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Post by flyjoe180 on Mar 25, 2007 8:31:04 GMT 12
Understood.
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Post by John L on Mar 30, 2007 19:52:22 GMT 12
I can just recall seeing the flying boat as a wee lad ...I always thought it was down by the vehicular ferry wharf. - now the container wharf.
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Post by marygarden on Apr 27, 2007 10:40:15 GMT 12
Dave Any chance you can scan the 1930s article about the flight of the Centaurus, you mentioned earlier, and put it on the forum, or else just send it to me direct?
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Post by marygarden on Apr 27, 2007 10:59:06 GMT 12
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Post by Peter Lewis on Jul 1, 2007 20:25:35 GMT 12
Recently I have received some further notes on the Empire boats from John Rankin, who lived in the Mission Bay area during the 1940s – 1950s. He writes: “From our home in Mission Bay the twins A and C would often over fly our house and because the regos were so large I would know if it was Aotearoa or Awarua………..this continued with the Sandringham’s but when the Solents arrived the regos were far too small to read” John has definite memories of the arrival of ZK-AMA at Mission Bay from storage at Hobsonville: “As a school boy it was great excitement when ZK-AMA arrived off the beach… when she first came into view she was still on the step and all four engines were running (it was rumoured that she did get airborne for a short distance in the vicinity of North Head) she then came off the step and taxied slowly towards the beach before dropping an anchor …….. The TEAL tender from Mechanics Bay then went out to her and a couple of engineers removed the batteries and brought them ashore. Everyone then waited around on the beach for the Beaching gear to arrive. This arrived later than expected by which time the tide had gone out quite a bit and it was decided that the beaching could not take place that day. The TEAL tender then took Aotearoa in tow (no batteries) and towed her to her old base at Mechanics Bay for the night (she had been in storage at Hobsonville) The next day I was down at the beach early to watch the beaching which all went well and AMA was pulled up on the grass between where the fountain now is and the changing shed she then spent that night on the grass. The following day she was taken across the waterfront drive having been turned 180 degrees and settled in to her final resting place. Subsequent to this various stone work was placed around the site and a sturdy set of wooden steps were put in place for boarding. Mains electricity was connected to the aircraft by the tail on the starboard side so that navigation lights and other equipment could be run presumably with 230 volt bulbs having been fitted” An interesting point here is that obviously AMA had been kept in storage at Hobsonville for more than eight months in intact condition, apparently without any equipment being removed. Presumably TEAL had hopes that someone would buy the aircraft and continue to operate it. John has also been able to pinpoint the exact location of the aircraft at Mission Bay. Next time I am in the area, I intend to photograph the site as it now stands. “Peter the exact location of the aircraft was about 50 metres city side of the intersection of Patterson Ave and the waterfront road only “Mrs Green’s dairy” was between the two. Mrs Greens dairy was very close to the starboard wing tip and was very well known by all the residents of Mission Bay in those days it was a little timber building single level right on the corner of Patterson Ave.” He also debunks any suggestion that the aircraft was fitted out as a cafe: “Peter to the VERY best of recollections she was NEVER used as Tea rooms that certainly was the original intention though………you had to pay something to have a guided tour around and the charts of her last Tasman crossing were on display etc . . . the only other thing on the site was the mini golf.” John also comments on the eventual scrapping of the aircraft: “I sometime later went off to boarding school and on coming home for school holidays one time was saddened to find that ZK-AMA was no more (scrapped) I still have a scrap book that I kept in those days and in that is a photo from the NZ Herald of the aircraft in its final resting place and a write up about it.” Extract from the NZ Herald:“OLD FLYING BOAT’S END Aotearoa To Be Scrapped Mission Bay Feature The Aotearoa veteran aircraft of the Tasman service will be scrapped next week. Breakers torches will end its career which began in August 1939 and included many miles of varied flying during the war before it became in 1948 an attraction for visitors to Mission Bay Mr H.L.Carter one of the owners said yesterday that the aircraft would have to be broken up on the site as it would be too difficult to move it. All fittings would be sold and the hull and aluminium melted. The Aotearoa was the original flagship of Tasman Empire Airways and pioneered the service on April 30th 1940. Before she made her last flight in November 1947 she crossed the Tasman 442 times and covered 1,230 000 air miles. In that time the plane carried nearly 7000 passengers. During the war the Aotearoa and its sister aircraft Awarua travelled all over the Pacific and visited nearly every island in allied hands. Both planes had a name for reliability. Although they were old they had their turn of speed. Assisted by a tail wind the Awarua made a record crossing of the Tasman in 5 hours 15 minutes in 1946 which set the standard for years. The name of Aotearoa has not left the Tasman a new and faster plane Aotearoa II makes the crossing now. Sometime next week as it roars over Mission Bay gathering height for their long flight to Sydney Aotearoa II will farewell the original Aotearoa the aircraft which helped bring Australia and New Zealand closer together.” As always, any comments/additions to the above will be very welcome. Thank you John for your assistance. Peter Lewis
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 1, 2007 22:55:47 GMT 12
Fantastic memories there, well done for recording them Peter. Thanks to Mr Rankin for supplying them. It's very sad to think of it being saved and made a tourist attraction, and then after a matter of a short time, scrapped. A bit like the Sunderland up north. Does anyone know whether the Empire model in Motat actually was built by Short Brothers and did it previously belong to TEAL?
