A weather-beaten Warbirds Over Wānaka concluded with a mass fly-past of vintage aircraft bringing the event to a stunning close.
Warbirds general manager Ed Taylor described dealing with the weather as ‘‘God’s department’’.
On Saturday Mr Taylor must have been wondering what he had done to upset Him, with low cloud, low temperatures and intermittent showers putting a dampener on events.
Despite the rain, spirits on the ground remained high, with pilots describing the weather system as a ‘‘classic Wānaka dust suppression shower’’ and punters making the best of it.
Final visitor numbers were still being totalled last night, but Mr Taylor said it appeared more than 60,000 people attended over three days, on a par with 2024’s event.
The event is held every other year.
The 2026 edition has been dogged by bad luck, with conflict in the Middle East triggering a domino effect resulting in the headline act — the F-22 Raptors Demonstration Team — and the Royal New Zealand Air Force withdrawing from the show.
‘‘It was a real big team effort to get it across the line and we could tell from the public how much they enjoyed it and I think it was well worth holding it.’’
One important guest with reason to worry about the weather was John Romain, the owner of one of the airshow’s big draws, one of two Mk XI Spitfires still flying worldwide.
The propeller on a Spitfire is made of wood and susceptible to damage from heavy rainfall or hail.
‘‘The odd bit of drizzle doesn’t really affect them but if it’s very cold and there’s any chance of hail we need to be really careful,’’ Mr Romain said.
Thankfully, the weather across the weekend permitted Mr Romain’s Spitfire a full programme of flying following a three-month, 24,000km journey in a shipping container.
‘‘You're always a bit nervous about the travelling of it, and when you first open the doors here, you don't know what you're going to see, and luckily it was all right,’’ Mr Romain said.
The event represented a step back in time in more ways than one for Mr Romain and the perfect place to demonstrate the aircraft.
‘‘It's like shows used to be in the United Kingdom years ago, with the aircraft flying a bit closer to the crowds,’’ Mr Romain said.
‘‘It's special because the scenery and the backdrop to the displays are fantastic and it's just got a nice feel to it.
‘‘It's New Zealand’s one airshow and the crowds really appreciate that and appreciate all the efforts that go in to making the show what it is.’’
On entering the event on Saturday, Queenstown Lakes District deputy mayor Quentin Smith described Warbirds as a ‘‘cornerstone of our events calendar’’.
This year’s event was the fifth and final one under the stewardship of Mr Taylor, who was emotional about bowing out but hoped to stay involved as a volunteer. — Additional reporting Ruby Shaw
