Veterans gather in Christchurch to mark 50 years since they were sent to Vietnam

New Zealand veterans have gathered to mark 50 years since they were sent to the Vietnam War.

The reunion of Victor Four came with another - the veterans have flown from Auckland and Tauranga to Christchurch on board the very plane that took them to war.

NZ7002 is one of the Air Force's five Hercules planes. In 1969 it was only a few years old.

The C130 took off early this morning from Whenuapai Air Base in Auckland with more than 30 veterans.

"Thank you for your service," a current member of the NZDF told the veterans after giving a safety briefing.

More were picked up in Tauranga and with commemorative hats and scarves in hand to mark their company, veterans took to the skies as they did for Vietnam.

One veteran extended a hand as he approached the C130, touched it briefly, and remembered the plane that took him there five decades ago.

"Oh it was absolutely great, yeah I enjoyed it. I had to just go up and touch her on the nose – 'I’m here, I’m back'," veteran Doug McNally told 1 NEWS.

Once everyone was inside there were handshakes, hugs and hongi to mark the start of the journey south, as now older men caught up on old times.

"It was really special for us to bring them down for the 50th anniversary of going into Vietnam, and especially on the same aircraft is really special for us," Flight Lieutenant Tim Leslie said.

One Vietnam veteran, Pete Ramsay, brought a hefty book veterans themselves wrote and collated to tell the stories of their time at war.

It was passed around veterans gathering today to be signed - a closing of another chapter in their lives.

"It’s pretty emotional because it’s a matter of sort of getting all those smells back, like the fuel, but it’s important for me that I could share that experience with my wife," he told 1 NEWS.

Many of course, aren't here for the reunion.

"There’s 57 who deployed who aren’t here, we lost seven killed in action in Vietnam and over time, people die through various causes,"Mr Ramsay said.

For surviving veterans it was a family affair, with many bringing their children and grandchildren on the flight to the gathering at Burnham.