Part Two
Winging It: Auckland’s First International Airports, 1939-1965
by Alexandru Cotos*
As aviation technology continued to emerge and develop in the 1930s, the era of grass paddock airports was forcibly ended. Undeveloped sites like Glenora Park and Māngere Aerodrome could no longer satisfy increasingly larger planes, especially not the glamorous new flying boats that began to connect the globe. Auckland was forced to adapt quickly. This led to the rushed emergence of two new international airports, which served Auckland from 1939 until the opening of the modern airport in 1965.
Mechanics Bay, the first International Airport
In January 1939, British flying boat airline Imperial Airways began to consider linking their services to Auckland via Sydney, planning a test flight for later in the year. Around the same time, Pan American Airways also investigated flying boat routes to Auckland, with the Clipper landing to much fanfare at Mechanics Bay in March 1937. The crew, headed by Captain Musick, came to investigate the Waitematā Harbour as a potential location for a global airbase. By December, Imperial Airways plane Centaurus finally arrived for its test flight, with a second visit from the now-named Samoan Clipper. As chance would have it, the two flying boats arrived just a day apart, with crowds of Aucklanders welcoming both vessels and realising that Mechanics Bay was soon to become a new air travel hub. Mechanics Bay emerged as an ideal destination for flying boats. The waters of the Waitematā were calm and steady, and existing infrastructure in the form of docks and shipyards could easily service the machines. Additionally, the location at Mechanics Bay was right next to the central train station and tram lines, providing easy access to Auckland and the whole country.
Caption: The Samoan Clipper (front) and Centaurus (back) docked in Mechanics Bay. Reference: ‘Flying boats at Auckland, 1937’ Auckland Star, 29 December 1937, Page 5, Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections 5-1518.
With the duo of successful international flights, work quickly began to develop Mechanics Bay into a coastal airport. By March 1939, the newly minted airline Tasman Empire Airway Limited (TEAL) started to build their office and workshop on the bay. In August, the Mechanics Bay Terminal was ready to go, and on the 28th, TEAL completed its first trans-Tasman flight with its flying boat, the Aotearoa. The Aotearoa began regular Auckland to Sydney flights in April 1940, with the trip taking just over eight hours. TEAL’s Awarua route connected Aucklanders to locations around the world. Due to war-related pressures on civilian ships, TEAL’s flying boat routes became incredibly popular, to the point where the Government organised priority lists. Pan American also started their Auckland service in September, which connected San Francisco to Auckland with a long series of hops throughout the Pacific. Pan American developed its facilities at Mechanics Bay, with its workshops and staff to service the gigantic Boeing Clippers connecting Auckland to the Americas. Unfortunately, Pan-American services halted with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, stranding a Clipper at Mechanics Bay, which was forced to return the United States the long way around by heading east rather than west.
Caption: Auckland’s first international airport in Mechanics Bay, 1939. Reference: Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections AWNS-19390823-46-01.
After the war concluded, TEAL made a step to double down on flying boats by upgrading their fleet into Sandringhams. TEAL chose the Sandringhams over the more advanced American Douglas DC-4 land planes, as political pressures from their British shareholders made the airline stick with British stock. The Sandringhams performed poorly, and by 1947, TEAL Chief Executive Geoffrey Roberts had to order a new fleet of flying boats in the form of four Mark IV Solent Flying boats to augment the Sandringhams until a land airport was built. The new Solents were a significant upgrade, able to carry 45 passengers compared to 19 of the earlier models, and in just six-and-a-half hours, rather than eight.
By the mid-1950s, with the fallout of the Second World War favouring land-based planes, TEAL began transitioning to landplanes, acquiring a few Douglas DC-3s to operate at Whenuapai Airport. The last seaplane that was regularly used was the Aranui, a Solent used for the tourist Coral Route, which took passengers around the Pacific. The Coral Route itself may be TEAL’s greatest legacy, as it provided the first Pacific air service. The most notable passenger of the Coral Route was Queen Elizabeth II, who used the route to visit Fiji, the first time the Royal Family flew commercially. The seaplane age officially ended when the Aranui landed in the water of Mechanics Bay on 14 September 1960.
