NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather forecasts

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
    • The Great NZ Road Trip
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Amateurs to launch 6.5m rocket Nike from Waikato paddock

Dean Taylor
By Dean Taylor
Editor·Te Awamutu Courier·
3 Feb, 2020 07:30 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Kim McVinnie's rocket Middle Earth being launched to test the new Purple Neon sparkly propellant.

Kim McVinnie's rocket Middle Earth being launched to test the new Purple Neon sparkly propellant.

3 .... 2 .... 1 ....

A small team of amateur rocketry enthusiasts who've spent 10 months tooling away in a Waikato shed will this weekend gather in a paddock near Huntly to launch the largest amateur rocket built in New Zealand.

A full-scale replica of the NASA rocket Nike Smoke will blast off in a sparkly purple blaze this Sunday as part of the New Zealand Rocketry Association's first international launch event.

This isn't a rocket made by professionals at NASA, or even New Zealand's Rocket Lab — this is a 6.5m projectile made in a shed in Te Pahū by six amateur enthusiasts.

The Nike team, left: Martin and Debbie van Tiel, centre: Chris North, right: Kelvin and Kim McVinnie, with the rocket base at their workshop. Photo / Dean Taylor
The Nike team, left: Martin and Debbie van Tiel, centre: Chris North, right: Kelvin and Kim McVinnie, with the rocket base at their workshop. Photo / Dean Taylor
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

And the launch site is just as Kiwi — not even Rocket Lab's Mahia launch complex — but a paddock in the Waikato at the New Zealand Rocketry Association's three-day Havoc in the Paddock event.

Sunday is National Launch Day, the culmination of the event, held at Kneebone Rd, Orini — near Huntly.

National Launch Day has been an annual event since 2001 and is where everyone from kids making their own rockets on the day, through to the members of The Nike project, get to fire rockets.

The McVinnies putting in a marathon weekend to paint The Nike.
The McVinnies putting in a marathon weekend to paint The Nike.

The Nike (for the record Nike is the Greek goddess of Goddess of speed, strength and victory) replicates NASA's creation from the 1960s and is the work of Ethan Kosoof of Huntly, who is project manager, Dr Martin van Tiel and his wife Debbie of Taupiri, Chris North from Onewhero and Kelvin and Kim McVinnie from Te Pahū.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

All are members of the New Zealand Rocketry Association.

The Nike is the largest amateur rocket built in New Zealand — specially built for Havoc in the Paddock over the past 10 months.

One of numerous sub scale test motor firings. Photos / Supplied
One of numerous sub scale test motor firings. Photos / Supplied

Ethan designed the rocket and he and Kelvin convinced the others to be part of the project.

Team members have varying skills to contribute — including building their own engine, a P class solid propellant motor.

Discover more

New Zealand

Strange lights seen in the sky across New Zealand

01 Feb 09:24 AM
New Zealand

Strange lights in night sky: Astronomers worried about SpaceX satellites

01 Feb 10:28 PM

Martin, a vice-president of the association and the project's propellant engineer (his own business is high level pyrotechnics) says the fuel is ammonium perchlorate, with special developments that means it will burn purple and include a lot of sparks — dubbed 'Purple Neon'.

"It's designed to be a crowd pleaser," he says. "It will look great."

He says the motor is similar to what NASA use on the Space Shuttles — "but ours has effects."

After a lot of hard work the nose cone was unveiled by, from left, Martin van Tiel, Ethan Kosoof and a relieved Kelvin McVinnie.
After a lot of hard work the nose cone was unveiled by, from left, Martin van Tiel, Ethan Kosoof and a relieved Kelvin McVinnie.

Debbie says she married Martin, who has always been rocket mad, so she had no choice to be involved in the hobby and helps where she can.

Chris and Kelvin are involved in fabrication and engineering and Ethan oversees the project.

Kim, New Zealand's only female rocket pilot qualified to level 3, is in charge of recovery.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Pushing the button to launch The Nike will be done by representatives of sponsors Logic Wireless. The Nike is expected to fly to about 9000ft, not a great height in rocket terms, and won't be exceptionally fast.

"That's because we want people to be able to follow the flight and see the spectacle," says Kelvin.

When it reaches full ascent the first of two parachutes will deploy to bring The Nike back to earth.

The first chute is quite small so the rocket basically falls straight down, but at a controlled speed. Nearer the ground a large chute deploys that allows the rocket to land gently and be recovered.

"It is all about building enthusiasm for the hobby by putting on a show that will inspire others to join," says Kelvin.

He and Kim got hooked when they saw a sign advertising a previous National Launch Day so they went for a look.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

They have since built their own rockets, travelled to Australia for launch events and Kim has held flight records for women pilots.

Martin and Chris were both hooked at a young age, Martin wanting a career at NASA then getting into pyrotechnics instead. Chris was taken to events by his father when he was at intermediate and stayed hooked.

They are all intrigued by the challenges and excitement of rocketry.

"It really is rocket science," says Martin. "We have conducted heaps of engine tests and have had to solve complicated problems. The Nike weighs 150kg and is fitted with GPS tracking.

"We have run computer simulated flight tests and undertaken lots of calculations to fine tune our rocket."

All agree the main thrill is firing the engine and watching their rocket fly.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

They don't get a test run — Sunday will be the first launch for real, so there are real nerves and anxious thoughts.

But they are also confident they have done their homework and built a rocket they and New Zealand can be proud of.

It is a public event — see more information at nzrocketry.org.nz.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

Flooding in Wairau Valley

New Zealand

'Pure panic': Mum speaks out after son victim of terrifying dog attack

09 May 06:34 AM
live
New Zealand

Watch: Flights delayed at Auckland Airport as intense rain batters city, surface flooding

09 May 06:32 AM

One tiny baby’s fight to survive

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Flooding in Wairau Valley

Flooding in Wairau Valley

Flooding in Wairau Valley on Auckland's North Shore. Video / Jonathon Edward Powell

'Pure panic': Mum speaks out after son victim of terrifying dog attack

'Pure panic': Mum speaks out after son victim of terrifying dog attack

09 May 06:34 AM
Watch: Flights delayed at Auckland Airport as intense rain batters city, surface flooding
live

Watch: Flights delayed at Auckland Airport as intense rain batters city, surface flooding

09 May 06:32 AM
Probe into unexplained death after discovery of man’s body in Northland

Probe into unexplained death after discovery of man’s body in Northland

09 May 06:18 AM
Connected workers are safer workers 
sponsored

Connected workers are safer workers 

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP