Air Force News follows the mystery bangs that rattled Auckland in June.
The Royal New Zealand Air Force admitted the bangs were caused by their P3K Orions dropping 227-kilogram bombs at the Kaipara Air Weapons Range, 65 kilometres northwest of downtown Auckland.
Unusual atmospherics meant the explosions from the USmanufactured bombs – which cost about $2500 each – were heard and felt over the city.
Air Force News says the ‘‘bombing up’’ or loading of the Orions had to take place at ruralbased Ohakea, 375km south of Auckland. This was because ‘‘hazardous substance law prevents our armourers from loading (highexplosive) ordnance at Whenuapai (unless we are at war) as it is a high-density area’’.
The 36 bombs needed for the exercise were in magazines in Waiouru and were driven on State Highway 1 to Ohakea.
The air force needed to ‘‘obtain the correct gazetting and licensing’’ to move the bombs and had to let local authorities know.
It also needed to move a single torpedo holding 44kg of plastic explosive from Auckland to Ohakea.
It was taken from the high security but decidedly residential Kauri Pt in the upper Waitemata and driven through Birkenhead before reaching the motorway.
‘‘It only took a day to drive the torpedo down from Auckland and the truck required an escort and safety vehicle,’’ Air Force News reports.
‘‘The NZ Police were also notified that we were transporting this high-explosive ordnance via the state highway.’’
Unlike the bombs, the live torpedo was not dropped from an Orion – New Zealand does not have a torpedo testing range.