Caption: Photos of the Aotearoa being serviced in Mechanics Bay. Reference: ‘A TEAL Solent flying boat, 1950s’, Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections DGHS-PA-2-1-029.
Whenuapai Airbase
The final airport before Auckland International Airport was the Whenuapai Airbase. The base was built in 1937 when Wing Commander Cochrane advised the government to develop a base for a New Zealand Air Force that could house a squadron of bombers. By the outbreak of the Second World War, the complex was almost finished and was extensively used by the Air Force. Whenuapai’s wartime focus was as a hub for transport operations, with many heavy planes coming in and out of the base. After the war, the Government decided that Whenuapai would become Auckland’s main commercial airport until a proper one could be built. When opened to the public, Minister of Works Bob Semple also announced a new highway to connect Whenuapai to Auckland with better quality roads, cutting travel distance by 5 miles. In this announcement, Semple gave the following accurate prediction: ‘When the new road is constructed, there will be no need for another aerodrome for this city for another 10 or 20 years.’
Caption: Collection of images from the construction of Whenuapai Airbase. Reference: Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections AWNS-19390426-49-02.
In the next 20 years, until Auckland International Airport opened, Whenuapai was a chaotic reception for all travelling to Auckland. Whenuapai received services from many destinations and airlines. Domestically, the NAC offered frequent flights around the country, connecting many smaller cities through hop routes, such as flight NZ171, which stopped in Hamilton, Whanganui, and Wellington, then terminated in Christchurch. Internationally, Aucklanders could use Canadian Pacific Airlines, Pan American, Transports Aeriens Intercontinentaux, and TEAL to access a variety of global destinations. TEAL monopolised trans-Tasman flights, connecting Auckland with Sydney, Melbourne, Norfolk Island, and Fiji. The foreign airlines could also be used to take Aucklanders around the world, such as Amsterdam and Paris.
Caption: Pan American Airways plane at Whenuapai in 1946. Reference: Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections 1799-0306
Caption: Map of Domestic destinations accessible via Whenuapai on NAC Flights, August 1959. Reference: Google Earth, Data sourced from National Airways Company, NAC Timetable, August 1958 in Christopher Neighbour, Whenuapai, 1945-1965, New Plymouth, 2008.
In 1948, the New Zealand Government commissioned British aviation expert Frederick Tymms to review aviation in New Zealand, including the prospects of Whenuapai Airport. The Tymms Report recommended that Whenuapai retire as soon as possible due to a long list of issues. On the aviation side, the airbase did not and could never fit the International Civil Aviation Organisation standards. For one, the runway was faltering quickly under the increasingly heavier planes of the era, requiring urgent upgrades to the tune of half a million pounds as soon as possible. Yet, even with upgrades, the site could never meet standards due to surrounding hills obstructing flight paths for larger jets, making it entirely inaccessible for an increasingly common type of aircraft used for global transit.
Caption: Auckland History Initiative Founding Member Linda Bryder (bottom left) and her family greeting a relative on the Whenuapai Airport tarmac. The image illustrates some of the issues with Whenuapai, like the lack of security, which would typically not allow family portraits on the tarmac. A DC-3 from South Pacific Airlines of New Zealand is in the background. Reference: Bent Bryder, 1964. Image kindly provided by Linda Bryder.
Outside of physical concerns, the Whenuapai airport also struggled with its mixed-use for military and civil aviation. Local bodies like the Auckland Chamber of Commerce argued the airbase was inadequate as the military presence was off putting to incoming tourists. For instance, one of the first doors arriving passengers would see was labelled ‘Out of Bounds for All Ranks’. The Tymms Report added to these concerns, warning that Auckland would be left without a civil airport in the event of war. While military and civil aviation could occasionally cross over, such as emergency landings, no airport in the world was ever jointly used like Whenuapai was.
Caption: Signpost at Whenuapai that showed various destinations and their distance from Auckland. Reference: Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections 1845-230.
