Commando One Paintball: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 07:48, 24 October 2026

Commando One Paintball, also known as Commando One or C1, was a New Zealand paintball operator owned and operated by Rob Tapper. Its facilities included an urban-style field in Penrose, Auckland, and a rural property at Whangārata, near Tuakau. The business was documented by 1995 and remained listed at Whangārata in April 2000.[1][2][3]

History

Early operation

Rob Maddox's article “Using the Net to Catch New Players”, published in Australian Paintballer in December 1995–February 1996, identified Rob Tapper as a Commando One field operator. It credited him with assisting an InterBBS four-player stock-class tournament organised through PaintNet and supplying its trophy.[1]

Penrose and Whangārata

A contemporary profile of Tapper, archived on 4 February 1998, identified him as the owner and operator of two Commando One facilities: a five-acre urban depot and bunker in Penrose and the 140-acre Riverland Adventure property at Whangārata.[2]

In the same profile, Tapper reported ten years of involvement in paintball, five applications to councils to run games and the establishment of three fields, two of which were operating at the time.[2]

The New Zealand Paintball website's field directory also recorded both locations and named Tapper and David Caton as contacts.[4]

A WARPIG Field Finder entry dated 12 April 2000 listed Commando One on Hayward Road, Whangārata, approximately ten minutes from Pukekohe.[3]

Staff

Rob Tapper was identified as Commando One's owner and operator in his contemporary New Zealand Paintball profile.[2]

A separate profile identified David Caton as manager of the Auckland field and a longstanding member of Saints.[5]

Michael Earley recalls working at the Whangārata operation as a teenager, aged approximately 14–15. This places his employment around 1998–2000, although the exact dates have not been established. His employment is documented here as a retrospective recollection.

Playing facilities

Penrose

Tapper's profile described the Penrose facility as a five-acre urban depot and bunker.[2]

The contemporary field directory described predominantly artificial cover, mostly flat ground with a central depression, and a raised spectator area protected by mesh screens. Rental equipment included SL-68, VM-68 and Equalizer markers.[4]

Whangārata

Tapper identified the Whangārata site as the 140-acre Riverland Adventure property.[2]

The April 2000 WARPIG listing recorded wooded playing areas, pump-action and semi-automatic rental markers, carbon dioxide filling, sheltered staging areas and paved parking or access. Walk-on players were welcome, and players could bring their own equipment and paintballs.[3]

Earley recalls examples of early New Zealand-made Pursuit Supplies International equipment being retained at Whangārata, including the M-16 Stinger and Scorpion Elite. These model identifications are based on his recollections rather than a surviving equipment inventory.

Junior Players Paintball Club

Commando One operated a Junior Players Paintball Club for players aged 15 and under. A contemporary club page advertised regular games, competition, discounted playing rates and assistance with purchasing equipment.[6]

Membership included a club patch, a barrel plug required at games and a newsletter. The advertised programme scheduled club events approximately every seven weeks and required members to attend five of seven annual events.[6]

The New Zealand Paintball website hosted the club page as a free service, stating its support for introducing younger players to paintball in a carefully supervised environment.[6]

Recreational events

In 2000, the Mercenaries Star events calendar advertised a proposed twice-yearly big game at Commando One and invited suggestions about its format.[7]

WARPIG's updates page recorded the addition of a Commando One big-game announcement on 17 July 2000. These announcements document the proposal, rather than confirming that the event took place.[8]

Website

Commando One used the website address commando.co.nz, which appeared in its April 2000 WARPIG field listing.[3]

References

Rob Maddox, “Using the Net to Catch New Players”, Australian Paintballer, December 1995–February 1996, p. 22.
New Zealand Paintball — Who's Who: Rob Tapper. Contemporary profile; Internet Archive capture dated 4 February 1998.
WARPIG Field Finder — Commando One. Entry dated 12 April 2000.
New Zealand Paintball — Fields, Clubs and Stores. Commando One listing; Internet Archive capture dated 4 February 1998.
New Zealand Paintball — Who's Who: David Caton. Identifies Caton as manager of Commando One's Auckland field and a Saints member. Internet Archive capture dated 4 February 1998.
The Commando One Junior Players Paintball Club. New Zealand Paintball website; Internet Archive capture dated 4 February 1998.
Mercenaries Star — Tournament and Recreational Events Calendar. Announcement of a proposed twice-yearly Commando One big game.
WARPIG — Updates and What's New, 2000. Entry dated 17 July 2000 announcing a Commando One big-game notice.

