Rangitata Island is a long

lens A lens is a transmissive optical device which focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements ...

-shaped island in the

delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), a letter of the Greek alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * D ( NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta") * Delta Air Lines, US * Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 Delta may also ...

of the braided

Rangitata River The Rangitata River is one of the braided rivers that helped form the Canterbury Plains in southern New Zealand. It flows southeast for from the Southern Alps, entering the Pacific Ocean northeast of Timaru. The river has a catchment area of , ...

in Canterbury, New Zealand, approximately halfway between

Timaru Timaru (; mi, Te Tihi-o-Maru) is a port city in the southern Canterbury Region of New Zealand, located southwest of Christchurch and about northeast of Dunedin on the eastern Pacific coast of the South Island. The Timaru urban area is home to ...

and

Ashburton, New Zealand Ashburton ( mi, Hakatere) is a large town in the Canterbury Region, on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. The town is the seat of the Ashburton District. It is south west of Christchurch and is sometimes regarded as a satell ...

. The island is approximately long and about wide at its widest. Low lying, it is mostly fertile farmland. One of the country's largest delta islands, it is also the only one crossed by

State Highway 1 The following highways are numbered 1. For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads. For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads. For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads. For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads. For roads numbere ...

(at the island's northern end), and the only place where the highway leaves both of the country's two main islands. It is also crossed by the

Main South Line The Main South Line, sometimes referred to as part of the South Island Main Trunk Railway, is a railway line that runs north and south from Lyttelton in New Zealand through Christchurch and along the east coast of the South Island to Inverca ...

railway, and once had a small station, which was closed in 1962. Rangitata Island Aerodrome is located just east of the State Highway 1 bridges, on Brodie Road, just off the Rangitata Island Road. The private field is available for public use and has two vectors. The field is the home of the Geraldine Flying Group. The airfield also houses a collection of older microlight aircraft, as well as assorted aircraft parts, airframes and items of interest.

References

External links

NZ AIP vol 4: NZRI - Rangitata Island AerodromeRangitata Island Aerodrome
River islands of New Zealand Timaru District Islands of Canterbury, New Zealand {{CanterburyNZ-geo-stub