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61-619: The museum was founded by Sir Tim Wallis and housed in a new building at the Wānaka Airport. It was opened in 1993 (31 years ago)  ( 1993 ) by retired Group Captain Colin Gray. Its first curator was Ian Brodie. In 1996 museum became one of the first aerospace museums on the internet. The museum includes the Alpine Fighter Collection, dedicated to New Zealand's fighters during World War II . The museum

122-492: A World Heritage Site , and in 1990, together with three other national parks to the north, as part of the Te Wāhipounamu World Heritage Area. The park's protected area includes all of the islands along its coast, as well as the remote Solander Islands . Although the park's seaward-boundary is at the mean high water mark, a total of ten adjoining marine reserves protect large areas of water in several of

183-577: A boarder. After completing a period of compulsory military training in 1957 he spent 2 terms as a medical student at the University of Canterbury before leaving to take a job at Kopara Sawmilling Company's Haupiri mill. Pioneer of the live deer recovery industry in New Zealand's South Island, Wallis built an aviation empire around helicopter operations, pulling valuable animals out of the rugged high country. For many years he held monopoly over

244-488: A flourishing deer farming industry this has reduced the impact of aerial hunting over the national park. Market helicopter-based hunting in Fiordland continues today in a reduced fashion, with the largest market being Germany. The Department of Conservation also uses helicopters to poison the invasive possum population with aerial dropping of 1080 poison , despite some public opposition. The scenic, rugged landscape

305-476: A hazard, and being stranded for a day or two due to flooded river crossings is not uncommon on tracks like the Dusky Track. Trampers on these remote tracks also face three-wire bridges, tree falls, and rough terrain where mud can be knee-deep. Milford Sound / Piopiotahi, Te Houhou / George Sound , Doubtful Sound / Patea, and Dusky Sound / Tamatea are the only fiords accessible via tracks or routes. Inland,

366-426: A museum in New Zealand is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Tim Wallis Sir Timothy William Wallis (9 September 1938 – 17 October 2023) was a New Zealand businessman and aviation entrepreneur. He pioneered live deer capture from helicopters, which led to a significant industry in New Zealand. He was a leader and international representative of the deer farming industry. Wallis also founded

427-649: A number of programmes by the Department of Conservation. The Takahē Recovery Programme ensures the survival of the last wild population of takahē. This unique bird, the largest living member of the rail family, was once thought to be extinct. After rediscovery of the takahē in the Murchison Mountains in 1948, a special area of 500 square kilometres (190 sq mi) was set aside in Fiordland National Park for its conservation, with

488-556: A prodigious amount of rainfall, exceeding seven metres in many parts of the park. This supports the lush temperate rainforests of the Fiordland temperate forests ecoregion . Fiordland National Park contains the majority of the largest area of unmodified vegetation in New Zealand. The dense forests, often clinging to steep valley sides, comprise mostly silver beech and mountain beech , but also podocarps . A large variety of shrubs and ferns , often dominated by crown fern , make up

549-487: A result of inadequate stowage aboard the Stella . Despite his contributions to the study of New Zealand natural history, Reischek is remembered for his theft of taonga from Māori hosts. 10,000 square kilometres (3,900 sq mi) of Fiordland were set aside as a national reserve in 1904, following suggestions by then-future Prime Minister Thomas Mackenzie and Southland Commissioner of Crown Lands, John Hay, that

610-451: A rich understory of plants, with the forest floor covered in mosses and liverworts . The abundant vegetation is supported by the high rainfall, but continues to be damaged by introduced species such as red deer and possum . The park is also a significant refuge for many threatened native animals, ranging from dolphins and bats to reptiles, insects, and birds. Among the birds are several endangered species endemic to New Zealand such as

671-541: A small jetty in Doubtful Sound. Light aircraft and helicopter services link with Milford Sound, which also has a small boat marina . Parts of Fiordland National Park are a designated Wilderness Area and aircraft landings are not permitted. The Wilderness Areas award special protection for large tracts of wild land containing natural features of such significance that they are preserved in their natural condition, without any man-made structures or facilities. Entry