That being said, some people in Auckland wanted to keep Whenuapai as an international airport. One of these was the RNZAF veteran pilot Lloyd Parry, who proposed that Whenuapai should be upgraded rather than replaced. Parry argued against the Tymms Report, stating that the surrounding hills did not inhibit aviation as the report suggested. Parry argued that developing the proposed international airport in Māngere would be far more costly, as it needed extensive reclamation and roading projects. He concluded that developing Māngere was unrealistic for a city the size of Auckland, as the city would never need to cater to large aircraft like the ones Māngere was future-proofed for. To Parry, these proposals were out of touch and unrealistic, made by engineers with no aviation experience. Parry’s recommendation seemed to fall on deaf ears, as two years later, the first shovels entered the ground at Māngere, and six years after that, Whenuapai was officially decommissioned for civilian use.
Caption: Lloyd Parry’s proposed upgrades to Whenuapai. His annotations propose a new motorway on the North Shore connecting the Harbour Bridge to Whenuapai via Beach Haven. Reference: Lloyd Perry, Report and Recommendations on International Airport for New Zealand. MSS & Archives 90/1 Sir Arnold Nordmeyer papers 1960-1969 21/1/12 University of Auckland Special Collections.
While local bodies dragged their feet throughout the process, the Māngere Aerodrome eventually developed into the airport we see today. With the opening of Auckland Airport in 1965, Whenuapai was handed back to the RNZAF. Despite the success of the modern Auckland airport, there have been discussions on reviving Whenuapai as a commercial airport. In 2002, the government planned to consolidate all RNZAF activities to Ohakea Aerodrome, near Palmerston North. As a part of this move, the Defence Force asked for consultation on whether the airbase could become a new airport or be redeveloped into residential or industrial zones.
Caption: Whenuapai Base in 2006. Reference: Phillip Capper, 31 May, 2006.
The Waitakere City Council supported reforming Whenuapai into a commercial airport and submitted a detailed proposal to the Government. They argued that Whenuapai as a secondary civil airport would be economically beneficial, provide growth, and reduce traffic. This proposal was also supported by the North Shore and Rodney Councils and their respective mayors. A poll in April 2004 showed that the majority of residents in these regions also supported the move. On the other side, Helensville MP John Key argued that developing Whenuapai would be a disaster. The needed upgrades to the runway and facilities would cost the same amount as Auckland Airport’s planned second runway, which could accommodate far more services. Auckland Airport and Air New Zealand also opposed the proposal, deeming it unnecessary.
Caption: The RNZAF Base in Whenuapai in 2014. Reference: Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections WHEN-D-2014-0012.
Work on consolidating the RNZAF took longer than expected, and by late 2004, the initial projected relocation date was pushed back from two years to ten. At this stage, the Government stated it would not participate in any move to convert Whenuapai. The debate raged on over the next few years but began to lose steam by late 2007 when local elections landed a new council opposed to the airport proposal. The issue was especially controversial in the North Shore, where a 19-year-old apprentice, Toby Hutton, formed the No Commercial Airport at Whenuapai Airbase Party to run in the 2008 election. Hutton ran in the East Coast Bays electorate to oppose local MP Murray McCully, who Hutton saw as a keen supporter of the Whenuapai airport proposal, although McCully had a history of assisting anti-Whenuapai activists. Unfortunately for Hutton, McCully won re-election with 20,151 votes compared to Hutton’s 253.
The last hopes of a second airport departed when National won the 2008 election, and now Prime Minister John Key decided to retain Whenuapai as an RNZAF base. Since then, there has only been the odd brief resurgence in discussion of repurposing Whenuapai, such as in 2019, when outgoing Air New Zealand CEO Christopher Luxon proposed that Whenuapai Airbase be restored as a domestic airport. Yet, this proposal did not take off from the ground, and Whenuapai has stayed firmly in the grasp of the RNZAF.
Auckland’s first international airports were both improvised to connect Auckland with global travel quickly. However, due to their provisional natures, they were not future-proofed, and both became outdated shortly after opening. In contrast to the previous aviation boom in Auckland, this period represents a time when innovation on Auckland’s end slowed down, as political will could not match the growing demands of technology. This theme especially comes through in the airport planning process, which ran parallel to the operation of Mechanics Bay and Whenuapai.