1911: Powered Flight
May 27, 2019
By AHNZ
One of Takanini’s (Auckland) newest housing developments was once an pioneeiring airfield. At Airfield Road (go figure) I noticed this big rock with the inscription…
“The Howard Wright Biplane “Manurewa” built by Leo and Vivian Walsh with the help of their sisters and others made the first powered controlled flight in New Zealand from this field on February 5th 1911″*
The Walsh brothers caused a sensation that day before the privileged group of onlookers. They had carefully assembled and piloted this kit-set biplane and fitted a motor to it on the site of what was then a race horse enterprise called Glenora Park.
Getting in on the hype, as politicians will, Prime Minister Ward involves himself and names the private biplane ‘Manurewa’. This is Maori for ‘floating bird’ or for ‘runaway kite’, depending who you believe. Ward was in great need of some PR Pixie Dust at this point as he was much resented and had already had to promise to resign to hold his government together.
Glenora Park doesn’t exist now but remained as private race horse training stables with its own track and many high-class thoroughbred auctions over the years. It may be that the owner was one of the backers for the syndicate that imported the Manurewa and put the Walsh’s at the controls. It seems to have endured about a century until about 2010 when it became housing. Even the topsoil was capitalised and carted away, which seems to be standard practise these days if it’s of any value. Layers of horse manure going back to the 1800s would qualify!
I expect this stone and plaque might get a decent aviation statue here some time soon. Perhaps a nice biplane version of the Spitfire Christchurch Airport has (had?) That would make a far better memorial than the silly-looking wire bird hanging in Mission Bay that is somehow supposed to memorialise New Zealand’s flying school.
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* note: World first powered flight, The Wright Brothers, 1903. Richard Pearse, in New Zealand, was doing similar things at a similar time
Image ref. Photos from me, Feb 2018
Image ref. ‘Walsh Brothers plane’, Breckon, Arthur Ninnis, Alexander Turnbull Library
Image ref. ‘The Manurewa at Glenora Park’, ‘Sir George Grey Special Collections
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