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732-406: A trip to South Africa . The couple had four children; Toby Frederick (born September 1975), Jonathan Arthur (born November 1976), Matthew Timothy (3 January 1979 – 21 July 2018) and Nicholas Robert (June 1980 – 18 October 2018). In 2018, two of their four sons were killed in helicopter crashes: Matthew (Matt) Wallis (39) on 21 July and Nick (38) on 18 October. Wallis died on 17 October 2023, at

793-460: A visitor centre. A handful of other roads provide access to various entry points into the national park: A gravel road not connected to the rest of the public road network links Doubtful Sound / Patea with the western edge of Lake Manapouri via Wilmot Pass . That road is only used by shuttle buses for Doubtful Sound tours from Manapouri, which include a boat transfer across Lake Manapouri and bus transfer over Wilmot Pass to tour boats awaiting at

854-500: Is a Hawker Hurricane Mk IIA, with a de Havilland Vampire FB5 and Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5a reproduction on static display. Amongst the aircraft that were eventually transferred to the new Warbirds & Wheels museum were the Hawker Hurricane and the replica S.E.5a. 44°43′27″S 169°14′37″E  /  44.724082°S 169.243569°E  / -44.724082; 169.243569 This article related to

915-656: Is also a popular destination for alpine climbers and especially for trampers, with the multi-day Milford , Kepler and Hollyford tracks, and half of the Routeburn Track within the park. The latter three can also be walked in and out as day walks, whereas access to both ends of the Milford Track is only via boat and is regulated and must be pre-booked, in particular during the summer peak season. Aside from these major tramping tracks, which also offer guided walks, dozens of lesser known tracks are maintained by

976-664: Is known for its natural beauty, making it a very popular sight-seeing and filming location. Milford Sound and areas of Fiordland National Park were used to depict the Misty Mountains during filming of The Lord of the Rings . The area was again used extensively in The Hobbit Trilogy . Parts of the 2017 film Alien: Covenant were filmed in the park, as well as X-Men Origins: Wolverine , Mission: Impossible – Fallout , and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion,

1037-489: Is usually restricted to foot travel, there are typically no tramping tracks, and in some cases, special permits are required, such as for several offshore islands and the Takahē Specially Protected Area in the Murchison Mountains. Fiordland National Park is the most popular national park in New Zealand for international visitors. Well over half a million people visit the national park every year, however,

1098-802: The Alpine Fighter Collection and the Warbirds over Wanaka air show. He was born in Greymouth , on the West Coast , to Arthur Trevor and Janice Mildred (née Blunden) Wallis. He was the second of four children, George (March 1935), Adrian and Josephine. His father was a businessman with interests in the timber and sawmilling industry. Wallis's primary education was received at Grey Main School. For his high school education he attended Christ's College , Christchurch from 1952 to 1956 as

1159-576: The Alpine Fighter Collection . In October 1988, Wallis sold his P-51D Mustang which allowed him to purchase a Supermarine Spitfire Mk XVI, RAF serial TB863 from Stephen Grey in England. He obtained his rating on the aircraft at RNZAF Base Whenuapai in Auckland with the help of Stephen Grey. After giving a display at an airshow at Ardmore Airport in January 1989 he headed south to Masterton. While on

1220-537: The Department of Conservation . The southern ranges of the Southern Alps cover most of Fiordland National Park, combined with the deep glacier-carved valleys. The park is a significant refuge for many threatened native animals, ranging from dolphins and bats to reptiles, insects, and endangered species of birds endemic to New Zealand such as the takahē , mōhua , kākāpō , and southern brown kiwi . One of

1281-573: The New Zealand Fighter Pilots Museum . On 7 July 1968 while flying a Hiller UH 12E with passengers Dick Burton and Lin Herron the helicopter hit 33 kV overhead power lines on Queenstown Hill station. As a result of the crash Wallis broke his back which required steel plates to be inserted in his spine. He remained partly paralysed in his left leg, which required him to use a steel (later titanium) calliper extending from

