In Ellerslie, we are directly below three flightpaths.  The jets fly west to east, day and night, beneath which there is a NE-SW two-way daytime procession of very low-flying and very noisy piston-engined planes plying to and from Great Barrier and elsewhere.  The latter route is very busy in summer and the almost relentless interruption of conversation spoils a relaxing afternoon in the garden.  Then there is a not-so-busy SE-NW route for helicopters.   Aircraft on the latter  two routes, which are under cruising power, are forced  to stay close the lowest permissible altitude of 500ft (It's 1000ft over built-up areas in UK and western Europe) because of the incoming jets above them.

Night flights were very rare when we moved here 14 years ago, but now jets pass over at all hours, with clusters of planes around the critical times for sleep disturbance of 11pm to midnight and again around 4am.  Some of these come in fast and loud, deploying air brakes and lift-enhancing surfaces. 

This has to be stopped - it is uncivilised.

#31: Tranquility seeker - Aircraft noise 

 I agree 100%. In fact the Great BArrier and Waiheke flights are the ones that annoy me most, every minute at certain times of the day in summer.