A case study in being misleading while making factual statements (by the media, not Mark P).
While the comments about the advantages of grass runways are correct, it is important context that the WW2 fighters were regularly landing on the seal – including the other Yak-3 immediately beforehand. For some reason my photos of Yak-3s landing haven’t made it to the top of my processing pile yet…
And while it might have been fairly clear that ZK-YYY wasn’t heading for the grass runway on this occasion, it would have been rather late before someone focusing on it would be sure that the seal wasn’t intended.

Spitfire, Mustang, DH.104, Harvard – sounds like my weekend at Wanaka!

Thanks for the continuing coverage folks.

The airside area is looking very sterile this morning – the pyros have always between outside the fence on the other side of the runways from the crowd line. I would say no bush planes for us this morning. Maybe they will use the slot to show both the C-27 and C-235.

The cherry pickers were used (in the practice anyway) to hold a cable between them and have various bush planes aim to land between them. Positioned between the sealed and grass runways (both now active again).

Speaking of replica Spitfires in Australia
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-21/replica-spitfire-pilot-soars-with-success-after-given-ok-to-fly/9571706

RELATED STORY: Why drive to work when you can fly?
A far north Queensland man has won his bid to fly his replica World War II-era Spitfire to work each day.
Tired of traffic snarls and road closures, Patrick English put in an application to the local council late last year to fly the plane from his private airstrip in the rural township of Koah to Cairns.
On Wednesday, Mareeba Shire Council approved his request to be allowed to use his airstrip all 365 days of the year, up from 52 days a year.
However, the result is not exactly what Mr English had been hoping for.
…

Probably worthwhile keeping an eye on this spotters blog.
https://fnqskies.blogspot.co.nz/2018/03/shorts-sc-5-belfast-recent-activity.html

I’ve just noticed during a scan through various Facebook Pages that there will be an update on the Sea Hornet project in the next Classic Wings

when Classic Wings announced the new Hornet initiative, we requested leads to additional parts and materials, and happily more Hornet and Sea Hornet items have come to light as a result, from several sources around the world, and are now with Pioneer Aero at Ardmore Airport, Auckland. We’ll go into more detail on this in the next edition of Classic Wings