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1342-683: The RNZAF Base Woodbourne in Blenheim . As a result, the left undercarriage and left wing were damaged. Wallis was a driving force behind the establishment of the New Zealand Fighter Pilots Museum , which was built alongside the Alpine Deer Group offices at the Wanaka Airport. It was opened in 1993 by retired Group Captain Colin Gray. In a nearby hangar was located the Alpine Fighter Collection. Its first curator

1403-670: The penguins and seals . In Māori mythology , a legend named Hine-nui-te-pō created sandflys to keep people from becoming idle in Fiordland to protect people from its "beauty". Captain James Cook , a British explorer, circumnavigated the South Island with his crew of HMS Endeavour in March 1770. They advanced towards the south-west coast of Fiordland but sailed away since it was late. Although they did not enter Dusky Sound on their first voyage to New Zealand, Cook noted

1464-578: The takahē , mōhua (yellowhead) , and the critically endangered kākāpō , the only flightless parrot in the world. The vulnerable Fiordland crested penguin and southern brown kiwi are also almost exclusively found within the park. The special nature of the Fiordland area for conservation was recognised in the late 1890s by Richard Henry , pioneering the transfer of threatened species such as kākāpō and kiwi to islands in Dusky Sound. Conservation work and management of endangered species continues via

1525-672: The Alpine Fighter Collection was wound down and dissolved with the aircraft being sold overseas. In addition, the NZFPM was closed in early 2011. Since the crash, the Spitfire (NH799) was restored in time for the Classic Fighters Omaka airshow 2015 after 19 years of work. Wallis started the biennial Warbirds over Wanaka airshow in 1988. Wallis married Prue Hazledine on 22 August 1974 in Pretoria while they were on

1586-682: The Department of Conservation, ranging from tracks requiring intermediate skills, such as the Hump Ridge Track and the Lake Marian track to advanced multi-day hikes like the Dusky Track and several routes that should only be attempted by experienced trampers. Fiordland is a challenging tramping destination, and given the size of the national park, there are few tracks. Off-track travel by expert trampers often relies on following deer trails. Sandflies, flooding and poor weather are

1647-561: The Eglinton Valley contains significant populations of long-tailed bats . In addition to these sanctuaries, there are also three sizeable possum-free islands in the fiords of the national park: Cooper Island and Long Island in Dusky Sound / Tamatea, and Great Island in Taiari / Chalky Inlet . However, these islands are still occupied by stoats, rats or mice, compromising their suitability as bird sanctuaries. Fiordland became

1708-634: The Fiordland Park area. By the 1920s, the large herds of wild deer in the NZ back country competing with sheep and cattle for feed resulted in pressure on the NZ government from the farming community, and deer cullers were employed by the Internal Affairs department to indiscriminately shoot deer in an effort to reduce the population. Costs were recouped from the sale of deer hides. During the early 1960s, an international market for wild venison

1769-601: The Milford Road from Te Anau there are also camping grounds and several short walks, some of which are even accessible by wheelchair. Popular stopping points along the road are at the Mirror Lakes , the Homer Pass area immediately to the east of the tunnel, and The Chasm. Te Anau, situated on the shore of Lake Te Anau, is the closest town to the national park and provides many accommodation options as well as all

1830-458: The Milford Track, are among the world's highest waterfalls . Other tall waterfalls in the park include Browne Falls , Humboldt Falls , Lady Alice Falls , and Bowen Falls , as well as countless temporary waterfalls in the fiords that come alive following rainfall. Prevailing westerly winds blow moist air from the Tasman Sea onto the mountains; the cooling of this air as it rises produces

1891-630: The Soviet Aeronautical Research Institute (SibNIA) in Novosibirsk. The flight of the first restored aircraft (a I-16) took place in 1995. Once restored the aircraft were transported by rail to Vladivostok and from there shipped via Hong Kong to New Zealand. This project was completed in 1999 with the arrival of the final aircraft in New Zealand. On 2 January 1996, Wallis intended to practise formation flying with Brian Hore and his P-51 Mustang in preparation for

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1952-461: The age of 85. Fiordland National Park Fiordland National Park is a national park in the south-west corner of South Island of New Zealand. It is the largest of the 13 national parks in New Zealand , with an area covering 12,607 km (4,868 sq mi), and a major part of the Te Wāhipounamu a UNESCO World Heritage Site established in 1990. The park is administered by

2013-484: The amenities expected of a small town. The only other settlement close to the park is the much smaller Manapouri. Doubtful Sound also offers boat tours. These day-long tours depart from Manapouri and include return boat transfer across Lake Manapouri and bus transfer over Wilmot Pass to get to Doubtful Sound. From Te Anau, boat trips across the lake to the Te Ana-au Caves are available. Fiordland National Park

2074-665: The earliest settlers on the South Island were the Waitaha people, who are believed to have settled directly to the South Island from Hawaiki on the Uruao canoe. Later migrations of Kāti Māmoe from the North Island. Similarly, Ngāi Tahu later migrated from the North Island and joining the Kāti Māmoe iwi. The Māori history of Fiordland can be traced for more than 1000 years with the creation of Ngāi Tahu. Its waterways that make up

2135-600: The edge of the park before entering the park as the highway joins the valley of the Eglinton River just north of Te Anau Downs. From there the road continues to the northwest corner of the park, passing through the Hollyford Valley and then through the Homer Tunnel on the descent to the terminus of the road at Milford Sound / Piopiotahi, where there is a large car park, a wharf for the tour boats, and

2196-605: The fiords were intended to provide havens along its rugged coastline, which had plenty of forests and birds to sustain travellers. Fiordland offered many other resources to sustain groups on their expeditions such as, kākāpō and shellfish. In Māori mythology , the fiords are created by the workmanship of Tū Te Rakiwhanoa , who carved indentations into the coastline to make it habitable. But habitation in Fiordland has always been thin. Although, Māori made seasonal visits here to fish, hunt and to collect greenstone from Milford Sound , and tribal groups found sanctuary here, living amid

2257-548: The fiords. The most recent expansion of Fiordland National Park was the 1999 addition of the 482 square kilometres (186 sq mi) Waitutu Forest. Possible future additions are Big Bay, parts of the Livingston/Eglinton Ranges, and the Dean/Rowallan catchment area. Main road access into Fiordland National Park is limited to the Milford Road (SH 94), which runs north from Te Anau , skirting

2318-435: The first Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa to fly since the 1940s. In 1988, the collection's core members organized the first Warbirds over Wanaka airshow to showcase the collection - it attracted 14,000 people. The collection continues to provides the basis of the biannual Warbirds over Wanaka Airshow which attracted over 100,000 visitors in 2006. The collection was reduced by sales in the later years. The sole airworthy component

2379-428: The first exports of live deer to Taiwan, which in 1975 was followed by the first live deer exports to Korea. In 1976, Wallis purchased Mararoa station. This was sold in 1987 to Challenge Deer Park. In 1965, Wallis bought his first helicopter, which he used for commercial work. A long-time enthusiast, Wallis purchased and restored many World war II era fighter aircraft, establishing the Alpine Fighter Collection and

2440-598: The first flying Second World War fighter seen in New Zealand for some years and played a major part in the 1980s and 1990s expansion of the Warbird movement in New Zealand. The collection undertook a pioneering effort in recovering and restoring Warbirds from the post-glasnost Commonwealth of Independent States . It arranged and funded the first restorations to flying condition of Polikarpov I-16s (six restored) and Polikarpov I-153s (three restored). It also restored

2501-488: The fold, formally making it the third National Park in New Zealand. Fiordland National Park's establishment in the early 1950s occurred the same time with the opening of the Homer Tunnel for public use, which provided road access to Milford Sound. During the cooler past, glaciers carved many deep fiords , the most famous (and most visited) of which is Milford Sound / Piopiotahi. Other notable fiords include Doubtful Sound / Patea and Tamatea / Dusky Sound . The retreat of

