Airsoft Action - May 2020

Page 54

SITE REPORT THE ARENA - NEW ZEALAND

THE ARENA

CHRISTCHURCH, NZ AIRSOFT ACTION’S “MAN DOWN UNDER”, IOAN “IGGY” ROBERTS, GETS HIS CQB GAME ON, AS HE REPORTS FROM AN EXCELLENT SITE IN THE SUBURBS OF CHRISTCHURCH, NZ.

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ocated in the Yaldhurst suburb of Christchurch, The Arena is a compound-style venue tucked away from the road by a tree line, keeping things hidden in plain sight. There is ample parking in the compound along with an excellent seating/setup area. The site and shop are located at the same location but are both large enough to stand alone. Shop wise, on the outside it looked a little small, but once inside size perceptions change. The walls were lined with a vast selection of airsoft guns, shelves full of tactical gear, face masks and equipment. Glass Cabinets held the smaller guns along with accessories and spares under the counter. The guns were from brands such as ICS, Tokyo Marui, GHK, LCT and VFC. The store is laid out very nicely, everything is easy enough to find and you can’t help but get distracted and drawn to the gun wall. All the Airsoft guns were individually locked to the wall, which was a great way of

keeping control of who handles what. The staff were very friendly and knowledgeable. They were more than happy to unlock the guns and allow you to hold and feel them. It’s no secret that the Arena staff are some of the very best techs in the Christchurch area, offering the best options for gearbox rebuilds and upgrades to ensure airsoft guns are running to their best performance or to tune them up if wanted.

THE SKIRMISH FIELD

Hidden again from view of the shop and preparation area, mainly to protect the safe zone, the playing field is accessed through an airlock-type design using an area cut off via 2 hanging sheets attached to an enclosed wooden structure. This allowed you to load and unload in between the site and safe zone. The Arena is very enjoyable. It is certainly one of the best close quarters playing fields I have been on. The amount of cover to weave in and around, the passageways, the windows and in parts the two stories adding height for the snipers out there along with the balance of open space made the venue what it is. There really is something for every type of airsofter in this field. If you are fast, you could probably run around causing chaos and get away with it for some time but without a doubt, it also allows for strategic team manoeuvrers to work through the container buildings and timber structures with devastating effect. Being CQB, power is limited to 350fps for safety reasons. CQB with tight spaces and lots of corners really promotes the very effective use of pistols as a primary!!

“IT IS CERTAINLY ONE OF THE BEST CLOSE QUARTERS PLAYING FIELDS I HAVE BEEN ON. THE AMOUNT OF COVER TO WEAVE IN AND AROUND, THE PASSAGEWAYS, THE WINDOWS AND IN PARTS THE TWO STORIES ADDING HEIGHT FOR THE SNIPERS OUT THERE ALONG WITH THE BALANCE OF OPEN SPACE MADE THE VENUE WHAT IT IS.”

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MAY 2020


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