External links

Commando One website archive

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-'''Commando One Paintball''', also known as '''Commando One''' or '''C1''', was a New Zealand paintball operator associated with [[Rob Tapper]]. Originally based in Penrose, Auckland, it later operated an outdoor facility on Hayward Road at Whangārata, near Tuakau.
+'''Commando One Paintball''', also known as '''Commando One''' or '''C1''', was a New Zealand paintball operator owned and operated by [[Rob Tapper]]. Its facilities included an urban-style field in Penrose, Auckland, and a rural property at Whangārata, near Tuakau. The business was documented by 1995 and remained listed at Whangārata in April 2000.[1][2][3]
-Commando One was operating by 1995 and provided recreational paintball, rental equipment and facilities for players using their own equipment. It was also involved with Auckland's early online paintball community through an event organised by [[PaintNet (New Zealand)|PaintNet]].[1]
 == History ==
-=== Penrose ===
+=== Early operation ===
-Commando One's original facility was in Penrose, an industrial suburb of Auckland.
+Rob Maddox's article “Using the Net to Catch New Players”, published in ''Australian Paintballer'' in December 1995–February 1996, identified Rob Tapper as a Commando One field operator. It credited him with assisting an InterBBS four-player stock-class tournament organised through [[PaintNet (New Zealand)|PaintNet]] and supplying its trophy.[1]
-Former employee Michael Earley recalls that the venue included an outdoor playing area and an early speedball field. The precise address and opening date have not been established from surviving contemporary records.[2]
+=== Penrose and Whangārata ===
-[[Grant Fraser]], who was involved in New Zealand paintball and the preservation of early locally manufactured equipment, also worked at the Penrose operation according to the same recollection.[2]
+A contemporary profile of Tapper, archived on 4 February 1998, identified him as the owner and operator of two Commando One facilities: a five-acre urban depot and bunker in Penrose and the 140-acre Riverland Adventure property at Whangārata.[2]
-=== PaintNet tournament ===
+In the same profile, Tapper reported ten years of involvement in paintball, five applications to councils to run games and the establishment of three fields, two of which were operating at the time.[2]
-Commando One was documented by late 1995 in an article written by [[Rob Maddox]] for ''Australian Paintballer''.
+The New Zealand Paintball website's field directory also recorded both locations and named Tapper and David Caton as contacts.[4]
-The article described an InterBBS four-player stock-class tournament organised for members of [[PaintNet (New Zealand)|PaintNet]], a free bulletin-board network operated by members of the Auckland team [[Kamo Karzi]]. Maddox credited Kamo Karzi members, players from the [[Saints (New Zealand paintball team)|Saints]], new players and Commando One field operator '''Rob Tapper''' with assisting the event.[1]
+A WARPIG Field Finder entry dated 12 April 2000 listed Commando One on Hayward Road, Whangārata, approximately ten minutes from Pukekohe.[3]
-Tapper also supplied the tournament trophy. The competition was won by the Mordor BBS team of Psyg, Allison, Hobbit and Wolf.[1]
+== Staff ==
-The article identifies Tapper contemporaneously as the Commando One field operator and establishes that the business was active by 1995. It does not state conclusively that the tournament itself was played at Commando One.
+Rob Tapper was identified as Commando One's owner and operator in his contemporary New Zealand Paintball profile.[2]
-=== Relocation to Whangārata ===
+A separate profile identified '''[[David Caton]]''' as manager of the Auckland field and a longstanding member of [[Saints (New Zealand paintball team)|Saints]].[5]
-Commando One subsequently relocated to a rural site on Hayward Road at '''Whangārata''', near Tuakau and Pukekohe.
+'''[[Michael Earley]]''' recalls working at the Whangārata operation as a teenager, aged approximately 14–15. This places his employment around 1998–2000, although the exact dates have not been established. His employment is documented here as a retrospective recollection.
-Earley recalls working at the Whangārata operation between approximately 1997 and 1999, indicating that the relocation had taken place by the late 1990s.[2]
