Queenstown Police are investigating a burglary at a commercial premises in Remarkables Park early this morning, after offenders used a stolen vehicle to break into the building and steal around $900 worth of alcohol.
Officers were alerted to the incident at the intersection of Tex Smith Lane and Hawthorne Drive at about 2.15am, before the suspects fled toward Kelvin Heights Peninsula.
The stolen vehicle was later found abandoned and partially submerged in Lake Whakatipu around 2.30am. Coastguard Queenstown and Queenstown Lakes District Council assisted police in retrieving it. Acting Response Manager Sergeant Tracy Haggart said enquiries into the burglary are ongoing, and police are appealing to the public for any CCTV or dashcam footage from 2am to 2.40am in the Remarkables Park or Kelvin Heights areas.
Residents may notice increased patrols around local businesses as investigations continue. Anyone with information can contact police via 105 or online at 105.police.govt.nz using the reference number P064408540, or provide information anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
In 1970, a stolen Cessna 150 was deliberately ditched in Lake Duncan, Fiordland, by 19-year-old Robert Bakhuis—marking one of New Zealand’s most mysterious aviation incidents.
✈️ The Incident
– Aircraft: Cessna 150 ZK-CGI
– Stolen from: Taieri Airport, near Dunedin
– Pilot: Robert Bakhuis, age 19
– Event: After stealing the plane, Bakhuis flew deep into Fiordland and ditched it in Lake Duncan, a remote and rugged location.
🕵️♂️ Disappearance and Return
– Bakhuis vanished for two years, presumed dead.
– In 1972, he turned himself in, served six months in jail, and resumed a quiet life in a South Island town.
– The plane was recovered from the lakebed, largely intact, and later restored to flying condition.
Paul Beauchamp-Legg is connected to the Fiordland aviation mystery, and his recollections have contributed to accounts of the stolen Cessna 150 ZK-CGI ditched in Lake Duncan. While he may not have authored a formal book on the event, his insights appear in aviation blogs, historical discussions, and collaborative reconstructions of flight paths in Fiordland.
Might add
📘 Paul Legg’s Contributions
– Eyewitness and pilot: Paul Beauchamp-Legg flew extensively around the South Island and contributed firsthand accounts of weather, terrain, and flight conditions in Fiordland.
– Referenced in reconstructions: His recollections helped pinpoint flight paths near Lake Alabaster and Milford Sound, aiding efforts to understand the stolen plane’s route.
– Children’s books: He authored the Jodie the Tiny Aeroplane series, embedding real-life aviation experiences into instructional stories.
Paul Beauchamp-Legg began his aviation career flying a de Havilland Tiger Moth, transporting whitebait from remote West Coast locations in New Zealand. This early work combined rugged terrain, practical necessity, and symbolic flight—laying the foundation for his lifelong engagement with aviation.
🛩️ Early Career Highlights
– Aircraft: de Havilland Tiger Moth—a classic biplane used widely in New Zealand post-WWII for training and utility flights.
– Cargo: Whitebait—a prized seasonal delicacy, flown from isolated rivers and settlements to urban markets.
– Region: West Coast of the South Island—including Franz Josef, Haast Pass, Hokitika, and other remote areas.
– Role: Legg flew for West Coast Airways, navigating challenging weather and terrain, often improvising landings and pickups in rugged bush strips.
He also took part in the search for the
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/461370/search-continues-for-wreckage-of-plane-that-went-missing-in-1962
Which was never found which possibly had hit a mountain and had become covered in scree
Mount Hood in the Marlborough Sounds is believed by some researchers, including Paul Beauchamp-Legg, to be the likely crash site of the missing 1928 trans-Tasman flight by Moncrieff and Hood. This theory adds a haunting layer to New Zealand’s aviation history, blending mystery, terrain, and symbolic descent.
✈️ The Moncrieff and Hood Disappearance
– Date: 10 January 1928
– Aircraft: Ryan Brougham monoplane Aotearoa, registration G-AUNZ
– Flight path: Point Cook, Victoria → Trentham Racecourse, Upper Hutt
– Crew: Lieutenant John Moncrieff and Captain George Hood
– Outcome: Radio signals were received for 12 hours, but the aircraft vanished. No wreckage has ever been found.
🏔️ Mount Hood Theory
– Location: Marlborough Sounds, South Island
– Terrain: Rugged, forested, remote—ideal for concealment of wreckage
– Paul Legg’s involvement: Contributed to terrain analysis and flight path reconstruction, suggesting Mount Hood as a plausible crash site.
– Supporting evidence: Eyewitness accounts, weather conditions, and flight behavior patterns align with a descent into this region.
I knew the Guy in fact I used to mow His lawns – great Guy
He was telling me of an experience he had which I can’t quite recollect the details of but is in the same vein as
https://my.mail.ru/mail/fira3003/video/14860/57359.html
Thought this an opportune moment to mention His memory