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2562-480: The glaciers after the ice age left behind U-shaped valleys with sheer cliffs and as a result Fiordland's coast is steep and crenellated, with some of the 15 fiords reaching as far as 40 kilometres (25 mi) inland. The southern ranges of the Southern Alps cover most of Fiordland National Park and, combined with the deep glacier-carved valleys, present a highly inaccessible landscape. At the northern end of

2623-468: The glaciers has succeeded in cutting off islands from the mainland, leaving two large uninhabited offshore islands, Secretary Island and Resolution Island , as well as many smaller ones. Although these glaciers are long-gone, a few small glaciers and permanent snow fields remain, with the southernmost glacier situated below Caroline Peak. Several large lakes lie wholly or partly within the park's boundaries, notably Lake Te Anau and Lake Manapouri, both on

2684-686: The park, the Darran Mountains contain several peaks rising to over 2,500 metres (8,200 ft), with views of Mount Aspiring / Tititea to the north in the neighbouring Mount Aspiring National Park . Further south, the Franklin Mountains, Stuart Mountains, and Murchison Mountains reach around 2,000 metres (6,600 ft), with the peaks diminishing in height from north to south. The Kepler , Dingwall, Kaherekoau, Princess and Cameron Mountains further south only reach 1,500–1,700 metres (4,900–5,600 ft). The carving action of

2745-568: The population reaching a milestone of 300 birds in 2016. Although the National Park comprises 15% of New Zealand's conservation estate, it receives less than 1% of the Department of Conservation's pest-control budget. Several offshore islands belonging to Fiordland National Park are dedicated sanctuaries for threatened native species: Mōhua and tokoeka (Haast brown kiwi) have also been released on Pomona Island in Lake Te Anau, and

2806-404: The presence of a promising harbour here, and giving it the name "Dusky Bay". They managed to shelter at Dusky Sound during their second voyage aboard HMS Resolution and Cook met some Māori families while they were sheltered here. Andreas Reischek , an Austrian naturalist explored Fiordland in the late 1880s. His collection of bird skins from the area were destroyed after being waterlogged as

2867-674: The region should be declared a national park. The area had already become a destination for trampers , following the opening up of the Milford Track from Lake Te Anau to Milford Sound in 1889 by New Zealand explorers Quintin McKinnon and Donald Sutherland , which received significant publicity from a 1908 article in the London Spectator describing it as the "Finest Walk in the World". The Fiordland "public reserve"

2928-663: The rights to commercial hunting in Fiordland National Park . Moving into deer farming during the 1970s, he was among the first to see the potential of the industry in New Zealand and his farm, Criffel, became a centre of excellence for high quality genetics and served as a model for many other farmers. The country's first deer auction was held on his farm in 1977. His company, Alpine Deer Group, forged trade relationships in Russia, Korea and Hong Kong that saw exports of velvet, antler and pizzle to Asia. In 1974 he pioneered

2989-666: The rudder setting which is different on the Griffon-engined Mk XIV from the Spitfire XVI which has a Merlin engine and which he had flown the previous day. This change in setting is necessary as the propeller of the Griffon engine rotates in the opposite direction to the Merlin. The aircraft slewed to the right on take-off and unable to be corrected in time the aircraft went off the runway and its tailwheel caught on

3050-425: The scene of one of New Zealand's most significant conservation debates when in the 1960s it was proposed to raise the level of Lake Manapouri to assist hydro-electricity production at West Arm. The ensuing battle resulted in government ultimately bowing to the weight of petitions and passing a bill in the 1970s that gave the lake statutory protection. In 1986, Fiordland National Park was individually recognised as

