Whenuapai
| Whenuapai | |
|---|---|
| Suburb | |
| Coordinates: 36°47′23″S 174°37′49″E / 36.7898°S 174.6303°ECoordinates: 36°47′23″S 174°37′49″E / 36.7898°S 174.6303°E | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Island | North Island |
| City | Waitakere |
Whenuapai is a suburb and Aerodrome located in the western Waitakere area of Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on the northwestern shore of the Waitemata Harbour, 15 kilometres to the northwest of Auckland's city centre. It is one of the landing points for the Southern Cross telecommunications Cables. The name is Maori for good land.
Construction of Whenuapai as a base for Wellington bomber aircraft began in 1937.
Post World War II Auckland became a centre for RNZAF transport and maritime squadrons. From 1945-1965 Whenuapai was also Auckland's civil international airport. Whenuapai and Hobsonville bases were integrated in 1965 to form RNZAF Base Auckland. Hobsonville is now closed, with the RNZAF continuing to lease a few remaining facilities.
Today, with a personnel strength of around 1100, Base Auckland is the home for:
In 1945 the government made the RNZAF Station at Whenuapai available for civil airline operations on a temporary basis and with RNZAF activities to take precedence. That "temporary basis" lasted twenty years and the RNZAF had to give up their two smaller hangars and move to the north apron of their own airfield. In the 1940s Whenuapai was one of three aerodromes in the country with sealed runways, the others being Paraparaumu and Ohakea.
For a short time, Auckland had three aerodromes—the seaplane aerodrome at Mechanics Bay where TEAL operated from 1940–54; the city's domestic airport—at the then small grass airstrip at Mangere, on the site of the present Auckland Airport; and weekly Pan American and British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines (the latter's services originally operated by Australian National Airways) services with DC-4s from Whenuapai. Also immediately post-war; the RNZAF operated many of the civil services while NAC was being organised, and to add to the confusion; some of Auckland's domestic services departed from Whenuapai as well.
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