ARE YOU READY FOR TAKE OFF?
14 DECEMBER 2022
Welcome to Arabella Airlines
It Would Be Rude Not To Buy An Airplane Cookie
Where else can you get an airplane cookie and some good coffee then jump on a huuuuuuumungus cargo airplane and be the captain?! Seriously, let us know because this was one fun experience we would like to do again.
Blenheim has a lot of planes buzzing around the skies so it's no wonder there is one mahoosive mother of a plane at a really cool cafe, just down the road from Blenheim airport.
The staff at The Runway Cafe are super friendly and they make really delicious mochas and you even get a marshmallow and a jet plane lolly to go with your coffee. How could the girls not share a plane shaped biscuit?! Bella said it was delicious the fondant wasn't too fondanty (which is really good to know if you don't like fondanty fondant).
If you're lucky enough to go when they have their double brownie cheesecake in the cabinet then we would HIGHLY recommend getting it! It was soooo delicious!
Blenheim has a lot of planes buzzing around the skies so it's no wonder there is one mahoosive mother of a plane at a really cool cafe, just down the road from Blenheim airport.
The staff at The Runway Cafe are super friendly and they make really delicious mochas and you even get a marshmallow and a jet plane lolly to go with your coffee. How could the girls not share a plane shaped biscuit?! Bella said it was delicious the fondant wasn't too fondanty (which is really good to know if you don't like fondanty fondant).
If you're lucky enough to go when they have their double brownie cheesecake in the cabinet then we would HIGHLY recommend getting it! It was soooo delicious!
They make really delicious coffee!
Fun airplane cookie for the kids. Of course, the only photo I get isn't in focus!
The cafe has a beautiful outlook
Their food looks sooo tasty. The brownie cheesecake is AMAZING
Cheapest Flight In The World
The area surrounding the plane is the perfect place for kids to be entertained while you enjoy your food and drink and if you get too hot there are plenty of shady places under trees or under the plane if you feel the need. Our girls played for a little bit, looking up at the plane and all around it but they were just toooo excited about heading into a real-life airplane!
It's seriously a monster when you are standing under it and you look up. You kind of expect a small plane for kids to play on but nope... it's a real-life size plane!
Entry into the plane is $2 per adult and kids are free. You can get some coins out at the cafe if you don't have any on you. The money goes towards the maintenance of the plane so it can be enjoyed by the public for a long time.
It's seriously a monster when you are standing under it and you look up. You kind of expect a small plane for kids to play on but nope... it's a real-life size plane!
Entry into the plane is $2 per adult and kids are free. You can get some coins out at the cafe if you don't have any on you. The money goes towards the maintenance of the plane so it can be enjoyed by the public for a long time.
You can wander around the whole plane
Bella doing her pre-flight checks
Say cheeeeeese
Sienna is tiny compared to the propellers
BING BONG
Attention all passengers, Arabella will be serving you your refreshments today!
There are so many switches inside the airplane to turn on and off... just DON'T click off the AV as this powers the mains in the plane and you will turn everything off.... *cough* oops! We had so much fun playing around in this area and the switches do still work and light up the seatbelt and no smoking signs. Bella spent ages doing announcements with the phone and although it didn't carry through on a speaker, that didn't matter to her, she just loved role playing and we, of course, had to play along.
The hostess section was taped off which was a shame as the girls would have loved to have played in there and pushed the trolley along the aisle! I read afterwards that they offer light refreshments in the plane for groups, when you book ahead. That would be a really fun experience for the kids.
There are so many switches inside the airplane to turn on and off... just DON'T click off the AV as this powers the mains in the plane and you will turn everything off.... *cough* oops! We had so much fun playing around in this area and the switches do still work and light up the seatbelt and no smoking signs. Bella spent ages doing announcements with the phone and although it didn't carry through on a speaker, that didn't matter to her, she just loved role playing and we, of course, had to play along.
The hostess section was taped off which was a shame as the girls would have loved to have played in there and pushed the trolley along the aisle! I read afterwards that they offer light refreshments in the plane for groups, when you book ahead. That would be a really fun experience for the kids.
Entry into the plane
The girls had sooo much fun playing with everything inside of the plane
Hello? Anyone there?
I Got Stuck In The Seat
Every time we visited, we were the only ones in the plane which was a huge bonus as it meant there was plenty of room to move and we could sit on any chair we wanted to.
Sienna had a great time putting down allllll the food trays and putting them back up again and she also loved doing all the seatbelts up. She was so good at it that one time I was sitting in one of the seats, she did it up without me even knowing until I tried to stand and completely failed! Cheeky.
Sienna had a great time putting down allllll the food trays and putting them back up again and she also loved doing all the seatbelts up. She was so good at it that one time I was sitting in one of the seats, she did it up without me even knowing until I tried to stand and completely failed! Cheeky.
You can sit and watch a short video on the big screen up the front
Tray up, tray down, tray up, tray down
This plane is an awesome place for kids to have free rein in a place they usually have to stay put
Lath and Bella are ready for take off
Rolls Royce Dart Engine
In the area below the cockpit, there is a Rolls Royce dart engine suspended in midair. I forgot to take a photo of the information above it so I have aaaabsolutely no idea what to tell you about it so I'll just say you have to visit it yourself and have a read!
If you look through the engine, you can see right through to the other end. We spent a lot of time making funny faces through it - Lath and I, not the kids.... the big kids, because we have no interest in engines what-so-ever.
If you look through the engine, you can see right through to the other end. We spent a lot of time making funny faces through it - Lath and I, not the kids.... the big kids, because we have no interest in engines what-so-ever.
The engine is suspended in midair so you can check out all the details if this is of interest to you
In summer, you might want to go early in the morning as it gets soooo hot inside
Peek a boo, I see you!
Memorabilia
To the right of the engine there is a glass display case with a few pieces of memorabilia from the Argosy including photographs and plane parts.
There is also a weight scale in the room which you can hop on and see how much weight you've put on over Christmas from all the deeeelish food or head through the door to check out the bathroom which is missing the toilet and this is probably a good idea as there will always be SOMEONE who will try and use it!
There is also a weight scale in the room which you can hop on and see how much weight you've put on over Christmas from all the deeeelish food or head through the door to check out the bathroom which is missing the toilet and this is probably a good idea as there will always be SOMEONE who will try and use it!
Memorabilia in the plane
A bunch of photos which you can't flip through lol
Aaaaand more memorabilia (can you see I'm tired of writing captions?)
Bella seeing how much she weighs
The old bathroom
Into The Cockpit
Getting up to the cockpit requires climbing up a narrow ladder and making sure the young ones don't fall through the hatch at the top!
We visited in summer and it was hooooot up there, so we tried to visit as early in the morning as we could. The seating area of the plane had an aircon unit which was very welcoming, but the cockpit can get super-hot in summer.
We visited in summer and it was hooooot up there, so we tried to visit as early in the morning as we could. The seating area of the plane had an aircon unit which was very welcoming, but the cockpit can get super-hot in summer.
Little Miss Adventure
You have the whole cockpit to explore
Hello captain
Time For The Real Fun
Now the REAL fun begins...flying your own cargo plane! There are heaps of leavers, switches and buttons to play with and the space up there is actually quite large. The front panel of the cockpit has been replaced with a picture of the dials, but the rest of the switches etc are all real and flick on and off.
Two of the side windows open up which makes a cool photo of the kids popping their heads out and getting a photo from the ground. I took one but when I got home, I realised they were in the shadows so I couldn't see them.
It's an awesome experience for kids and they are guaranteed to have loads of fun. The bonus is there are two seats up the front so there's no fighting over who goes first!
Two of the side windows open up which makes a cool photo of the kids popping their heads out and getting a photo from the ground. I took one but when I got home, I realised they were in the shadows so I couldn't see them.
It's an awesome experience for kids and they are guaranteed to have loads of fun. The bonus is there are two seats up the front so there's no fighting over who goes first!
These two gave us a super smooth flight!
The girls loved pulling all the levers
We got a chipped screen while we were flying along
In case of emergency
The dashboard is just a picture, but the rest is real
Know Before You Go
- Entry is $2 per adult and kids are free
- You can get the coins out for the entry fee at the cafe
- In summer, go early in the morning as it can get really hot in there
- The plane is open 10am - 4pm every day
- Young kids will need supervision in the plane
- There is a food truck on the premises on Friday & Saturday evenings
- Click here for hours
Mappy McMap Face
Getting There
The Runway Cafe is on State Highway 6 just 10-minutes west of Blenheim and 1 minute down the road from the Marlborough Airport.
Address: 760 Middle Renwick Road, Blenheim 7271
For updates on opening hours or for more information, you can view their website here.
Address: 760 Middle Renwick Road, Blenheim 7271
For updates on opening hours or for more information, you can view their website here.
Conclusion
The food's great, the coffee's great and the plane is great! It's a chance for kids to explore a plane when they wouldn't usually be able to. There is so much inside for them to play around with.
Gallery of The Runway Cafe
Check out the rest of the awesomeness that didn't make it to the main blog but deserves to be shown.
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