Welcome to the website of the Tauranga Model Aircraft Club – New Zealand

Come Fly With Us at TECT All Terrain Park!

Looking for the perfect place to enjoy your passion for model aircraft? Our club’s flying site is located in the beautiful TECT All Terrain Park, off Pyes Pa Road. It’s a scenic 20-minute drive from Barkes Corner, situated between Tauranga and Rotorua.

We’re open for flying seven days a week, from dawn until dusk, with a model aircraft flight ceiling of 1,000 feet AGL. Whether you’re into casual flying or precision aerobatics, you’ll find plenty of space and opportunity here.

Something for Every Pilot

Our airfield welcomes a wide range of model aircraft, including:

  • Gas and electric powered planes
  • Gliders
  • Electric ducted fan (EDF) jets
  • Multirotors and helicopters
  • Control line aircraft

While free-flight models might find the surrounding bush a bit challenging, there’s more than enough airspace for most other types. Please note, due to our location in a forested area, gas turbine jets are not permitted.

We have two well-maintained runways:

  • North–South runway: 230 metres
  • East–West runway: 150 metres

This gives you ample room to launch and land even the most demanding models with confidence.

Click here to learn how to start the hobby
Webcam/Weather Quicklink

Flying Days
Our “normal” club days are Saturday and Sunday, but we fly any day when the weather is suitable. Wednesdays are popular for those who are available mid-week. Check the webcam below to see what is happening at the field.

Members should join our Facebook page as well as our WhatsApp “TMAC Flying group” to stay up to date.

Safe, Supportive, and Insured

Model flying is a thrilling hobby, and like any high-performance sport, safety is key. We prioritise safe flying practices and ensure that all pilots fly responsibly. For insurance and safety reasons, use of the field is limited to financial club members and invited members of Model Flying New Zealand (MFNZ) affiliated clubs.

Multirotors and FPV

With the rapid growth of this aspect of the hobby, TECT Park offers an ideal location to fly these craft. Local Council and CAA rules apply.

“Wings”

All members must obtain their MFNZ “Wings” Radio Control Model Proficiency Certificates for the class of model being flown if they would like to fly unsupervised at the field. This is a CAA requirement for flying a radio-controlled model unsupervised.

Find out about the Wings Programme

Membership

Why not pay us a visit and discuss the benefits of membership? To ensure that there is someone on site when you plan to visit, please contact the Secretary before you set out.

Find out how to Join TMAC

Animals

One small but important request – please leave your dog at home. Dogs and model aircraft do not go well together, plus poison baits are regularly spread on site to control the rabbit population.

Club Nights

Club nights are held on the first Wednesday of every second month at 7:30pm in the Gliding Club Rooms at the Tauranga Airport. During the summer, weather permitting, the occasional club night is held at our field at TECT Park for social flying and a barbecue.

Indoor Flying

We have recently rekindled a winter programme of indoor flying. This is held on a Saturday evening from 7.00 – 9.00pm at the Mount Sports Centre.  Dates have not yet been set for 2025 but will be advised here.  This is an interesting way to sharpen piloting skills in a confined space with some very unusual model types.