wolft
Leading Aircraftman
Posts: 3
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Post by wolft on Dec 26, 2006 18:56:50 GMT 12
Hi I recently bought an old photo album and one of the photos shows an Avro 504K on a showground? I would like to identify the location. Does anyone on the board recognizes the location ? Thanks Wolfgang  |
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Post by kiwi on Dec 26, 2006 20:16:53 GMT 12
This is only a guess but how about Paeroa ?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 26, 2006 20:28:39 GMT 12
I wondered Te Aroha but yes Paeroa could well be right too. I'm not sure. It looks like Mt Te Aroha in the background before its landmark repeater station was added.
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Post by Bruce on Dec 26, 2006 21:07:52 GMT 12
I would say I'm 95% sure its Paeroa. The Te Aroha Race course is on the flats on the western side of town - across the river. The distintcive peak in the background looks more like Karangahake, beside the "Waihi Gap" (Karangahake Gorge) Paeroa's racecourse is in an amphitheatre surrounded by hills on most sides, with the grandstand to the south. Assuming the modern grandstand is on a similar site, the view would fit, looking down towards Karangahake. I'm hoping to go tramping in the area shortly, I might try and get a photo replicating the angle.
Avro 504L H2989 belonged to the Walsh Bros NZ Flying School - at one stage it was on floats. The aircraft has been modified for 3 seats with the extra cockpit inserted between the original front cockpit (barely visible in this view but located between the Cabane struts) and the rear cockpit. As a floatplane this aircraft had a large advertising sign on the rear fuselage promoting Gold Crown Gasolene. It was allocated the civil registration G-NZAA but it is not known whether this was ever carried. The NZFS landplanes were used extensively to tour north island towns from 1920 until 1924, and this is likely to one such occasion.
My Grandmother recalled seeing her first aircraft, likely to be one of the NZFS Avros, at Port Albert in Northland at about the same period - perhaps the same one. The first aircraft to land in Cambridge was also an NZFS Avro during the same period.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 26, 2006 21:23:28 GMT 12
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Post by steve on Dec 27, 2006 14:28:47 GMT 12
My feeling is the location is Te Aroha with Mt Te Aroha in the background. I have been to both racecourses...but hey I wouldn't place money as a bet. I suspect trying to replicate the location by new photo would be the way. The building on the far right also looks like the Te Aroha mineral baths building in the town centre?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 27, 2006 17:52:06 GMT 12
That's just what I thought Steve, if it is Te Aroha that rise in left of shot is all tall trees now and you drive through it to the mineral water place, and as you drive out you look down on some sort of sports pavillion. I was there a few months ago but didn't pay enough attention to take it all in properly.
It is an interesting and historic photo, wherever it is. I wonder what the colur scheme was, it almost looks like silver with a blue or green tail?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 27, 2006 17:55:08 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 27, 2006 18:04:05 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 27, 2006 18:07:58 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 27, 2006 18:15:22 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 27, 2006 18:20:55 GMT 12
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Post by Bruce on Dec 27, 2006 19:44:56 GMT 12
The Paeroa racecourse would be behind the hill to the right of the "Looking North" photo, and the view with the Avro would be looking back toward it. This is the hill that now has the town cenotaph on it. The ridge behind the grandstand in the Avro photo rises up to meet this hill out of shot to the right. Visible being the grandstand is a distintive bluff, the "looking north" photo would have been taken from part way up this bluff.
If the weather ever improves (yeah right...) I want to head up that way to do some tramping and gold mine exploring over the holidays.
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Post by kiwi on Dec 27, 2006 20:38:44 GMT 12
Have to agree , none of the pictures give us what we need . I might have to take a digital to the bike races .
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Post by steve on Dec 27, 2006 21:39:32 GMT 12
This has got me fasinated...I agree Dave looking at the photos the "clubrooms" look like the Te Aroha mineral complex but they don't quite match as the domain buiding is more ornate. Now i starting to stray towards Bruces viewpoint. My great great grandfather is buried in Paeroa and a few years ago i spent a liitle time in replacing the headstone (died 1888).Could those white dots to the left of the grandstand be headstones in the Paeroa cemetery?
Racecourses were a common landing place...so the domain prob is ruled out ...Dave someone at your cambridge museum may be helpful...ceratainly the grandstand is quite grand
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 27, 2006 22:01:25 GMT 12
There's a museum at Paeroa, I don't know if they have a website but their details are Paeroa Museum 07 862 8486 37 Belmont Rd, Paeroa And there's the Te Aroha museum here www.tearoha-museum.com/index.phpThey'd be much more likely to confirm or deny the locality than the Cambridge Musuem |
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Post by Bruce on Jan 1, 2007 15:31:53 GMT 12
Paeroa racecourse today:  I reckon this is the location. The angle isnt the exactly the same and the Avro photo is taken a lot closer, which explains some differences in the scale of the hills in the background. The other thing is some of the older cameras (early 20th century) tended to "flatten" the images, and depth of field was compressed. This was something to do with the lens shape and aperture used. Certainly most of the hill profiles and reletive angles match. I submit this therefore as evidence your honour.... |
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Post by stu on Jan 1, 2007 18:02:31 GMT 12
.... and the evidence is looking pretty strong.  Cheers, Stu. |
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wolft
Leading Aircraftman
Posts: 3
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Post by wolft on Jan 1, 2007 18:42:45 GMT 12
Hi Bruce
Great work. Yes, it definetly looks like the photo was taken in Paeroa. I'm going down that way on Friday and will have a look in the museum. Apparently they got a complete collection of the Paeroa Gazette from 1896 - 1996. Wouldn't be surprised to find an article about that event. Must have be quite special at the time.
Cheers
Wolfgang
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Post by steve on Jan 1, 2007 23:40:46 GMT 12
Yes indeed the evidence looks very much like Paeroa ...however it would be nice to see a pic of Te Aroha racecourrse at the best angle to remove all doubt!
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