3111-488: The southern lakes of Lake Monowai and Lake Hauroko have road access to campsites and tracks, and Lake Poteriteri can be reached via a tramping track. The steep granite peaks of the Darren Mountains are a popular area for mountain climbers. The park is also a renowned destination for rainbow trout and brown trout fly fishing. Red deer were introduced to New Zealand in the 1850s and they subsequently colonised

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3172-570: The thigh to shoe. Wallis managed to continue his flying career despite the injury. In 1984, Wallis purchased a North American P-51 Mustang from John Dilley of the USA. Painted in RNZAF colours, it attracted much media attention as the first flying Second World War fighter seen in New Zealand for some years and played a major part in the 1980s and 1990s expansion of the Warbird movement in New Zealand. The purchase of this aircraft caused him to establish

3233-518: The top two wires of the boundary fence. This stalled the aircraft and it crashed hitting the ground. The right wing was snapped off and the windscreen and cockpit area were badly damaged as the aircraft travelled upside down for about 40 metres before coming to rest. Wallis was badly hurt and was rushed by air to the intensive care unit at Dunedin Public Hospital . His injuries left him medically unfit to fly. Following Wallis's 1996 accident,

3294-490: The upcoming Warbirds over Wanaka show. He decided to take the Spitfire Mk XIV which was owned by the Alpine Fighter Collection . At the time he only had a total of 5½ hours flying time on the type and had only flown it 7 times. His departure was delayed by a problem with the aircraft's radio. Distracted by the need to meet up with Hore flying overhead and a number of people waiting to watch him take off, he overlooked

3355-501: The visitor numbers are almost exclusively concentrated in the park's northern and eastern corridor from Te Anau to Milford Sound. Most tourists are attracted to the easily accessible areas of the national park such as Milford Sound, where boat tours of the fiord and kayaking are the most popular activities. Some boat tour packages include a visit to the Milford Discovery Centre & Underwater Observatory. Along

3416-420: The way he ran out of fuel after misjudging the Spitfire's fuel consumption. He managed to divert the aircraft to Waipukurau airport but during the final approach the engine failed and he crashed it damaging the undercarriage and propeller. It took nearly a year to restore the aircraft to airworthiness. In November 1992, Wallis again crashed the Spitfire when he was caught by a wind gust when attempting to land at

3477-400: The western boundary of the national park, as well as the southern lakes Lake Monowai , Lake Hauroko , and Lake Poteriteri . All of these lakes exhibit the topography typical of glacier-carved valleys, with Lake Te Anau and Lake Manapouri in particular having several arms similar in look to the fiords on the west coast of the park. The Sutherland Falls , to the southwest of Milford Sound on

3538-411: Was Ian Brodie. After attempting to find in Russia suitable Messerschmitt Bf 109 or Focke Wulf 190 wrecks to restore and after being swindled out of US$ 12,000 for three non-existent Antonov AN-2 biplanes, Wallis concentrated on obtaining the remains of crashed Polikarpov aircraft. Eventually by 1993 he had purchased sufficient remains to have six Polikarpov I-16s and three Polikarpov I-153s restored by

3599-484: Was created as a park administered by the Department of Lands and Survey - in practical terms similar to a National Park. The only two officially named "national parks" in New Zealand at the time, Tongariro National Park and Egmont National Park , were administered by park boards. Consolidation of the management of these parks led to the National Parks Act of 1952, which brought Fiordland National Park into

3660-439: Was established, and with no restrictions on hunting, market hunters established themselves in the rugged park country and used pack horses, jetboats and fixed wing aircraft to get the carcasses out to market. Experiments with shooting wild deer from helicopters were highly successful and a competitive industry was based on this technique. By the late 1970s, the deer population in Fiordland had been severely reduced, and combined with

3721-649: Was funded, in part, by grants from the Community Trust of Otago . The Alpine Fighter Collection is a collection of vintage aircraft based at the New Zealand Fighter Pilots Museum at Wānaka established by helicopter and deer entrepreneur Sir Tim Wallis . The collection was started in 1984 with the purchase of a North American P-51 Mustang from John Dilley of the US. Painted in RNZAF colours, it attracted much media attention as

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