Most people celebrate milestone birthdays with cake and candles. John “JC” Mathewson chose to swim around Mauao.

The 70-year-old Mount Maunganui resident and recently retired Air New Zealand A320 captain and former RNZAF A4 Skyhawk fighter pilot completed the swim earlier this month to mark both his 70th birthday and the end of a remarkable 50-year flying career.

“I set a goal to swim around the Mount on my 70th birthday,” Mathewson said. “My birthday was December 31, but the weather didn’t play ball, so I went around on January 3, supported by a couple of good mates.”

Ocean swimmer Rex Harding, Andy Windle in the kayak, and blue-capped John Mathewson after completing a swim around Mauao. Photo / Supplied

Although he’s swum around Mauao before, the birthday milestone idea was sparked by a recent achievement made by one of his two sons, well-known NZ comedian Rhys Mathewson.

“He ran the New York Marathon, and I thought, ‘Well, if he can do that, I can train up and swim around the Mount on my 70th’,” Mathewson said.

50 years in the clouds

It was a fitting way to celebrate retirement. He finished up with Air New Zealand on December 18 after 30 years with the airline, following 20 years flying fighter jets with the Air Force.

Mathewson joined the Air Force University Cadet scheme at 18 and subsequently gained his Air Force wings in 1978. While his career coincided with a relatively quiet international period, he flew in what was then New Zealand’s offensive air combat force. “We trained for combat,” he said. “That was our role.”

John Mathewson in the cockpit of Fighter Jets NZ’s L39 Albatross. Photo / David Hall

During his service, New Zealand had the option of sending fighter aircraft to support the Gulf War but ultimately chose not to deploy them. “That was just the way it went,” Mathewson said. “We were ready to be involved, but those decisions are made at a government level.”

He trained at bases including Wigram and Ohakea, completed overseas postings in Australia and Malaysia, and flew Skyhawk fighter jets.

“I also commanded a Skyhawk squadron in Australia,” he said. “Those were standout years. The Skyhawk was our fighter, we were going to replace it with the F-16s, but the deal was cancelled and Air Combat Force disbanded.”

Career highlight

He said four years of display flying in the A4 Skyhawk were a career highlight. He also flew and instructed on the Northrop F-5E and F-5F Tiger with the Royal Malaysian Air Force for two years.

Captain John Mathewson with his A320 flight crew just before his last flight with Air NZ, flying Adelaide to Auckland. Photo / Supplied

Transitioning into commercial aviation with Air New Zealand, Mathewson flew both short-haul and long-haul routes in Friendships “back in the day”, as well as 737s, A320s, and eight years on Boeing 777 aircraft.

He moved to Tauranga from Auckland in 2015 as part of what he calls an “advanced retirement plan”, drawn by friendships with good mates like two well-known former policemen, Peter Blackwell and Greg Turner, the beach, and the outdoor lifestyle including rounds of golf at Mount Golf Club.

“Everything I like doing is here,” he said. “I love the ocean.”

John Mathewson with Fighter Jets NZ’s L39 Albatross at Classic Flyers. Photo / David Hall

Now retired, he swims, cycles, goes to the gym and plays golf – a game he has enjoyed since he was 8 years old.

Gym, swim, or spin

“When you spend 20 years in the air force, especially doing fighter flying, you have to be pretty fit for that kind of flying. I’ve stayed fit, and, of course, work gets in the way, but now work’s not in the way, so I’ll do something every day whether it’s gym, swim, or spin.”

Mathewson also flies for pleasure, piloting L-39 jet aircraft with Fighter Jets NZ at Tauranga Airport and said he had no intention of giving up flying altogether.

“The L39 operation at Fighter Jets is top shelf. All our passengers love the experience, and it is quite neat to see the big smile on their faces when they hop out of the jet.”

With his wife, Linda, Mathewson is planning an “eternal summer”, splitting time between New Zealand and the United Kingdom each year.