+== Playing facilities ==
-A contemporary WARPIG Field Finder entry dated 12 April 2000 listed Commando One on Hayward Road, approximately ten minutes from Pukekohe. Rob Tapper was named as the contact.[3]
+=== Penrose ===
-== Playing facilities ==
+Tapper's profile described the Penrose facility as a five-acre urban depot and bunker.[2]
-The Whangārata operation used wooded outdoor playing areas.[3]
+The contemporary field directory described predominantly artificial cover, mostly flat ground with a central depression, and a raised spectator area protected by mesh screens. Rental equipment included SL-68, VM-68 and Equalizer markers.[4]
-The April 2000 WARPIG listing recorded:
+=== Whangārata ===
-* pump-action rental markers;
+Tapper identified the Whangārata site as the 140-acre Riverland Adventure property.[2]
-* semi-automatic rental markers;
-* carbon dioxide filling;
-* sheltered staging areas;
-* paved parking or access;
-* participation by walk-on players; and
-* permission for players to bring their own equipment and paintballs.[3]
-The availability of both rental equipment and walk-on participation allowed the venue to serve organised recreational groups and established players.
+The April 2000 WARPIG listing recorded wooded playing areas, pump-action and semi-automatic rental markers, carbon dioxide filling, sheltered staging areas and paved parking or access. Walk-on players were welcome, and players could bring their own equipment and paintballs.[3]
-== Recreational events ==
+Earley recalls examples of early New Zealand-made [[Pursuit Supplies International]] equipment being retained at Whangārata, including the M-16 Stinger and Scorpion Elite. These model identifications are based on his recollections rather than a surviving equipment inventory.
-In 2000, Commando One was associated with plans for a recurring large-scale recreational paintball game.
+== Junior Players Paintball Club ==
-The [[Mercenaries Star]] events calendar described a proposed twice-yearly game at Commando One and invited players to suggest its format and content.[4]
+Commando One operated a '''Junior Players Paintball Club''' for players aged 15 and under. A contemporary club page advertised regular games, competition, discounted playing rates and assistance with purchasing equipment.[6]
-On 17 July 2000, WARPIG recorded the addition of a Commando One big-game announcement to its recreational paintball section.[5]
+Membership included a club patch, a barrel plug required at games and a newsletter. The advertised programme scheduled club events approximately every seven weeks and required members to attend five of seven annual events.[6]
-These records establish that the event was publicly proposed and promoted. No contemporary report or results confirming that the proposed game took place have been identified.
+The New Zealand Paintball website hosted the club page as a free service, stating its support for introducing younger players to paintball in a carefully supervised environment.[6]
-== Equipment history ==
+== Recreational events ==
-Former employees recall that examples of early New Zealand paintball markers manufactured by [[Pursuit Supplies International]] were retained at the Whangārata facility during the late 1990s.[2]
+In 2000, the [[Mercenaries Star]] events calendar advertised a proposed twice-yearly big game at Commando One and invited suggestions about its format.[7]
-The equipment reportedly included examples of the PSI M-16 Stinger and Scorpion Elite. These markers were associated with New Zealand designer [[Steve Constable]], whose company produced pump-action and semi-automatic paintball equipment during the sport's early development in New Zealand.[6]
+WARPIG's updates page recorded the addition of a Commando One big-game announcement on 17 July 2000. These announcements document the proposal, rather than confirming that the event took place.[8]
-The presence of particular PSI models at Commando One is based on participant recollection rather than a surviving company equipment inventory.
 == Website ==
-Commando One maintained a website at '''commando.co.nz''' by April 2000. The address appeared in the contemporary WARPIG Field Finder entry.[3]
+Commando One used the website address commando.co.nz, which appeared in its April 2000 WARPIG field listing.[3]
