Owned by Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL), New Zealand National Airways Corporation (NZNAC) and/or the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF), this activity spanned the years 1939 to 1967.
TEAL was formed in 1939 as a joint venture between Imperial Airways/BOAC, Qantas Empire Airways, Union Airways (who operated an internal New Zealand airline) and the New Zealand Government. The TEAL Sydney-Auckland service was intended to be the final link in the Empire route from England down through the Mediterranean, the Far East, Australia and finally through to New Zealand.
The initial flying equipment for the new airline was to be three Short S.30 Empire flying boats, and these aircraft formed part of a batch ordered by Imperial Airways from Shorts.
S.30 Empire c/n S.886 was registered as G-AFDA to Imperial Airways Ltd., London in May 1939, and carried out its first flight at Rochester on the 10th of that month. It entered line service with Imperial Airways as 'Cumberland' on the 13th July to cover for a shortage of other aircraft.
Returning to the Rochester works, it was initially repainted with the registration ZK-AMC, but this was corrected to ZK-AMA before departure for New Zealand on the 16th August carrying the name 'Aotearoa'. (The block of NZ civil registrations ZK-AMA to ZK-AMZ had been reserved for 'marine' aircraft use).
Arriving at Auckland on 28th August, ZK-AMA then spent several months on proving flights, not just to Australia but also to various Pacific Islands. At that time, the RNZAF had little in the way of maritime patrol aircraft. The 30 Vickers Wellingtons ordered in early 1939 had been gifted to the RAF prior to delivery, and all the RNZAF could then muster were a number of second-hand Vickers Vildebeest single-engined biplanes of doubtful reliability. The TEAL Empire boats were therefore tasked with carrying out a number of military patrol flights prior to the arrival of modern American aircraft in late 1941. ZK-AMA had a Union Jack and ID stripes painted on the aircraft from 19Mar40. Although the Union Jack appears to remained on the aircraft for the rest of its life, I have never seen a photo of ZK-AMA with the ID stripes.
TEAL commercial line operations started on 30th April 1940 when ZK-AMA flew 10 passengers from Auckland to Sydney. These flights continued throughout the war years, and this was the only non-military passenger service to and from New Zealand during those years.
ZK-AMA on take-off at Auckland in pre-war colours

A low pass over the Waitemata harbour, Auckland

Landing on the Waitemata, prewar

On the water at Lauthala Bay, Fiji during a survey flight

At the conclusion of WW2 in 1945, the service continued while plans were made for a fleet replacement and upgrade.
ZK-AMA on the taxii at Auckland in postwar colours



And the take-off run

Servicing was carried out at Hobsonville.
ZK-AMA moored at the Hobsonville buoy



On the Hobsonville slipway


Heading back to Mechanics Bay


The Mechanics Bay terminal was fairly basic, just a braby and some movable barriers



ZK-AMA carried out its 442nd and last trans-Tasman flight 0n 29Oct47, WFU Mechanics Bay 29Oct47 @ 8500hrs it was stored complete with engines and avionics at Hobsonville until sold by tender closing 21Jun48.
It was then transported down the harbour to Mission Bay beach and taken up onto the waterfront for display as a museum piece.


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.
John Rankin, who lived in the area at that time writes:
“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”
John also notes:
“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.”
The miniature golf area was alongside the Empire boat, as can be seen in these photos.
The sign reads:
"'A unique opportunity to inspect The Pioneer Flying Boat of the Tasman Service.
See the passenger accommodation.
Inspect the flight deck, the engineer's room, the observer's chart room with the chart still on the table after the last Tasman
crossing.
Sit in the pilot's cockpit and actually handle the controls of this GIANT AIRCRAFT!
You will enjoy inspecting the intricate machinery of this masterpiece of engineering. An experience you'll never forget! A chance you'll never have again!".
How right they were.



However, this opportunity did not last long. A short while later the site was required for development and ZK-AMA was broken up for scrap. I believe this was in October 1950.
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.”




Today, nothing remains at that site to show that the last of the Empire boats once resided there. The site is now a hairdressers, a Starbucks coffee shop and a Thai restaurant. Only the bus stop remains in place.

Next: ZK-AMC