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Evans Bay, New Zealand


Evans Bay, located in Wellington Harbour, New Zealand, opposite the Miramar Peninsula, was used as the Capital city's International Flying Boat terminal from 1938 until 1956.

Evans Bay was the preferred flying boat alighting area in Wellington Harbour during the 1930s and local officials promoted it through the decade as such. Visits from Imperial Airways aircraft were seen in 1938 as well as Pan American types. In 1940, Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL) flew one of their two Short Empire flying boats to Evans Bay with dignitaries that attended the nearby New Zealand Centennial Exhibition located at Rongotai aerodrome.

Although RNZAF Short Sunderland and Consolidated Catalina Flying Boat operations flew intermittently through the 1940s from their seaplane base at Shelly Bay located further back along the Miramar Peninsula, it wasn't until 1950 when TEAL the forerunner to national airline Air New Zealand, operated a permanent overseas service to Australia from Evans Bay.

Located on the sheltered western end of the bay beneath Hataitai Point, next to the Evans Bay ship maintenance Patent slip'. A temporary terminal was provided by using roadside parking garages along Evans Bay Parade until a more substantial terminal facility was constructed on reclaimed land in 1951. A 'Braby' pontoon dock was installed to allow easier boarding and light maintenance of the Short Solent flying boats that TEAL used at the time. Evans Bay could be quite rough in unfavourable weather conditions and at least one Solent was damaged when alighting, needing substantial repairs.


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