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Story: East Coast region

Transport: plane over Gisborne, 1936

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Transport: plane over Gisborne, 1936

Gisborne had a long wait for a rail connection – and the aeroplane came first. A scheduled air service to Napier started in 1935. This DH84 aircraft, owned and operated by East Coast Airways, was photographed over the city the following year. The rail link was opened in 1942.

Using this item

Tairawhiti Museum, Te Whare Taonga O Te Tairawhiti

Reference: 461-4

Permission of Tairawhiti Museum, PO Box 716, Gisborne, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Monty Soutar, East Coast region – Transport and communication, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/33400/transport-plane-over-gisborne-1936 (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Monty Soutar, published 23 August 2011, updated 1 March 2015.