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Story: Skiing

Ski plane

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Ski plane

In New Zealand, planes with retractable skis were developed to land on glaciers in the South Island. The first flight was to the Tasman Glacier in 1955, on the initiative of Harry Wigley (right), seen here with another man beside his ski plane. Harry and his father Rodolph also played major roles in the development of skiing in the Queenstown area.

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Archives New Zealand - Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Reference: AAKB 7711/W3035 14AE

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How to cite this page

Andrew Troup, Skiing – Commercial skifields, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/11858/ski-plane (accessed 25 June 2026).

Story by Andrew Troup, published 2 March 2009.