-The business was also listed by Mercenaries Star and WARPIG, which distributed information about its proposed events to the wider paintball community.[4][5]
-Archived captures of commando.co.nz are incomplete, and the site's original launch date has not been established.
-== Later history ==
-Commando One remained in operation at Whangārata in April 2000, when its WARPIG field listing was published.[3]
-The exact date and circumstances of the business's closure have not been established from surviving contemporary announcements or business records. It should therefore be described as a former field without assigning an unsupported closing date.
 == See also ==
+* [[Rob Tapper]]
 * [[PaintNet (New Zealand)]]
-* [[Early online paintball in New Zealand]]
-* [[Rob Maddox]]
-* [[Kamo Karzi]]
 * [[Pursuit Supplies International]]
-* [[Steve Constable]]
-* [[Paintball in New Zealand]]
 == References ==
-# Rob Maddox, “Using the Net to Catch New Players”, ''Australian Paintballer'', December 1995–February 1996, p. 22. Identifies Rob Tapper as the Commando One field operator and records his assistance with PaintNet's InterBBS stock-class tournament and trophy.
+# Rob Maddox, “Using the Net to Catch New Players”, ''Australian Paintballer'', December 1995–February 1996, p. 22.
-# Michael Earley, oral-history recollections recorded for the New Zealand Paintball History project, October 2026. Firsthand recollections of the Penrose and Whangārata facilities, employment and early PSI equipment retained at the field.
+# [https://web.archive.org/web/19980204172425/http://www.webel.co.nz/whtapper.htm New Zealand Paintball — Who's Who: Rob Tapper]. Contemporary profile; Internet Archive capture dated 4 February 1998.
-# [https://www.warpig.com/forums/fields/index/pg_Other.shtml Commando One – Field Finder Listing]. ''WARPIG'', 12 April 2000. Contemporary record of the Whangārata location, Rob Tapper, commando.co.nz, playing fields, rental equipment and participation policies.
+# [https://www.warpig.com/forums/fields/index/pg_Other.shtml WARPIG Field Finder — Commando One]. Entry dated 12 April 2000.
-# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/Calendar/MS_Calendar.html Mercenaries Star Tournament and Recreational Events Calendar]. Contemporary reference to a proposed twice-yearly Commando One big game.
+# [https://web.archive.org/web/19980204164036/http://www.webel.co.nz/fields.htm New Zealand Paintball — Fields, Clubs and Stores]. Commando One listing; Internet Archive capture dated 4 February 1998.
-# [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/whats_new00.shtml WARPIG Updates and What's New – 2000]. Entry dated 17 July 2000 recording the publication of a Commando One big-game announcement.
+# [https://web.archive.org/web/19980204171510/http://www.webel.co.nz/whcaton.htm New Zealand Paintball — Who's Who: David Caton]. Identifies Caton as manager of Commando One's Auckland field and a Saints member. Internet Archive capture dated 4 February 1998.
-# [https://web.archive.org/web/20220628152812/https://paintballhistory.com/steve-constable-and-early-new-zealand-paintball-history/ Daniel Bacci, “Steve Constable and Pursuit Supplies International c.1985–1988”], ''Paintball History'', 9 January 2015. Historical research concerning PSI and early New Zealand-manufactured paintball equipment.
+# [https://web.archive.org/web/19980204171428/http://www.webel.co.nz/c1jr.htm The Commando One Junior Players Paintball Club]. New Zealand Paintball website; Internet Archive capture dated 4 February 1998.
+# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/Calendar/MS_Calendar.html Mercenaries Star — Tournament and Recreational Events Calendar]. Announcement of a proposed twice-yearly Commando One big game.
+# [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/whats_new00.shtml WARPIG — Updates and What's New, 2000]. Entry dated 17 July 2000 announcing a Commando One big-game notice.
 == External links ==
 * [https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.commando.co.nz/ Commando One website archive]
-* [https://www.warpig.com/forums/fields/index/pg_Other.shtml WARPIG field listing]
-* [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/Calendar/MS_Calendar.html Mercenaries Star events calendar]
 [[Category:Paintball fields in New Zealand]]

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