Guy Menzies and Avro 616 Sports Avian IVa G-ABCF

Last month I was traveling around the West Coast, one of the more remote regions of New Zealand’s South Island.

There are many small isolated towns in this area. One of these is Harihari, population less than 400.

The locals have made a big thing about Australian pilot Guy Menzies, who landed his Avro Avian G-ABCF a short distance outside the town at the conclusion of the first solo Australia to New Zealand flight on 7th January 1931, flight time 11 hours and 45 minutes.

He made a landing on what appeared from the air to be a smooth pasture, but was actually a swamp. The Avian turned over onto its back and suffered some damage, but Menzies was unhurt.
The aircraft was transported to Wigram, repaired, and carried out some further flying in NZ before being shipped back to Australia.

In the middle of the town is a signboard giving details of the event

and another detailing the area’s transportation history

Part of the display is a replica of the Avian, with a mannequin dressed in appropriate 1930s aviator clothing alongside, housed in a small display building

The building is locked and the display difficult to photograph through the glass. The replica is very crudely finished, but I guess serves the purpose of giving Joe Public some idea of the size and structure of the Avian

By following a signposted route from the main road just south of the town, you can get to the actual landing site. You’d never find it otherwise, and the final leg is down a farm lane. At the end of the lane there is another display board

The actual landing spot is about 100 metres to the right of the lane end, on private land but easily visible.

Overall, a sterling effort of keeping the memory alive of an historical event by a small settlement.