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Post by Peter Lewis on Jul 19, 2007 21:44:55 GMT 12
I have now visited the site in Mission Bay described by John Rankin, and photographed the spot. It's nice to know, after some considerable effort, the exact place where this aircraft finally rested: Comparing this 2007 photograph with the White's view previously posted by Dave is an interesting exercise; only the bus stop seems to still be in the same place! For those not familiar with the Auckland waterfront, here is a general view of the area. Tamaki Drive is the road that runs the length of the bay, with the park and the harbour on the left, what is now the commercial are on the right, and Patterson Avenue (referred to by John) heading up the hill from the intersection at the traffic lights.
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Post by Bruce on Jul 19, 2007 22:20:54 GMT 12
Hows that for a snapshot of NZs social scene - 1940s and 50s - Dairy and tearooms, today, a Thai restaraunt, Bar, trendy hairdresser and Starbucks!
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 19, 2007 23:46:42 GMT 12
Interesting comparison Peter, I know which scene I prefer, and it doesn't include flipping Starbucks.
I imagine in some alternate dimension though the plane wasn't scrapped and it now would be the Starbucks itself...
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Post by Peter Lewis on Jul 22, 2007 8:53:49 GMT 12
. . . it doesn't include flipping Starbucks. I'm not a fan of 'chain' eateries (I have never ever eaten at a McDonalds) but sometimes . . . I stood in the middle of Papeete at 4.01 pm Wednesday last week and moaned 'where's a Starbucks when you want one!' Papeete (and all of Tahiti) closes down firmly, definatly and brooks no argument about it at 3.59.30 every afternoon. No coffee and a muffin to be seen. No food for man nor beast.
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Post by Peter Lewis on Dec 9, 2007 20:22:22 GMT 12
A viewer has sent some more photos of ZK-AMA at various times in her career, including this cutting from the newspaper 'New Zealand Herald' showing AMA being transferred across the road at Mission Bay to her final resting place. The caption is slightly erroneous (the Walsh School was between the road and the sea) but the photo gives some idea of the fun they must have had getting the old girl into quite a tight site.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 10, 2007 10:50:48 GMT 12
Wow, that's a great shot. Thanks for posting it Peter.
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Post by Peter Lewis on Dec 13, 2007 19:31:36 GMT 12
A further note from John Rankin alerted me to the current location of the old TEAL Mechanics Bay hangar. When the Mechanics Bay site was redeveloped, the hangar was dismantled and shifted to Morrin Road, Panmure. It is currently in use as a Rock Climbing adventure site, with no current acknowledgment of its history. If those walls could speak . . .
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 14, 2007 11:56:08 GMT 12
Great shots of the old hangar. Thanks for seeking it out and finding it. I guess it's a postwar hangar as they had no hangar at Mechanics Bay during the war and used Hobby instead for major maintenance.
I wonder if Morrin Road is named after the chap who founded Morrinsville - his name was Morrin. he was the first man to break the BNZ, in the 1800's, forcing the first bail out from the Govt. A later broke BNZ Govt bail out followed a hundred years or so later.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 7, 2008 13:06:53 GMT 12
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Post by Peter Lewis on Mar 29, 2008 17:12:47 GMT 12
Found this pic at the National Library website: Further details state: "The seaplane Aotearoa being hauled onto the grass at Mission Bay, Auckland.[ca 1945]. View of a truck towing the seaplane Aotearoa (ZK-AMA) onto the grass at Mission Bay in Auckland, observed by a crowd of onlookers, with Rangitoto in the background. The plane was to be turned into a tearoom. Photograph taken circa 1945 by an unidentified staff photographer for the Free Lance. " - dates obviously wrong!
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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 29, 2008 19:16:03 GMT 12
Brilliant shot!
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Post by Peter Lewis on May 22, 2008 19:21:34 GMT 12
Those who are members of the Aviation Historical Society of New Zealand will have received the latest society Journal. Inside, there is a detailed multi page article on the delivery flight of ZK-AMA from Southampton to Auckland in August 1939 as recorded by Gerald Brown of Smith's Aircraft Instruments who was on board the flight to maintain and service the autopilot. Later in the same issue there is coverage on AMA's last flights, which took place on Sunday 9th November 1947. If you are not a member you can rectify this omission by downloading a membership form at ahsnz.tripod.com/membership.html
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 22, 2008 19:45:05 GMT 12
Is Gerald Brown still alive then? He was interviewed a few years ago by Jim Sullivan of Sounds Historical (National Radio, Sunday Nights) about that flight to NZ and about the Empire, it was fascinating.
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Post by ErrolC on Mar 16, 2013 6:36:22 GMT 12
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