Flights
You can fly between all New Zealand cities and most major towns using domestic air services. Air New Zealand and Qantas are the main providers, however Qantas will stop running domestic services in June 2009, when subsidiary airline Jetstar takes its place. Their services are complemented by regional airlines, charter companies and scenic flight operators.
New Zealanders have always had a passion for aviation. Many people believe that Richard Pearse, a Timaru farmer, was the first person in the world to make a powered flight in a heavier-than-air aeroplane. He reputedly flew his home-built aircraft on 31 March 1903, about nine months before the Wright brothers. However the documentary evidence to support this claim remains open to interpretation.